Material transfer buffer system and method and production line formed thereby

Abstract

The application provides a material conveying and buffering system and method and a production line formed by the same, wherein the material conveying and buffering system comprises a material storage area located at the side of the production line, a first storage area, the first storage area is provided with a first sensor, the first storage area is in communication with the material storage area, a feeding control assembly is connected with the first sensor, when the first sensor senses that there is a vacancy in the first storage area and the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than a preset buffering value, the feeding control assembly feeds the first storage area. The application can monitor whether there is a vacancy in the first storage area in real time, feeds when there is a vacancy in the first storage area and the buffered materials are less than the preset buffering value, fully utilizes the storage space of the first storage area, and can ensure sufficient and timely feeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material handling, and more particularly to a material handling buffer system and method, and the production line formed therefrom. Background Technology

[0002] In traditional manufacturing logistics management models, material flow between production workshops is handled manually by tractor-trailers. This model suffers from low levels of information technology within the workshops, hindering timely information sharing. To prevent production stoppages due to delayed deliveries, over-delivery is often undertaken, consuming significant workshop space. This results in large floor space, high capital investment, and increased production costs. Furthermore, the storage of large quantities of materials leads to workshop congestion, inefficient logistics, and an increased risk of safety incidents. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the problems existing in related technologies, one of the objectives of this invention is to provide a material transfer buffer system that can monitor in real time whether there is empty space in the first storage area, and only load materials when there is empty space in the first storage area and the buffered material is less than the preset buffer value, so as to make full use of the storage space of the first storage area and ensure that the material is loaded in a sufficient and timely manner.

[0004] This application provides a material transfer buffer system, including a material storage area located on the side of the production line, and further comprising:

[0005] A first storage area is provided with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0006] A feeding control component is connected to a first sensor; when the first sensor detects that there is an empty space in the first storage area, and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than a preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0007] The feeding device of this application can ensure that the total number of materials in the buffer area and the material storage area is greater than or equal to the preset buffer value, and can also keep the floor area of ​​the first storage area, which serves as the buffer area, within a suitable range, avoiding the phenomenon of too much or too little buffered materials in the prior art, and also avoiding the defect of excessive floor area of ​​the buffer area in the prior art.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material conveying component is further included. The material conveying component includes a material conveying channel, in which an inlet and an outlet are provided. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the outlet is connected to the first storage area.

[0009] This application introduces a material transfer component to realize the movement trajectory of the material vehicle from the feeding area, the inlet, the material transfer channel, the outlet, the first storage area, and the material storage area, ensuring that the material reserves in the first storage area and the material storage area meet production needs; and the entire transfer device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material conveying assembly further includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material conveying channel, the clamping and conveying component being able to circulate between the inlet and the outlet.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material handling assembly is further included, the material handling assembly including a vehicle handling component, the vehicle handling component being capable of cyclically moving between the discharge port and the first storage area; the clamping and handling component is provided with a cavity capable of accommodating the vehicle handling component.

[0012] This application utilizes the linkage between material handling components and material transmission components to realize the movement trajectory of materials from the feeding area, feeding port, material transmission channel, discharging port, first storage area, and material usage storage area; ensuring that the material reserves in the first storage area and material usage storage area meet production needs.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first storage area and the material storage area include material vehicles, and the material vehicles include transport vehicles and materials loaded in the transport vehicles.

[0014] The first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions. The first sensor is an AI camera located above the vehicle placement position, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a second storage area is further included, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material vehicles, and the first storage area is used to store full material vehicles.

[0016] The second storage area is equipped with a second sensor, which is used to detect whether there is an empty vehicle in the second storage area.

[0017] In this application, the material storage area is connected to both the first and second storage areas. The first storage area serves as a buffer for material carts in operation, while the second storage area serves as a buffer for empty material carts. The buffering of empty material carts refers to the temporary storage of remaining empty carts after the material carts in the material storage area have been used. The empty carts in the second storage area are then moved to the feeding area for reloading, thus enabling the cyclical use of the material carts.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material conveying component is further included. The material conveying component includes a material conveying channel and a clamping and conveying component located in the material conveying channel. A recovery port is provided in the material conveying channel, and the recovery port is connected to the second storage area. The clamping and conveying component can circulate between the feed port and the recovery port.

[0019] This application introduces a material transfer component to realize the movement trajectory of empty material vehicles from the material storage area, the second storage area, the recycling port, the material transfer channel, the feed port, and the feed area, ensuring that empty material vehicles in the material storage area can be circulated back to the feed area for reuse; and the entire transfer device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a material handling assembly is further included, the material handling assembly including an empty vehicle handling component, the empty vehicle handling component being able to circulate between the recycling port and the second storage area; the clamping handling component is provided with a cavity capable of accommodating the empty vehicle handling component.

[0021] This application utilizes the linkage between material conveying components and material handling components to realize the movement trajectory of empty material carts from the material storage area, the second storage area, the recycling port, the material conveying channel, the feed port, and the feed area, ensuring that empty material carts in the material storage area can be circulated back to the feed area for reuse; moreover, the entire conveying device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is m = m1 - m2, where m1 refers to the total number of materials already loaded in the first storage area, and m2 refers to the total number of materials used in the products already produced by the production line.

[0023] A second objective of this invention is to provide a production line, including any of the material transfer buffer systems described above.

[0024] The third objective of this invention is to provide a material transfer method, implemented based on a material transfer buffer system as described above, comprising: a first sensor monitoring a first storage area in real time; a feeding control component calculating the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area in real time; and when the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than a preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeding materials into the first storage area.

[0025] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0026] This invention provides a material transfer buffer system. The material storage area is located on the side of the production line for direct material feeding. A first storage area acts as a buffer between the material storage area and the material transfer channel. A first sensor continuously monitors whether there are empty spaces in the first storage area. A feeding control component continuously calculates the total number of materials in the first and material storage areas. Only when the first sensor detects an empty space in the first storage area, and the total number of materials in the first and material storage areas is less than a preset buffer value, will the feeding control component feed materials into the first storage area. This feeding device ensures that the total number of materials in the buffer and material storage areas is greater than or equal to the preset buffer value, and also maintains the floor area of ​​the first storage area (which serves as the buffer) within a suitable range. This avoids the problems of excessive or insufficient buffered materials in existing technologies, and also avoids the drawback of excessively large buffer area in existing technologies.

[0027] The production line in this application includes a material transfer buffer system. Since the space of the material buffer is a fixed value and the feeding control component can ensure that the total number of buffered materials meets the production speed of the production line, the production line can be kept in normal operation while saving the floor space of the entire production line and reducing production costs.

[0028] The material transfer buffering method provided in this application has a simple control method and can ensure that the total number of buffered materials meets the production speed of the production line. While ensuring normal production of the production line, it can also save the floor space of the entire production line and reduce production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the material transfer buffer device of this application;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a control logic diagram of the material transfer caching method in this application;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the first sensor and the feeding control component controlling the feeding process in this application;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the second sensor controlling the empty vehicle recovery of materials in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0035] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used in this invention to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this invention, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Thus, features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0038] The material storage area is located on the side of the production line;

[0039] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0040] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0041] In this application, the material storage area is located on the side of the production line and is used to directly feed materials to the production line. The first storage area is equivalent to a buffer area between the material storage area and the material transfer channel. The first sensor senses in real time whether there is an empty space in the first storage area. The feeding control component calculates the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area in real time. Only when the first sensor senses that there is an empty space in the first storage area and the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, will the feeding control component feed materials to the first storage area.

[0042] The feeding device of this application can ensure that the total number of materials in the buffer area and the material storage area is greater than or equal to the preset buffer value, and can also keep the floor area of ​​the first storage area, which serves as the buffer area, within a suitable range, avoiding the phenomenon of too much or too little buffered materials in the prior art, and also avoiding the defect of excessive floor area of ​​the buffer area in the prior art.

[0043] When determining whether to feed materials into the first storage area, the material feeding control component of this application needs to consider two factors: first, whether there is empty space in the first storage area, that is, whether the first storage area has the capacity to accommodate new materials. This is mainly obtained based on the real-time monitoring results of the first sensor. The first sensor can be an AI camera, webcam, laser reflection detector, radar sensor, etc., and only needs to be used to detect whether there is empty space in the first storage area.

[0044] The second factor is whether the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value. The preset buffer value can be a value set according to the production line speed. If it is less than the preset buffer value, it means that the pre-stored materials are insufficient, which may affect the production speed. In order not to affect the production speed, the existing material transfer buffer system simply sets the pre-stored value to a high level without considering the storage space of the first storage area, resulting in a large footprint of the first storage area and increased production costs.

[0045] This application uses a first sensor to monitor the remaining space of the first storage area, and then sets a preset cache value within a reasonable range to control the space of the first storage area to remain within a certain range while meeting the production schedule, thereby reducing production costs.

[0046] In this application, the quantities of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area can be obtained separately, and the total quantity of materials can be obtained by adding the two together. Specifically, the quantity of materials in the first storage area can be obtained by real-time monitoring using a first sensor, and the quantity of materials in the second storage area can be obtained by detection using sensors on the production line; or the feeding control component can record the total number of materials fed to the first storage area and the total number of materials used in the products already produced on the production line, and the difference between the two is the total quantity of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0049] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0050] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0051] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0052] In this application, the material feeding control component is also connected to the control center of the production line to obtain the progress of the production line in real time; the progress here refers to the number of products that the production line has produced in the process of completing a specific production task, and thus obtains the total amount of materials used for the products produced by the production line.

[0053] In this application, the material loading control component resets to zero and re-records the total number of materials loaded into the first storage area each time a new production task is received.

[0054] Furthermore, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is m = m1 - m2, where m1 refers to the total amount of materials already loaded in the first storage area, and m2 refers to the total amount of materials used by the production line for the products already produced.

[0055] As a specific embodiment, the material feeding control component receives a new production task to produce one thousand products. Simultaneously, the component learns that producing one product requires one thousand units of material A. At this time, the material feeding control component monitors and acquires the material input quantity in the first storage area and the production progress of the production line.

[0056] At time T1, the material feeding control component obtains a cumulative total of 672 items fed into the first storage area. At the same time, the production line has produced 600 products. It can be known that the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is 672-600=72 items. In this production task, the preset buffer number is 60 items. At this time, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is greater than the preset buffer value, so there is no need to feed materials into the first storage area.

[0057] At time T2, the feeding control component obtains a cumulative feeding of 672 items in the first storage area. At the same time, the production line has produced 613 products. It can be known that the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is 672-613=59 items. In this production task, the preset buffer number is 60 items. At this time, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, so the feeding control component feeds materials into the first storage area.

[0058] Example 3

[0059] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0060] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0061] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0062] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0063] In this embodiment, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is m = m1 - m2, where m1 refers to the total amount of materials already loaded in the first storage area, and m2 refers to the total amount of materials used by the production line for the products already produced.

[0064] In this embodiment, material handling can involve loading a single material, or transporting a fixed quantity of materials in packaging bags, boxes, or on material carts. For example, this application uses material carts as units for material loading and transport, with each cart carrying multiple materials to form a material handling unit.

[0065] In this embodiment, a fully loaded material car is defined as a material-loaded car, and an empty material car is defined as a material-empty car. A material-empty car refers to a car that has been empty after the materials in the material storage area have participated in the production line. When a material-empty car returns to the feeding area for loading, it will become a material-loaded car again.

[0066] It should be noted that in this application, "material vehicle" and "material empty vehicle" are merely descriptions of containers loaded with materials and do not necessarily need to have the form of a vehicle. They are simply a general term for a transportation unit formed by a fixed quantity of materials.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions, and the first sensor is located above the vehicle placement positions. Each first sensor corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position; it is used to monitor in real time whether there are any empty spaces in the corresponding multiple vehicle placement positions.

[0068] Furthermore, in this application, the first sensor is an AI camera, which is used to capture images of the actual vehicle placement positions and identify whether there are actual vehicles with materials in the positions or whether the positions are empty based on the captured images. Multiple actual vehicle placement positions are set up in the first storage area, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one actual vehicle placement position for real-time monitoring of whether there are actual vehicles with materials in the positions. In actual operation, each AI camera can correspond to three to four actual vehicle placement positions.

[0069] As a specific embodiment, the material feeding control component receives a new production task to produce one thousand products. Simultaneously, the component learns that producing one product requires one thousand units of material A. At this time, the material feeding control component monitors and acquires the material input quantity in the first storage area and the production progress of the production line.

[0070] At time T1, the feeding control component has cumulatively transferred 12 material carts to the first storage area, each carrying 56 pieces of material; that is, the feeding control component has cumulatively fed 672 pieces to the first storage area. Meanwhile, the production line has already produced 600 products. At this point, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is 672 - 600 = 72 pieces. In this production task, the preset buffer size is 60 pieces. Therefore, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is greater than the preset buffer value, and no feeding is needed to the first storage area.

[0071] At time T2, the loading control component has cumulatively transferred 12 material carts to the first storage area, each carrying 56 pieces of material; that is, the loading control component has cumulatively loaded 672 pieces into the first storage area. Meanwhile, the production line has already produced 613 products. At this point, the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is 672 - 613 = 59 pieces. In this production task, the preset buffer size is 60 pieces. Since the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer size, the loading control component loads material into the first storage area.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, each material cart is loaded with multiple materials, forming a material transfer unit, which is called a material cart. After the materials in the material cart participate in the production line, they become an empty material cart. After the empty material cart is loaded with materials in the feeding area, it becomes a material cart again.

[0073] This embodiment also includes a material transfer component, which includes a material transfer channel with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the outlet is connected to the first storage area. Empty material carts are loaded into the feeding area to form full material carts. The full material carts are then transferred through the material transfer channel to the outlet, and the material carts from the outlet are moved to the first storage area.

[0074] Furthermore, the material transfer assembly in this application also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel, which can circulate between the inlet and the outlet. When the feeding control assembly feeds the first storage area, the empty material car is loaded in the feeding area to form a material car. The material car is located at the inlet. The clamping and conveying component transports the material car from the outlet along the material transfer channel to the outlet and places it down. Then, the material car from the outlet is transported to the first storage area by manual or automatic handling.

[0075] In this embodiment, a material transfer component is introduced to realize the movement trajectory of the material vehicle from the feeding area, the inlet, the material transfer channel, the outlet, the first storage area, and the material storage area, ensuring that the material reserves in the first storage area and the material storage area meet the production needs; and the entire transfer device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0076] Example 4

[0077] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0078] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0079] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0080] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0081] In this embodiment, material loading and transfer are carried out on a material cart basis. Each material cart carries multiple materials, forming a material transfer unit, which is called a material cart. After the materials in the material cart participate in the production line, they become an empty material cart. After the empty material cart is loaded with materials in the feeding area, it becomes a material cart again.

[0082] To maintain the cyclical use of material carts, this application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material carts, and the first storage area is used to store full material carts.

[0083] In this application, the material storage area is connected to both the first storage area and the second storage area. The first storage area is a buffer area for material carts in operation, and the second storage area is a buffer area for empty material carts. The buffering of empty material carts refers to the temporary buffering of empty material carts remaining after the material carts in the material storage area have been used. The empty material carts in the second storage area are then moved to the feeding area for reloading.

[0084] This embodiment also includes a material transfer component, which includes a material transfer channel with an inlet and a return outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the return outlet is connected to the second storage area. An empty material cart passes through the return outlet, the material transfer channel, and the inlet back to the feeding area, where it is loaded to form a full material cart.

[0085] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second sensor is provided above the second storage area, and a plurality of empty vehicle placement positions are provided in the second storage area. The second sensor is located above the empty vehicle placement positions and is used to monitor whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions.

[0086] Furthermore, in this application, the second sensor is an AI camera. The AI ​​camera is used to photograph the empty vehicle placement positions and identify whether there are empty vehicles with materials or whether the position is empty based on the captured images. Multiple empty vehicle placement positions are set up in the second storage area, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one empty vehicle placement position for real-time monitoring of whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions. In actual operation, each AI camera can correspond to three to four empty vehicle placement positions.

[0087] Furthermore, the material transfer assembly in this application also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel, which can circulate between the feed inlet and the return outlet. When the second sensor detects an empty material cart in the second storage area, a manual or automatic conveying device is used to transfer the empty material cart to the return outlet. The clamping and conveying component then moves the empty material cart from the return outlet along the material transfer channel to the feed inlet, and finally, a manual or automatic conveying device moves the empty material cart to the feed area for loading.

[0088] In this embodiment, a material transfer component is introduced to realize the movement trajectory of empty material carts from the material storage area, the second storage area, the recycling port, the material transfer channel, the feed port, and the feed area, ensuring that empty material carts in the material storage area can be recycled back to the feed area for reuse; and the entire transfer device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0089] Example 5

[0090] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0091] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0092] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0093] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0094] In this embodiment, a fully loaded material car is defined as a material-loaded car, and an empty material car is defined as a material-empty car. A material-empty car refers to a car that has been empty after the materials in the material storage area have participated in the production line. When a material-empty car returns to the feeding area for loading, it will become a material-loaded car again.

[0095] To maintain the cyclical use of material carts, this application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material carts, and the first storage area is used to store full material carts.

[0096] In this embodiment, the first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions, and the first sensor is located above the vehicle placement positions. Each first sensor corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position; it is used to monitor in real time whether there are any empty spaces in the corresponding multiple vehicle placement positions.

[0097] Furthermore, in this application, the first sensor is an AI camera, which is used to capture images of the actual vehicle placement positions and identify whether there are actual vehicles with materials in the positions or whether the positions are empty based on the captured images. Multiple actual vehicle placement positions are set up in the first storage area, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one actual vehicle placement position for real-time monitoring of whether there are actual vehicles with materials in the positions. In actual operation, each AI camera can correspond to three to four actual vehicle placement positions.

[0098] This application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material vehicles, and the first storage area is used to store full material vehicles.

[0099] In this application, the material storage area is connected to both the first storage area and the second storage area. The first storage area is a buffer area for material carts in operation, and the second storage area is a buffer area for empty material carts. The buffering of empty material carts refers to the temporary buffering of empty material carts remaining after the material carts in the material storage area have been used. The empty material carts in the second storage area are then moved to the feeding area for reloading.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second sensor is provided above the second storage area, and a plurality of empty vehicle placement positions are provided in the second storage area. The second sensor is located above the empty vehicle placement positions and is used to monitor whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions.

[0101] Furthermore, in this application, the second sensor is an AI camera. The AI ​​camera is used to photograph the empty vehicle placement positions and identify whether there are empty vehicles with materials or whether the position is empty based on the captured images. Multiple empty vehicle placement positions are set up in the second storage area, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one empty vehicle placement position for real-time monitoring of whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions. In actual operation, each AI camera can correspond to three to four empty vehicle placement positions.

[0102] This embodiment also includes a material conveying component, which includes a material conveying channel. The material conveying channel is provided with an inlet, an outlet, and a recovery outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, the outlet is connected to the first storage area, and the recovery outlet is connected to the second storage area. Empty material carts are loaded into the feeding area to form full material carts. The full material carts are conveyed through the material conveying channel to the outlet, and then transported to the first storage area. Empty material carts return to the feeding area via the recovery outlet, the material conveying channel, and the inlet, where they are loaded again to form full material carts.

[0103] Furthermore, the material transfer assembly in this application also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel, which can circulate between the inlet, the recycle port, and the outlet.

[0104] When the feeding control component feeds the first storage area, the empty material car is loaded in the feeding area to form a material car. The material car is located at the feeding port. The clamping and conveying component moves the material car from the discharge port along the material transmission channel to the discharge port and places it down. Then, the material car from the discharge port is moved to the first storage area by manual or automatic handling.

[0105] When the second sensor detects that there is an empty material car in the second storage area, the empty material car is transferred to the recycling port by manual handling or automatic handling device. The clamping and handling component moves the empty material car at the recycling port along the material transfer channel to the feeding port. Then, the empty material car is moved to the feeding area for loading by manual handling or automatic handling device.

[0106] This embodiment introduces a material handling component to realize the movement trajectory of the material cart from the feeding area, feed inlet, material handling channel, discharge outlet, first storage area, and used material storage area; simultaneously, it realizes the movement trajectory of the empty material cart from the used material storage area, second storage area, recovery outlet, material handling channel, feed inlet, and feeding area. This forms a cyclical use of the material cart, and the overall structure can ensure that the material reserves in the first storage area and used material storage area meet production needs; it can ensure that the empty material cart in the used material storage area can be cyclically returned to the feeding area for reuse; and the entire conveying device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0107] Example 6

[0108] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0109] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0110] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0111] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0112] This application uses material carts as units for material loading and transfer. Each material cart carries multiple materials, forming a material transfer unit. In this embodiment, a fully loaded material cart is defined as a material-loaded cart, and an empty material cart is defined as a material-loaded cart. A material-loaded cart refers to a cart that has been used in production after the materials in the material storage area have been used in the production line. When a material-loaded cart returns to the feeding area for loading, it will become a material-loaded cart again.

[0113] In this embodiment, the first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions, and the first sensor is located above the vehicle placement positions. Each first sensor corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position; it is used to monitor in real time whether there are any empty spaces in the corresponding multiple vehicle placement positions.

[0114] It also includes a material transfer assembly, which includes a material transfer channel with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the outlet is connected to the first storage area. Empty material carts are loaded into the feeding area to form full material carts. The full material carts are then transferred through the material transfer channel to the outlet, and from there, they are moved to the first storage area.

[0115] In this embodiment, the material transfer assembly also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel. This clamping and conveying component can circulate between the inlet and outlet. For example, the clamping and conveying component can be a lifting and lowering clamping and conveying cavity located in the material transfer channel, where a material vehicle can be placed. The material transfer channel is located above the material transfer assembly, while the outlet and inlet are located below the material transfer assembly, i.e., flush with the ground. Placing the material transfer channel above the ground saves space in the material transfer assembly.

[0116] This embodiment also includes a material handling component, which includes a vehicle handling component that can circulate between the discharge port and the first storage area to transport the material from the discharge port to the first storage area.

[0117] In this embodiment, the vehicle transport component and the material transfer component need to be linked. When the clamping and transporting component transfers the vehicle material at the inlet to the outlet and then descends to the outlet, the material transfer component sends a transfer completion signal to the vehicle transport component. At this time, the vehicle transporting component moves to the outlet and sends an entry request to the material transfer component. The material transfer component allows the vehicle transporting component to enter the clamping and transporting component and fix it together with the vehicle material, and then moves the vehicle material to the first storage area. After the vehicle transporting component moves the vehicle material away, the clamping and transporting component returns to the inlet.

[0118] As a specific embodiment, the material handling component in this application includes an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolley, which can be attached to a material vehicle to move the material vehicle between the first storage area and the discharge port. Alternatively, the AGV trolley can directly load the material vehicle inside, directly moving the material vehicle between the first storage area and the discharge port.

[0119] In this embodiment, the AGV and the material transfer assembly need to be linked. When the clamping and transporting chamber transfers the material vehicle at the inlet to the outlet and then descends to the outlet, the material transfer assembly sends a transfer completion signal to the material vehicle transport assembly. At this time, the AGV moves to the outlet and sends an entry request to the material transfer assembly. The material transfer assembly opens the door of the clamping and transporting chamber, allowing the AGV to enter and be fixed together with the material vehicle, and then moves the material vehicle to the first storage area. After the AGV moves the material vehicle away, the clamping and transporting chamber closes and returns to the inlet.

[0120] This application utilizes the linkage between material handling components and material transmission components to realize the movement trajectory of materials from the feeding area, feeding port, material transmission channel, discharging port, first storage area, and material usage storage area; ensuring that the material reserves in the first storage area and material usage storage area meet production needs.

[0121] Example 7

[0122] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0123] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0124] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0125] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0126] This application uses material carts as units for material loading and transfer. Each material cart carries multiple materials, forming a material transfer unit. In this embodiment, a fully loaded material cart is defined as a material-loaded cart, and an empty material cart is defined as a material-loaded cart. A material-loaded cart refers to a cart that has been used in production after the materials in the material storage area have been used in the production line. When a material-loaded cart returns to the feeding area for loading, it will become a material-loaded cart again.

[0127] In this embodiment, material loading and transfer are carried out on a material cart basis. Each material cart carries multiple materials, forming a material transfer unit, which is called a material cart. After the materials in the material cart participate in the production line, they become an empty material cart. After the empty material cart is loaded with materials in the feeding area, it becomes a material cart again.

[0128] To maintain the cyclical use of material carts, this application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material carts, and the first storage area is used to store full material carts.

[0129] It also includes a material transfer assembly, which includes a material transfer channel with an inlet and a return outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the return outlet is connected to the second storage area. Empty material carts return to the feeding area via the return outlet, the material transfer channel, and the inlet, where they are loaded to form full material carts.

[0130] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second sensor is provided above the second storage area, and a plurality of empty vehicle placement positions are provided in the second storage area. The second sensor is located above the empty vehicle placement positions and is used to monitor whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions.

[0131] In this embodiment, the material transfer assembly also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel. This clamping and conveying component can circulate between the inlet and outlet. For example, the clamping and conveying component can be a lifting and lowering clamping and conveying cavity located in the material transfer channel, where an empty material cart can be placed. The material transfer channel is located above the material transfer assembly, while the recovery port and inlet are located below the material transfer assembly, i.e., flush with the ground. Placing the material transfer channel above the ground saves space in the material transfer assembly.

[0132] This embodiment also includes a material handling assembly, which includes an empty car transporter that can circulate between the recovery port and the second storage area; the clamping transporter is provided with a cavity that can accommodate the empty car transporter.

[0133] In this application, the bottom of the clamping and conveying cavity is provided with casters. The casters can rotate freely in the suspended state. When the material conveying component enters or exits the clamping and conveying cavity, it enters or exits from the side of the casters.

[0134] In this embodiment, the empty car handling component and the material transfer component need to be linked. When the second sensor detects an empty car in the second storage area, the empty car handling component moves to the second storage area and is fixed together with the empty car, driving the empty car to the recovery port. The empty car handling component sends an entry request to the material transfer component, which allows the empty car handling component to enter the clamping component, places the empty car in the clamping component, and then exits. The clamping component rises into the material transfer channel and moves to the feed inlet; upon reaching the feed inlet, the clamping component descends to the feed inlet and transports the empty car to the feeding area.

[0135] As one specific embodiment, the empty car transport component in this application includes an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolley, which can be attached to an empty material car to move the empty material car between the second storage area and the recycling port. Alternatively, the AGV trolley can directly load the empty material car inside, directly moving the empty material car between the second storage area and the recycling port.

[0136] In this embodiment, the AGV and the material transfer component need to be linked. When the second sensor detects an empty material cart in the second storage area, the AGV moves to the second storage area and fixes itself to the empty material cart, moving the empty material cart to the recycling port. The AGV sends an entry request to the material transfer component, which allows the AGV to enter the clamping and transporting cavity, places the empty material cart in the clamping and transporting cavity, and then exits. The clamping and transporting cavity rises into the material transfer channel and moves to the feed inlet; the clamping and transporting component at the feed inlet descends and transports the material to the feeding area.

[0137] This application utilizes the linkage between material conveying components and material handling components to realize the movement trajectory of empty material carts from the material storage area, the second storage area, the recycling port, the material conveying channel, the feed port, and the feed area, ensuring that empty material carts in the material storage area can be circulated back to the feed area for reuse; moreover, the entire conveying device occupies a small area, reducing production costs.

[0138] Example 8

[0139] like Figures 1-4 As shown, a material transfer buffer system includes:

[0140] The material storage area located on the side of the production line also includes:

[0141] The first storage area is equipped with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area.

[0142] The feeding control component is connected to the first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

[0143] In this embodiment, a fully loaded material car is defined as a material-loaded car, and an empty material car is defined as a material-empty car. A material-empty car refers to a car that has been empty after the materials in the material storage area have participated in the production line. When a material-empty car returns to the feeding area for loading, it will become a material-loaded car again.

[0144] To maintain the cyclical use of material carts, this application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material carts, and the first storage area is used to store full material carts.

[0145] In this embodiment, the first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions, and the first sensor is located above the vehicle placement positions. Each first sensor corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position; it is used to monitor in real time whether there are any empty spaces in the corresponding multiple vehicle placement positions.

[0146] This application also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material vehicles, and the first storage area is used to store full material vehicles.

[0147] In this application, the material storage area is connected to both the first storage area and the second storage area. The first storage area is a buffer area for material carts in operation, and the second storage area is a buffer area for empty material carts. The buffering of empty material carts refers to the temporary buffering of empty material carts remaining after the material carts in the material storage area have been used. The empty material carts in the second storage area are then moved to the feeding area for reloading.

[0148] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a second sensor is provided above the second storage area, and a plurality of empty vehicle placement positions are provided in the second storage area. The second sensor is located above the empty vehicle placement positions and is used to monitor whether there are empty vehicles with materials in the empty vehicle placement positions.

[0149] This embodiment also includes a material conveying component, which includes a material conveying channel. The material conveying channel is provided with an inlet, an outlet, and a recovery outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, the outlet is connected to the first storage area, and the recovery outlet is connected to the second storage area. Empty material carts are loaded into the feeding area to form full material carts. The full material carts are conveyed through the material conveying channel to the outlet, and then transported to the first storage area. Empty material carts return to the feeding area via the recovery outlet, the material conveying channel, and the inlet, where they are loaded again to form full material carts.

[0150] Furthermore, the material transfer assembly in this application also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel, which can circulate between the inlet, the recycle port, and the outlet.

[0151] The clamping and conveying component can be, for example, a lifting clamping and conveying cavity located in the material conveying channel, which can hold both full and empty material carts. The material conveying channel is located above the material conveying assembly, while the discharge port, recovery port, and feed port are located below the material conveying assembly, i.e., at the same level as the ground. Placing the material conveying channel above the ground saves space in the material conveying assembly.

[0152] This embodiment also includes a material handling assembly, which can circulate between the discharge port and the first storage area to transport the material from the discharge port to the first storage area. The material handling assembly can also circulate between the recovery port and the second storage area to transport the empty material from the second storage area to the recovery port.

[0153] The material handling component in this application includes an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolley, which can be attached to a material vehicle to move the material vehicle between the first storage area and the discharge port. Alternatively, the AGV trolley can directly load the material vehicle inside, directly moving the material vehicle between the first storage area and the discharge port.

[0154] In this embodiment, the vehicle handling component and the material transfer component need to be linked. When the clamping and handling chamber transfers the material vehicle at the inlet to the outlet and then descends to the outlet, the material transfer component sends a transfer completion signal to the vehicle handling component. At this time, the AGV moves to the outlet and sends an entry request to the material transfer component. The material transfer component opens the door of the clamping and handling chamber, allowing the AGV to enter and be fixed together with the material vehicle, and then moves the material vehicle to the first storage area. After the AGV moves the material vehicle away, the clamping and handling chamber closes and returns to the inlet.

[0155] When the second sensor detects an empty material cart in the second storage area, the AGV moves to the second storage area and locks itself onto the empty material cart, moving it to the recycling port. The AGV then sends an entry request to the material transfer assembly, which allows the AGV to enter the clamping and transporting chamber, place the empty material cart inside, and exit. The clamping and transporting chamber rises into the material transfer channel and moves to the feed inlet; the clamping and transporting component at the feed inlet descends and transports the material to the feeding area.

[0156] This application utilizes the linkage of material conveying and material handling components to realize the movement trajectory of the material cart from the feeding area, feeding port, material conveying channel, discharging port, first storage area, and material usage storage area; simultaneously, it realizes the movement trajectory of the empty material cart from the material usage storage area, second storage area, recycling port, material conveying channel, feeding port, and feeding area. This forms a cyclical use of the material carts, and the overall structure ensures that the material reserves in the first storage area and the material usage storage area meet production needs; it ensures that the empty material carts in the material usage storage area can be recycled back to the feeding area for reuse; and the entire conveying device has a small footprint, reducing production costs.

[0157] This application also provides a production line including a material transfer buffer system as described above.

[0158] This application also provides a material transfer method based on the material transfer buffer system described above, comprising: a first sensor monitoring a first storage area in real time; a feeding control component calculating the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area in real time; and when the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area, and the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than a preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeding materials into the first storage area. The specific feeding process can be found in Embodiments 1-8, and will not be described in detail here.

[0159] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps described in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this application. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is usually based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this application; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0160] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0161] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0162] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A material transfer buffer system, comprising a material storage area located on the side of the production line, characterized in that, Also includes: A first storage area is provided with a first sensor; and the first storage area is connected to the material storage area. A feeding control component is connected to a first sensor. When the first sensor detects that there is an empty space in the first storage area and the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than a preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds materials into the first storage area. The total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is obtained by the difference between the total number of materials fed into the first storage area and the total number of materials used to generate products on the production line.

2. The material transfer buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a material transfer component, which includes a material transfer channel with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is connected to the feeding area, and the outlet is connected to the first storage area.

3. The material transfer buffer system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material transfer assembly also includes a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel, which is capable of cyclically moving between the inlet and the outlet.

4. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a material handling assembly, which includes a vehicle handling component that can circulate between the discharge port and the first storage area; the clamping and handling component is provided with a cavity that can accommodate the vehicle handling component.

5. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first storage area and the material storage area include material vehicles, which include transport vehicles and materials loaded in the transport vehicles; The first storage area is provided with several vehicle placement positions. The first sensor is an AI camera located above the vehicle placement position, and each AI camera corresponds to at least one vehicle placement position.

6. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a second storage area, which is connected to the material storage area; the second storage area is used to store empty material vehicles, and the first storage area is used to store full material vehicles. The second storage area is equipped with a second sensor, which is used to detect whether there is an empty vehicle in the second storage area.

7. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a material transfer assembly, which includes a material transfer channel and a clamping and conveying component located in the material transfer channel. The material transfer channel is provided with a recovery port, which is connected to the second storage area. The clamping and conveying component can circulate between the feed port and the recovery port.

8. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 7, characterized in that, It also includes a material handling assembly, which includes an empty vehicle transporter that can circulate between the recycling port and the second storage area; the clamping transporter is provided with a cavity that can accommodate the empty vehicle transporter.

9. A material transfer buffer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The total number of materials in the first storage area and the material storage area is m = m1 - m2, where m1 refers to the total amount of materials already loaded in the first storage area, and m2 refers to the total amount of materials used in the products already produced by the production line.

10. A production line, characterized in that, Includes a material transfer buffer system as described in any one of claims 1-9.

11. A material transfer method, implemented based on a material transfer buffer system according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, include: The first sensor monitors the first storage area in real time; The material feeding control component calculates the total number of materials in the first storage area and the material usage storage area in real time. When the first sensor detects that there is empty space in the first storage area, and the total amount of material in the first storage area and the material storage area is less than the preset buffer value, the feeding control component feeds material into the first storage area.

Images