Vehicle handover system, working methods, warehouse entry and exit, and seed wall connection system

Abstract

This invention provides a vehicle handover system, a working method, and an inbound / outbound and seeding wall connection system, comprising: a shelf located in a first handover area, the shelf being movable to the first handover area, and the shelf being provided with slots for placing vehicles; a conveyor system located in a second handover position, the conveyor system being capable of transporting arriving vehicles to the next process and receiving vehicles after operation in the next process; a robot located in a third handover position, which is used to hand over vehicles between the shelf and the conveyor system; and a vision system used to acquire the pose information of the slots on the shelf in the first handover area, so that the robot can pick up and place vehicles through the slots according to the pose information of the slots. The vehicle handover system and method of this application achieve efficient docking and handover between the shelf and the robot in scenarios of dynamic shelf scheduling. Applied to inbound / outbound systems or seeding walls, it can effectively improve the efficiency of warehousing and logistics.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of logistics technology, and in particular to a vehicle handover system, working method, warehouse entry and exit, and seeding wall connection system. Background Technology

[0002] In warehousing and logistics systems, the various links are closely connected and the turnover of material bins is large. Therefore, the efficient turnover of material bins in each link has become an important requirement in warehousing and logistics.

[0003] Currently, in the inbound and outbound process, the shelves are usually moved to people, and the material boxes are handed over between the shelves and the conveyor system by humans, which is inefficient; or material box handling robots are used to replace human handling of goods, but material box handling robots have low material box turnover efficiency because they can only carry a limited number of material boxes. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this invention is to provide a system suitable for docking mobile racks for vehicle handover.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention provides a vehicle handover system, comprising:

[0006] A shelf located in the first handover area, the shelf being configured to move to the first handover area, the shelf being provided with compartments for placing vehicles;

[0007] A conveying system located at the second handover position, the conveying system being able to transport the arriving vehicle to the next process and to retrieve the vehicle after it has been processed in the next process;

[0008] A robot located at the third handover position is used to transfer the vehicle between the shelf and the conveying system;

[0009] A vision system is used to acquire the pose information of the grid opening, so that the robot can pick up and place the vehicle through the grid opening according to the pose information.

[0010] Furthermore, the imaging unit of the vision system is configured to acquire an image of the front of the shelf.

[0011] Furthermore, the surface of the shelf is marked, and the imaging unit of the vision system is configured to acquire an image containing the mark. The pose of the mark and the pose of the grid have preset translation and rotation amounts.

[0012] Preferably, there are multiple markers, which are distributed circumferentially along a plane parallel to the front of the shelf, and the pose of the plane and the pose of the front of the shelf have a preset translation amount.

[0013] Preferably, the markings are symmetrically provided at the top and bottom of both sides of the shelf.

[0014] Furthermore, the robot's end effector includes a gripping device and a support rail;

[0015] The gripping device is used to grip the carrier in the compartment of the shelf and place it onto the support track;

[0016] The support rail is used to move an incoming vehicle to a support position on the support rail, and to remove the vehicle from the support position from the end effector.

[0017] Preferably, the gripping device includes a suction cup assembly and a suction cup telescopic mechanism;

[0018] The suction cup assembly grips the vehicle by adhering to its outer surface.

[0019] The suction cup telescopic mechanism is used to move the vehicle to the support track by the suction cup assembly; and to move the gripping device away from the vehicle movement channel when the vehicle moves on the support track.

[0020] Preferably, the suction cup telescopic mechanism includes a translation mechanism and a lifting mechanism;

[0021] The holding track includes power tracks arranged on both sides of the end effector, and a lifting channel for the suction cup assembly to pass through is formed between the two power tracks.

[0022] The translation mechanism is located below the support rail and is used to drive the lifting mechanism to translate along the conveying direction of the support rail.

[0023] The lifting mechanism is used to drive the suction cup assembly into and out of the vehicle movement channel via the lifting channel.

[0024] Preferably, the conveying system includes an output line and a recovery line, and the number of end effectors is two, with the two end effectors capable of simultaneously and respectively docking with the output line and the recovery line.

[0025] The present invention also provides a method for vehicle handover, the method comprising:

[0026] The S1 shelf was moved to the first handover area;

[0027] S2 obtains the position and orientation information of the shelf compartment;

[0028] The S3 robot grasps the vehicle in the grid based on the grid's pose information;

[0029] The S4 robot releases the vehicle into the conveyor system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveyor system;

[0030] The S5 robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf compartment, repeating steps S3-S5 until the current shelf is handed over.

[0031] Further, step S3 includes: the robot grabbing the target vehicle in the target grid according to the obtained coordinate information of the target vehicle.

[0032] Furthermore, the conveying system includes an output line and a return line; the robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector capable of simultaneously and respectively docking with the output line and the return line;

[0033] In step S4, the first end effector releases the vehicle to the output line, while the second end effector receives the vehicle arriving from the recovery line.

[0034] Furthermore, the queuing shelves are configured to have at least one empty slot.

[0035] In step S5, steps S3-S5 are repeated until step S3, when the robot grabs the carrier in the last compartment to be grabbed (the current shelf is handed over), then step S6 is executed.

[0036] The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area;

[0037] S7 obtains the position and orientation information of the queuing shelf compartment;

[0038] Based on the pose information of the queuing shelf slots and the coordinate information of the empty slots in the queuing shelf, the S8 robot releases the recycling vehicle into the empty slots in the queuing shelf.

[0039] S9 Repeat steps S3-S5 using the same methods and steps until the queued shelves are handed over.

[0040] Furthermore, the robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector.

[0041] In step S5, the robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf compartment and repeats steps S3-S5 until step S3, when the robot grabs the vehicle in the last compartment (the current shelf is handed over), then step S6 is executed.

[0042] The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area;

[0043] S7 obtains the position and orientation information of the queuing shelf compartment;

[0044] Based on the orientation information of the grid opening, the S8 robot instructs its first end effector to grab a carrier and form a grid opening;

[0045] The S9 robot instructs the second end effector to place the recovered vehicle into the empty slot formed in step S8;

[0046] S10 Repeat steps S3-S5 using the same methods and steps until the queued shelves are handed over.

[0047] The present invention also provides an inbound and outbound system, including a vehicle handover system, wherein the shelf is an inventory shelf.

[0048] The present invention also provides a seeding wall connection system, including a vehicle handover system, wherein the shelf is a seeding wall shelf.

[0049] As described above, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0050] The carrier handover system of this application allows the rack to be moved only to the first handover area within the robot's working range, without requiring alignment. Furthermore, a vision system acquires the grid position information for robot operation, thus achieving handover between the robot and the rack. Therefore, while achieving efficient rack handling, it also improves the docking and handover efficiency of the racks. Its application in inbound / outbound systems or in the connection of seed walls can effectively improve the efficiency of warehousing and logistics.

[0051] The vehicle handover method of this application enables the rack to efficiently circulate in the first handover area by setting a space on the queuing rack or by setting two end effectors on the robot. Attached Figure Description

[0052] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle handover system according to one embodiment of this application.

[0053] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shelf and vision system according to one embodiment of this application.

[0054] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an end effector according to one embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the suction cup telescopic mechanism according to one embodiment of this application.

[0056] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the end effector of a robot according to one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0057] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features described therein can be combined with each other.

[0058] It should be noted that in the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that other embodiments may also be used, and changes in mechanical composition, structure, electrical system, and operation may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description should not be considered limiting, and the scope of the embodiments of the invention is defined only by the claims of the published patents. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. Spatially related terms, such as “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,” “below,” “below,” “lower part,” “above,” “upper part,” etc., may be used in the text to illustrate the relationship between one element or feature shown in the figures and another element or feature.

[0059] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," "fixing," and "holding" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0060] Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” indicate the presence of the stated feature, operation, element, component, item, kind, and / or group, but do not preclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms “or” and “and / or” as used herein are interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Thus, “A, B, or C” or “A, B, and / or C” means “any one of: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C.” Exceptions to this definition arise only when combinations of elements, functions, or operations are inherently mutually exclusive in some manner.

[0061] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0062] Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment of a vehicle handover system of the present invention includes:

[0063] The shelf 1 located in the first handover area is moved to the first handover area by a mobile handling robot 5. The shelf 1 is provided with compartments 11 for placing vehicles.

[0064] The conveying system 2, located at the second handover position, is capable of transporting the incoming vehicle to the next process and receiving the vehicle after it has been processed in the next process.

[0065] Robot 3, located at the third handover position, is used to hand over the vehicle between the shelf 1 and the conveyor system 2;

[0066] A vision system 4 is used to acquire the pose information of the compartments 11 on the shelf located in the first handover area. The vision system is communicatively connected to the robot, so that the robot 3 can pick up and place the carrier through the compartments 11 according to the pose information of the compartments 11. The pose information includes position information and posture information, etc.

[0067] It should be noted that the mobile handling robot 5 includes robots such as AGVs, RGVs, and IGVs capable of handling shelves. Additionally, the shelf 1 can move autonomously via its own drive unit or be manually driven (e.g., the shelf 1's base is equipped with wheels). Preferably, using a mobile handling robot to handle the shelf 1 solves the automation problem and avoids resource waste by only matching the mobile handling robot to the shelf currently needing handling, which requires configuring a drive unit for each shelf. The shelf 1 can be any form of rack for storing and retrieving containers, such as a single-sided open rack, double-sided open rack, single-row rack, or multi-row rack. The container can be any form of carrying device, such as a frame, tray, box, basket, or cabinet, with no structural limitations; any container with carrying capacity and suitable for the application scenario can be used as the container. The conveying system 2 includes any system capable of conveying containers, such as belt conveyors, chain conveyors, mesh belt conveyors, screw conveyors, bucket conveyors, roller conveyors, or plate chain conveyors. Robot 3 includes, but is not limited to, multi-axis robots capable of multiple degrees of freedom (such as XYZ three-axis robots, four-axis robots, six-axis robots, or even eight-axis robots), Scara robots with three rotary joints that can be used for assembly operations, or Delta robots capable of high-precision material picking, etc. Vision system 4 includes systems such as depth cameras and binocular cameras used to acquire images and image depth information and to analyze the acquired information.

[0068] It is understandable that within the first junction area of ​​shelf 1, the carriers in shelf compartments 11 are all within the range that can be operated by the end effector 30 of robot 3 located at the third junction position. Shelf 1 is also within the range that vision system 4 can capture. Similarly, the carriers on conveyor system 2 located at the second junction position are within the range that can be operated by robot 3 located at the third junction position. Based on the position calibration of the imaging unit of vision system 4 and robot 3, the compartment pose information in camera coordinate system acquired by vision system 4 can be converted into grasping pose in robot coordinate system.

[0069] This implementation method enables automated handover of carriers between mobile shelving and the conveyor system via robots. The shelving first enters the first handover area, placing the carriers within the robot's operating range and the field of view of the vision system 4. Then, the position and orientation of the shelving compartments in the first area are determined, allowing the robot's end effector to grasp the carriers in the compartments with the appropriate gripping posture. The advantage is that the shelving only needs to enter the first handover area and does not need to remain at the precisely required position for robot handover; that is, the shelving does not require secondary positioning, thus reducing the docking time between the robot and the shelving. Moving the shelving to the precise docking position often requires slow alignment within the first handover area, which is detrimental to the efficient flow of carriers in warehousing and logistics, as well as the efficient coordination between upstream and downstream processes. Even with a transport robot handling the shelving, it is difficult for the robot to guarantee the correct transport posture; that is, the robot's alignment does not guarantee the alignment of the shelving it is handling.

[0070] In one embodiment where a vision system acquires the pose of a shelf compartment located in the first intersection area, the vision system 4 is used to acquire a depth image of the front of the shelf. Therefore, the shelf compartment pose can be obtained by analyzing the depth image. For example, the depth image is identified to obtain the compartment area, and the shelf compartment pose is analyzed by combining the depth information of the compartment area. Here, the front of the shelf refers to the surface where the shelf compartment is located.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, in another embodiment where a vision system acquires the pose information of a shelf compartment located in the first intersection area, the surface of the shelf is provided with a marker 12. The imaging unit 41 of the vision system is configured to acquire an image containing the marker 12. The pose of the marker 12 and the pose of the shelf compartment have preset translation and rotation amounts. Therefore, the vision system can acquire the pose information of the marker 12 on the shelf and obtain the shelf compartment pose based on the preset rotation and translation amounts of the marker 12 and the shelf compartment pose. The advantage is that since only a partial image of the shelf 1 (including the image containing the marker 12) needs to be acquired, the marker 12 of the vision system can be placed closer to the shelf, and a wide-angle marker 12 is not required (as imaging distortion leads to errors). Furthermore, compared to acquiring an image of the entire front of the shelf (where the marker 12 needs to be a certain distance away from the shelf to acquire the entire front image), the field of view and placement of the marker 12 are not interfered with by the robot.

[0072] Furthermore, there are multiple markers 12, which are distributed circumferentially along a plane parallel to the front of the shelf. The pose of the plane and the pose of the front of the shelf have a preset translation amount. Therefore, the vision system can obtain the pose of the plane parallel to the front of the shelf through the poses of multiple markers 12, and further obtain the grid pose. The advantage is that the pose of the plane parallel to the front of the shelf can better reflect the overall posture of the front of the shelf. Preferably, a marker 12 is symmetrically arranged at the top and bottom of each side of the shelf. Figure 2 The diagram shows markings 12 at the top and bottom of the left side of the shelf, meaning that a marking 12 is symmetrically placed at or near the ends of both sides of the plane, and a camera unit 41 is provided for each marking 12 to acquire an image. The two sides of the shelf refer to the two sides connected to the front of the shelf.

[0073] Understandably, after acquiring the pose information of the grid opening, the robot can control the end effector to move to the corresponding grasping position and grasp the carrier in the grid opening with the corresponding grasping posture. The following is a preferred implementation method for the end effector:

[0074] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the end effector 30 includes a gripping device 34 and a holding rail 33. The gripping device 34 is used to grip a vehicle from the compartment of the shelf and place it onto the holding rail 33. The holding rail 33 is used to move an incoming vehicle to a holding position on the holding rail 33 and to remove the vehicle from the holding position from the end effector 30. The advantages are that, on the one hand, the gripping device 34 only needs to transfer the vehicle from the compartment to the holding rail 33 and does not need to bear the holding requirement during the vehicle transfer process, thereby reducing the gripping stroke of the gripping device 34, lowering the mechanical performance requirements of the gripping device 34, and simplifying the structure of the gripping device 34. On the other hand, the holding rail 33 is used to move an incoming vehicle to the holding position on the holding rail 33, and can receive the vehicle by docking with the gripping device 34 or a conveying system, and can remove the vehicle from the holding position from the end effector 30, thereby enabling the vehicle to be placed into the compartment or conveying system. The support track 33 includes any one of the following structures: a conveyor belt or a power roller, which can be used to move and support the vehicle on the end effector 30.

[0075] In this embodiment, the support track 33 has a guide structure 31 and a limiting structure 32 on both sides. The guide structure 31 is used to guide the carrier to the support track 33 when the gripping device 34 grips the carrier in the compartment of the shelf and to the support track 33, and when receiving the carrier from the conveying system. The limiting structure 32 is used to limit the movement of the carrier in the support track 33.

[0076] Furthermore, to ensure that the carriers are placed tightly within the shelf compartments, even with virtually no gap between the sides of the carriers and the inner sides of the shelf compartments, thereby increasing the number of compartments per unit area on one side of the shelf compartment and eliminating the need to modify the shelf compartment structure, the gripping device 34 includes a suction cup assembly and a suction cup telescopic mechanism. The suction cup assembly grips the carrier by adhering to its outer side. The suction cup telescopic mechanism moves the carrier to the support rail 33 using the suction cup. When the carrier moves on the support rail 33, the suction cup moves away from the carrier's movement path, thus not affecting the carrier received by the support rail 33 and removing the carrier from the support rail 33 and exiting the end effector 30. The outer side of the carrier refers to the side of the carrier facing outwards from the compartment. The carrier movement path refers to the movement path of the carrier on the support rail 33.

[0077] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, preferably, the suction cup telescopic mechanism includes a translation mechanism 36 and a lifting mechanism 37; the holding track 33 includes power tracks disposed on both sides of the end effector 30, and a lifting channel 35 for the suction cup assembly to pass through is formed between the power tracks on both sides; the translation mechanism 36 is disposed below the holding track 33 and drives the lifting mechanism 37 to translate along the conveying direction of the holding track 33; the lifting mechanism 37 is connected to the suction cup assembly, thereby driving the suction cup assembly to enter and leave the carrier movement channel through the lifting channel 35. Therefore, when grabbing a carrier from the slot, after the end effector 30 and the slot are aligned, the translation mechanism 36 and the lifting mechanism 37 can drive the suction cup assembly to grab the carrier; however, after the carrier enters the holding track 33, the lifting mechanism 37 drives the suction cup to leave the carrier movement channel. Its advantages are twofold: firstly, when the end effector grabs the carrier in the compartment, the suction cup assembly extends through the telescopic mechanism and grabs the carrier to the holding rail, and then retracts below the holding rail, thus not affecting the movement of the carrier on the holding rail; secondly, when the end effector releases the retrieved carrier into the compartment of the shelf, the suction cup assembly extends through the telescopic mechanism to further ensure that the carrier is placed in place.

[0078] like Figure 5 In one embodiment, the robot has two end effectors 30, which are used to simultaneously dock with the input and output lines of the conveying system. Compared to the end effector outputting the target vehicle to the output line and then receiving the vehicle back from the input line, by setting two end effectors 30 that dock with the output and input lines respectively, the input and output lines of the conveying system can simultaneously hand over the vehicle to the robot, thereby improving the docking efficiency between the robot and the conveying system.

[0079] This application also discloses a method for operating the aforementioned vehicle handover system, including the following steps:

[0080] The S1 shelf was moved to the first handover area;

[0081] The S2 vision system acquires the pose information of the shelves located in the first handover area;

[0082] Robot S3 controls the end effector to grasp the vehicle in the grid according to the position of the grid. Robot S4 releases the target vehicle to the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system.

[0083] The S5 robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf compartment, repeating steps S3-S5 until the current shelf is handed over.

[0084] The handover of the current shelf is completed when: S3-S5 are repeated until the robot in S3 picks up the last container to be grabbed from the shelf, at which point the handover of the current shelf is complete. Alternatively, S3-S5 are repeated until the robot in S5 places the last recycled container into the shelf container.

[0085] In one implementation, due to the requirements of subsequent processes, only the target carrier in the target compartment of the shelf is grasped. In step S3, the robot grasps the target carrier in the target compartment based on the acquired coordinate information of the target carrier. Therefore, the robot can further obtain the coordinate information of the target compartment through the server, and thus grasp the target carrier in the target compartment with a corresponding grasping posture according to the orientation of the target compartment. The coordinate information of the target compartment refers to the arrangement information of the target compartment among all compartments, the grasping order, and other information.

[0086] To further improve the handover efficiency between the robot and the conveying system, in one embodiment, the conveying system includes an output line and a retrieval line. The robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector that simultaneously and separately dock with the output line and the retrieval line. During the process of the robot releasing a target vehicle to the conveying system and receiving a vehicle retrieved by the conveying system, the first end effector releases the target vehicle to the output line, while the second end effector receives the retrieved vehicle from the retrieval line. The advantage is that the robot can dock with both the output line and the retrieval line of the conveying system simultaneously, thereby improving docking efficiency.

[0087] For batch shelving handover, once the carriers on the current shelving are retrieved, the queuing shelving replaces the current shelving and enters the first handover area. To improve the operational efficiency of batch shelving in the first handover area, the current shelving does not need to wait for the last recycling carrier to be placed before leaving; that is, as soon as the last carrier on the current shelving is retrieved, the queuing shelving immediately replaces the current shelving and enters the first handover area.

[0088] In one implementation, the queuing shelf is provided with at least one empty slot, the coordinates of which can be sent to the robot by a server or obtained by image recognition through a vision system.

[0089] S1 The current shelf has been moved to the first handover area;

[0090] The S2 vision system acquires the pose information of the shelves located in the first handover area;

[0091] Robot S3 controls the end effector to grasp the vehicle in the grid according to the position of the grid. Robot S4 releases the target vehicle to the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system.

[0092] S5 The robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf slot, repeating S3-S5 until step S3, when the robot grabs the vehicle in the last slot to be grabbed, the current shelf handover is completed, and then step S6 is executed.

[0093] The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area;

[0094] The S7 vision system acquires the pose information of the queuing shelf compartments;

[0095] Based on the pose information of the queuing shelf slots and the coordinate information of the empty slots in the queuing shelf, the S8 robot releases the recycling vehicle into the empty slots in the queuing shelf.

[0096] S9 repeats the same methods and steps as S3-S5 until the queued shelves are handed over. Specifically, this includes the following steps:

[0097] The S91 robot controls its end effector to grasp the carrier in the grid of the queuing shelf according to the position of the grid.

[0098] The S92 robot releases the target vehicle into the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system;

[0099] The S93 robot places the recovered vehicle into the slot of the queuing shelf, repeating S91-S93 until the current shelf is handed over.

[0100] In this process, after the robot grabs the vehicle in the last slot to be grabbed, the robot releases the vehicle into the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system.

[0101] In this embodiment, after the last target vehicle on the current shelf is removed, the queuing shelf replaces the current shelf and enters the first handover area. Simultaneously, the robot releases the target vehicle into the conveying system and receives vehicles recovered by the conveying system. Since the queuing shelf has slots, the robot places the recovered vehicle into the slot and performs the next grab. The advantage is that after the last target vehicle on the current shelf is grabbed, there is no need to wait for the robot to place the recovered vehicle back onto the current shelf before leaving, nor is there a need to wait for the queuing shelf to enter the first handover area.

[0102] In another embodiment that improves the operational efficiency of the shelving in the first handover area, the conveying system includes an output line and a return line; the robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector that respectively dock to the output line and the return line.

[0103] S1 The current shelf has been moved to the first handover area;

[0104] The S2 vision system acquires the pose information of the shelves located in the first handover area;

[0105] Robot S3 controls the end effector to grasp the vehicle in the grid according to the position of the grid. Robot S4 releases the target vehicle to the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system.

[0106] S5 The robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf slot, repeating S3-S5 until step S3, when the robot grabs the vehicle in the last slot to be grabbed, the current shelf handover is completed, and then step S6 is executed.

[0107] The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area;

[0108] S7 obtains the position and orientation information of the queuing shelf compartment;

[0109] Based on the orientation information of the grid opening, the S8 robot instructs its first end effector to grab a carrier and form a grid opening;

[0110] The S9 robot instructs the second end effector to place the recovered vehicle into the empty slot formed in step S8;

[0111] S10 repeats the same methods and steps as S3-S5 until the handover of the queued shelves is completed. Specifically, this includes the following steps:

[0112] The S101 robot controls its end effector to grasp the carrier in the grid of the queuing shelf according to the position of the grid.

[0113] The S102 robot releases the target vehicle into the conveying system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveying system.

[0114] The S103 robot places the recovered vehicle into the slot of the queuing shelf, repeating steps S101-S103 until the current shelf has completed the handover.

[0115] In this process, after the last carrier on the current shelf is removed by the robot, the robot's first end effector releases the carrier into the conveying system, and the second end effector receives the carrier recovered by the conveying system.

[0116] In this embodiment, by setting a first end effector and a second end effector that respectively connect to the output line and the recycling line, on the one hand, the robot can connect to the output line and the input line of the conveying system at the same time, and on the other hand, after the last carrier of the current shelf is taken out, the queuing shelf can immediately replace the current shelf and enter the first handover area.

[0117] This application also provides an inbound / outbound system, including the aforementioned vehicle handover system, wherein the shelves are inventory shelves. The conveyor system can connect to picking processes, sorting processes, etc.

[0118] This application also provides a seeding wall connection system, including the aforementioned vehicle handover system, wherein the shelf is a seeding wall shelf. The conveying system is connected to the packaging process.

[0119] In summary, this invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has high industrial application value.

[0120] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle handover system, characterized in that, include: A shelf located in the first handover area, the shelf being configured to move to the first handover area, the shelf being provided with compartments for placing vehicles; A conveying system located at the second handover position, the conveying system being able to transport the arriving vehicle to the next process and to retrieve the vehicle after it has been processed in the next process; A robot located at the third handover position is used to transfer the vehicle between the shelf and the conveying system; A vision system is used to acquire the pose information of the grid opening, so that the robot can pick up and place the vehicle through the grid opening according to the pose information; The surface of the shelf is marked, and the imaging unit of the vision system is configured to acquire an image containing the mark. The pose of the mark and the pose of the grid have preset translation and rotation amounts. There are multiple marks, which are distributed circumferentially along a plane parallel to the front of the shelf. The pose of the plane and the pose of the front of the shelf have preset translation amounts. The marks are symmetrically arranged at the top and bottom of both sides of the shelf.

2. The vehicle handover system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The imaging unit of the vision system is configured to capture an image of the front of the shelf.

3. The vehicle handover system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The robot's end effector includes a gripping device and a support rail; The gripping device is used to grip the carrier in the compartment of the shelf and place it onto the support track; The support rail is used to move an incoming vehicle to a support position on the support rail, and to remove the vehicle from the support position from the end effector.

4. The vehicle handover system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The gripping device includes a suction cup assembly and a suction cup telescopic mechanism; The suction cup assembly grips the vehicle by adhering to its outer surface. The suction cup telescopic mechanism is used to move the vehicle to the support track by the suction cup assembly; and to move the gripping device away from the vehicle movement channel when the vehicle moves on the support track.

5. The vehicle handover system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The suction cup telescopic mechanism includes a translation mechanism and a lifting mechanism; The holding track includes power tracks arranged on both sides of the end effector, and a lifting channel for the suction cup assembly to pass through is formed between the two power tracks. The translation mechanism is located below the support rail and is used to drive the lifting mechanism to translate along the conveying direction of the support rail. The lifting mechanism is used to drive the suction cup assembly into and out of the vehicle movement channel via the lifting channel.

6. The vehicle handover system as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The conveying system includes an output line and a return line, and has two end effectors, which can simultaneously and respectively connect to the output line and the return line.

7. A method for vehicle handover, characterized in that, The working method includes: The S1 shelf was moved to the first handover area; S2 obtains the position and orientation information of the shelf compartment; The S3 robot grasps the vehicle in the grid based on the grid's pose information; The S4 robot releases the vehicle into the conveyor system and receives the vehicle recovered by the conveyor system; The S5 robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf compartment, repeating S3-S5 until the current shelf is handed over. The queuing shelves are designed to have at least one empty slot. In step S5, steps S3-S5 are repeated until step S3, when the robot grabs the vehicle in the last slot to be grabbed, then step S6 is executed. The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area; S7 obtains the position and orientation information of the queuing shelf compartment; Based on the pose information of the queuing shelf slots and the coordinate information of the empty slots in the queuing shelf, the S8 robot releases the recycling vehicle into the empty slots in the queuing shelf. S9 Repeat steps S3-S5 using the same methods and steps until the queued shelves are handed over.

8. The working method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Step S3 includes: the robot grabbing the target vehicle in the target grid according to the obtained coordinate information of the target vehicle.

9. The working method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The conveying system includes an output line and a return line; the robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector capable of simultaneously and separately docking with the output line and the return line. In step S4, the first end effector releases the vehicle to the output line, while the second end effector receives the vehicle arriving from the recovery line.

10. The working method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The robot is equipped with a first end effector and a second end effector. In step S5, the robot places the recovered vehicle into the shelf compartment and repeats steps S3-S5 until step S3, when the robot grabs the vehicle in the last compartment to be grabbed, then step S6 is executed. The S6 queuing rack replaces the current rack and enters the first handover area; S7 obtains the position and orientation information of the queuing shelf compartment; Based on the orientation information of the grid opening, the S8 robot instructs its first end effector to grab a carrier and form a grid opening; The S9 robot instructs the second end effector to place the recovered vehicle into the empty slot formed in step S8; S10 Repeat steps S3-S5 using the same methods and steps until the queued shelves are handed over.

11. An inbound / outbound system, characterized in that, Includes the vehicle handover system as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the rack is a storage rack.

12. A seeding wall splicing system, characterized in that, Includes the vehicle handover system as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the shelf is a seeding wall shelf.

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