Stacker and mobile robot collaborative multi-pass system warehouse

Abstract

The present application relates to a multi-pass system warehouse of a stacker cooperating with a mobile robot, and belongs to the technical field of robots or warehouse logistics, comprising a floor mobile robot, a shelf, a stacker, a ground rail, a conveying line, a sky rail, a selected floor double channel or a plurality of parallel floor single channels, and an optional ground mobile robot; the conveying line is provided with an in-out warehouse, the stacker and the conveying line hand over goods, and a floor double channel or a floor single channel with a height equal to that of the ground rail is laid under the shelf perpendicular to the direction of the lane to provide a driving path for the floor mobile robot carrying goods, wherein the width of the floor double channel meets the driving of two floor mobile robots carrying goods; the ground mobile robot drives on the ground under the outermost shelf perpendicular to the direction of the lane without crossing the ground rail; the present application proposes a collaborative configuration of the floor mobile robot, the ground mobile robot and the stacker, improves the in-out warehouse capacity, and reduces the operating energy consumption of the stacker.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of transportation equipment for warehouse logistics and sorting and distribution, in particular to a multi-pass system warehouse cooperating with a stacker and a mobile robot. BACKGROUND

[0002] In enterprise application scenarios, most enterprises store large quantities of products, and some enterprises also store large quantities of raw materials. In actual application scenarios, especially under the new situation of "industrial upbuilding", many enterprises have integrated warehouse needs for tools, purchased parts, self-made parts (semi-finished products), and assembled finished products. The working condition is to frequently store and take out tools, purchased parts, self-made parts (semi-finished products), and assembled finished products. Therefore, the overall architecture of the automated storage and retrieval system needs to be modified, and in particular, the bottleneck phenomenon of the lane access port needs to be overcome.

[0003] With the development of e-commerce, efficient distribution of goods is becoming increasingly important. The current e-commerce picking process includes: ① non-destructive opening of the logistics box, which is a paper box transported from the supplier's logistics to the e-commerce site. After opening the logistics box, the code of each inner packaged goods is read, and the goods information is entered into the database; ② warehousing: the logistics box is re-labeled with a seal, and the goods are stored in preparation; ③ goods sorting: the logistics box is opened again, and the goods are placed on supermarket shelves; ④ picking (also known as distribution): at each supermarket shelf (manually dragging a picking cart or using an intelligent trolley), a person picks up the goods according to the order, reads the code, and picks up the order turnover box; ⑤ packaging: the code is checked, all the goods in the order turnover box are packed into a small paper box or plastic bag, and a delivery slip is attached; ⑥ sorting: according to different routes or different express companies, the plastic turnover box or woven bag is packed; ⑦ vehicle allocation: the plastic turnover box or woven bag is allocated to the transport vehicle according to the route.

[0004] In the above-mentioned existing picking process, multiple sealing and opening operations are required, the operation process is complicated, and the implementation efficiency is low. On the other hand, the picking process is similar to supermarket shopping, which requires a person to manually drag a picking cart or use an intelligent trolley to find the location of the goods, manually take the goods in the order from the supermarket shelf, and the picking efficiency is low.

[0005] In order to solve the problems of low picking efficiency and large space occupation of supermarket shelves caused by the operation process of multiple carton sealing and opening and picking from supermarket shelves, a new mode of eliminating supermarket shelves is proposed in the industry: using corrugated cartons for remote transportation, warehouse opening, pouring into warehouse turnover boxes or corrugated carton storage, and directly conveying turnover boxes or corrugated cartons to the picking station. This new way is the back-end picking mode of warehouse. The back-end picking mode of e-commerce involves automatic three-dimensional warehouses with integrated warehouse and picking (distribution) functions, thereby eliminating the processes of unpacking corrugated carton storage, manually placing goods on supermarket shelves, and lifting mobile robots to deliver supermarket shelves to distribution personnel.

[0006] In the application scenarios of the foregoing enterprise integrated warehouse and e-commerce warehouse and picking comprehensive warehouse, unlike the conventional "one-in-one-out" mode where a corrugated carton is stored only once, the new "N-in-N-out" mode is used, that is, a corrugated carton is frequently accessed according to the scattered demand for goods in the enterprise workshop or according to the number of goods orders. Therefore, the overall architecture of the automatic three-dimensional warehouse needs to be modified, and in particular, the bottleneck phenomenon of the lane access port needs to be overcome to improve the throughput efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of the stacker movement. SUMMARY

[0007] The applicant provides a stacker and mobile robot collaborative multi-penetration system warehouse to effectively solve the bottleneck phenomenon of the lane access port in the prior art, greatly improve the throughput efficiency, and reduce the energy consumption of the stacker movement.

[0008] The technical solutions adopted by the present application are as follows:

[0009] A stacker and mobile robot collaborative multi-penetration system warehouse, comprising a floor mobile robot, a shelf, a stacker, a ground rail, a conveying line, a ceiling rail, an angle correction device, and a power supply rail. The floor double channel or multiple parallel floor single channels are selected, and the floor mobile robot is selected to be configured or not configured.

[0010] The storage space on the shelf in the warehouse is used to store goods, and the goods include box types that meet the access premise, or operation units including warehouse pallets and stacked boxes and bags on the warehouse pallets. A lane is provided between the shelves, and a single stacker is provided for each lane. The ground rail and the ceiling rail guide the stacker, and the power supply rail supplies power to the stacker. The stacker moves along the lane to access the goods from the storage space on the shelf. The conveying line is provided at one end or both ends of the lane to access the warehouse, and the stacker transfers the goods to the conveying line to transport the goods into and out of the warehouse.

[0011] Multiple floor mobile robots travel on dual-channel or multiple parallel single-channel floor tracks, needing to cross ground rails and power supply rails. The floor mobile robots hand over the goods to the stacker crane and then transport the goods in and out.

[0012] Under the racks perpendicular to the aisle direction, there are double-lane flooring or multiple parallel single-lane flooring, which are at the same height as the ground rails and are used for the movement of floor-mounted mobile robots carrying goods. The upper surface of the double-lane flooring or single-lane flooring is higher than the power supply rails, which are fixed to the bottom side of the racks. The width of the double-lane flooring is sufficient for two floor-mounted mobile robots carrying goods to move, and the width of the single-lane flooring is sufficient for one floor-mounted mobile robot carrying goods to move.

[0013] Multiple ground mobile robots travel on the ground under the outermost shelf, perpendicular to the aisle direction, and cannot cross the ground rail or power supply rail; the goods on the outermost shelf or the second outermost shelf are transported in and out by the stacker crane in the outermost aisle and then by the ground mobile robots.

[0014] Additionally, it is equipped with angle correction devices for floor-mounted mobile robots and ground-mounted mobile robots.

[0015] As a further improvement to the above technical solution:

[0016] The floor mobile robot is capable of driving in and out of the warehouse with goods loaded, and never enters or leaves the warehouse empty.

[0017] The intersections of double-aisle and single-aisle floor passages with ground rails are temporarily designated as restricted areas, prioritizing the passage of stacker cranes. Rectangular areas on double-aisle floor passages under two adjacent racks, including areas in the aisles that do not impede the movement of stacker cranes, are accommodated for one to four floor mobile robots, which can move and adjust their positions in four directions within the rectangular area.

[0018] The floor mobile robot and the stacker crane exchange goods in a collaborative mode. The collaborative mode is as follows: the floor mobile robot waits for or adapts to the stacker crane, and the forks on the stacker crane directly pick up and place the goods from the floor mobile robot. Within a rectangular area and within the lateral dimension of the dual-channel floor, the floor mobile robot can track and locate the stacker crane. The purpose is to improve the stacker crane's travel speed while reducing the positioning accuracy at the goods exchange location.

[0019] The ground mobile robot and the stacker crane use a collaborative mode to deliver the goods.

[0020] The ground mobile robot and the stacker crane can also communicate in a non-contact manner. Specifically, at the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf, the top of the ground mobile robot rises, lifts the goods from the shelf, and transports them out along a direction perpendicular to the ground rail. After the ground mobile robot travels to its position perpendicular to the ground rail, the top descends again, placing the goods on the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf, where the stacker crane moves them to other storage locations. Except for storage positions on double-aisle and single-aisle floor shelves, the lowest storage positions of other outermost shelves may or may not serve as temporary, non-storage indirect transfer storage positions. The shelves at these indirect transfer storage positions are equipped with support bars that support the goods along a direction perpendicular to the ground rail.

[0021] The floor mobile robot is a four-way moving top lifting mobile robot. The chassis of the floor mobile robot has two pairs of lateral moving wheels that travel parallel to the ground rail, and two rubber tracks that travel on the floor double channel perpendicular to the ground rail, thus allowing it to cross the ground rail without obstruction on the floor double channel.

[0022] The initial height and travel distance of the lifting operation of the ground mobile robot are the same as those of the floor mobile robot, and it does not need to cross the ground track.

[0023] Four lateral wheels move up and down simultaneously with the chassis. When moving downwards, the four lateral wheels touch the ground, moving laterally parallel to the ground rail. When moving upwards, the two rubber tracks touch the ground, moving longitudinally perpendicular to the ground rail. A lifting plate rises and falls relative to the chassis to retrieve the goods. The rotational supports for the support wheels, drive wheels, and driven wheels are all mounted on the chassis, and the outer shell is fixed to the chassis. Two drive motors for the two rubber tracks move synchronously. The drive wheels and driven wheels cause one rubber track to move synchronously in a straight line. After a period of time, accumulated errors occur, which are then adjusted asynchronously by the two drive motors. Multiple smaller diameter support wheels are located below the drive wheels and driven wheels, allowing the floor-moving robot to both cross the ground rail and maintain a relatively short length.

[0024] Floor mobile robots and ground mobile robots are equipped with photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices for forward and backward and left and right directions to determine their position on dual-channel or single-channel floor surfaces, the distance between floor mobile robots or between ground mobile robots, and the detection of floor mobile robots tracking and locating stacker cranes.

[0025] The floor-mounted mobile robot and the ground-mounted mobile robot receive position and speed information from laser ranging as the stacker crane travels along the aisle, and integrate the measurement information from the forward and backward photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices of the floor-mounted mobile robot and the ground-mounted mobile robot, and cross the ground track according to the control strategy.

[0026] An angle correction device is provided for the floor-moving robot and the ground-moving robot to be perpendicular to the alleyway. After the floor-moving robot and the ground-moving robot that move in four directions have been running for a long time, they will accumulate errors. The angle is corrected by rotating vertically.

[0027] In a stacker crane, guide columns are fixed to the lower crossbeam. Guided by the guide columns, the loading platform moves up and down by a cable reel assembly guided by a cable guide pulley assembly. A fork is mounted on the loading platform; the fork is a bi-directional retractable fork. A drive source is located at one end of the lower crossbeam, transmitting power through a meshing drive gear and a driven gear. The driven gear is fixed to an integrated roller drive shaft, which is supported at both ends by two wall-mounted bearings on the lower crossbeam. Another integrated roller driven shaft is located at the other end of the lower crossbeam. The body is supported on the lower crossbeam by two wall-mounted bearings at both ends; each of the two end faces of the lower crossbeam in the direction of movement is provided with a pair of integrated guide wheel shafts, and each integrated guide wheel shaft is fixed to the end face of the lower crossbeam in the direction of movement by two seated bearings; the guide column is also provided with two pairs of upper guide wheels, and each pair of upper guide wheels is guided in the groove of the overhead rail; the stacker crane is supported on the ground rail by integrated roller drive shafts and integrated roller driven shafts, guided by the two pairs of integrated guide wheel shafts on the side of the ground rail, and guided on the overhead rail by the two pairs of upper guide wheels, and travels along the tunnel under the drive of the drive source.

[0028] The roller drive shaft assembly, roller driven shaft assembly, and guide wheel shaft assembly are all made of ductile iron.

[0029] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0030] (1) It is not only a conveyor line, but also a floor-moving robot and a ground-moving robot, which participate in the input and output of goods. Then, the stacker crane in the aisle stores and retrieves the goods on the high-leg rack. Therefore, this invention overcomes the bottleneck that goods can only enter and exit the warehouse from both ends of the aisle, and greatly improves the warehouse's high-input and output capacity.

[0031] (2) Both floor mobile robots and ground mobile robots are lifting mobile robots and can move to the lowest storage position; stacker cranes work in coordination with bidirectional conveyor lines, floor mobile robots and ground mobile robots, making the smart warehouse flexible and adaptable; for enterprise users, it not only serves as a warehouse for assembled finished products, but also forms a comprehensive warehouse with tool warehouse, raw material warehouse and purchased parts warehouse; for e-commerce users, it integrates the warehousing and picking process of goods, eliminates supermarket shelves, reduces storage area and improves picking efficiency.

[0032] (3) The location where the ground mobile robot under the outermost shelf delivers goods to the stacker crane can be the bottom position of any of the outermost shelves. The optimal delivery position of the goods in the aisle is obtained by optimization. Therefore, the longitudinal movement distance of the stacker crane in the outermost aisle is greatly shortened, and the storage and retrieval efficiency is high.

[0033] (4) In the two-end conveyor configuration, the double-channel floor that crosses the rack is located in the middle of the rack. In the one-end conveyor configuration, the double-channel floor that crosses the rack is located near the other end of the rack. The floor moving robot and the stacker crane exchange goods. Therefore, the distance that the stacker crane moves longitudinally in the aisle is greatly shortened, and the storage and retrieval efficiency is high.

[0034] (5) When picking up and dropping goods with the lifting mobile robot, the stacker crane’s lifting car and forks do not move up and down. Instead, the lifting platform or lifting support bar of the floor mobile robot and the ground mobile robot move up and down, thus saving energy, increasing efficiency and control precision.

[0035] (6) This invention can serve as an integrated warehouse for enterprises that handle tools, purchased parts, self-made parts, and assembled finished products, and is especially suitable for the integration of various e-commerce warehousing and picking processes. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a configuration logic diagram of the multi-wear system warehouse of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the elevation structure of the multi-passage system warehouse with dual floor channels and ground output according to the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged AA section view of the floor-moving robot.

[0039] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A top-down magnified view of the floor-moving robot.

[0040] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Enlarged section view of BB in the image.

[0041] Figure 6 for Figure 2 Enlarged section view of CC portion in the image.

[0042] Figure 7 for Figure 2 Enlarged section view of DD in the image.

[0043] Figure 8 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the EE cross-sectional layout.

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the elevation structure of a multi-passage system warehouse with two single-channel floor units and ground output according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 10 for Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the FF cross-sectional layout.

[0046] in:

[0047] 1. Floor moving robot; 2. Shelf; 21. Support bar; 3. Stacker crane; 31. Power supply rail; 4. Ground moving robot; 5. Ground rail; 6. Dual-channel floor system; 7. Conveyor line; 8. Ceiling rail; 9. Single-channel floor system; 10. Angle correction device;

[0048] 101. Lateral wheel; 102. Rubber track; 103. Track roller; 104. Chassis; 105. Drive wheel; 106. Driven wheel; 107. Lifting plate; 108. Outer shell;

[0049] 301. Loading platform; 302. Forks; 303. Lower crossbeam; 304. Drive source; 305. Drive gear; 306. Driven gear; 307. Wall-mounted bearing; 308. Roller drive shaft assembly; 309. Guide wheel shaft assembly; 310. Mounted bearing; 311. Roller driven shaft assembly; 312. Upper guide wheel; 313. Cable guide wheel assembly; 314. Guide post; 315. Cable reel assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0051] like Figures 1-10 As shown, the multi-passage system warehouse of this embodiment, in which the stacker crane and mobile robot cooperate, includes a floor mobile robot 1, a shelf 2, a stacker crane 3, a ground rail 5, a conveyor line 7, a ceiling rail 8, an angle correction device 10, a power supply rail 31, and can be configured with either a dual-passage floor 6 or multiple parallel single-passage floor 9, and can be configured with or without a ground mobile robot 4.

[0052] The storage locations on the warehouse shelves 2 are used to store goods, including boxes that meet the storage and retrieval requirements, or warehouse pallets and operation units for stacking boxes and bags of various sizes on the warehouse pallets; aisles are set between the shelves 2, and each aisle is equipped with a single stacker crane 3. The ground rail 5 and the overhead rail 8 guide the stacker crane 3, and the power supply rail 31 supplies power to the stacker crane 3. The stacker crane 3, which moves along the aisle, stores and retrieves goods from the storage locations on the shelves 2; one or both ends of the aisle are equipped with inbound and outbound conveyor lines 7, and the stacker crane 3 and the conveyor lines 7 exchange goods to transport the goods in and out.

[0053] Multiple floor mobile robots 1 travel on the floor dual-channel 6 or multiple parallel floor single-channel 9, and need to cross the ground rail 5 and the power supply rail 31. The floor mobile robots 1 hand over goods to the stacker crane 3 and then transport the goods in and out.

[0054] Under the rack 2 perpendicular to the aisle direction, there are two floor channels 6 or multiple parallel single floor channels 9, which are at the same height as the ground rail 5 and are used for the movement of floor mobile robots 1 carrying goods. The upper surface of the floor channels 6 and the floor channels 9 is higher than the power supply rail 31, and the power supply rail 31 is fixed to the bottom side of the rack 2. The width of the floor channels 6 is sufficient for two floor mobile robots 1 carrying goods to move, and the width of the floor channels 9 is sufficient for one floor mobile robot 1 carrying goods to move.

[0055] Multiple ground mobile robots 4 travel on the ground under the outermost shelf 2, which is perpendicular to the aisle direction, and cannot cross the ground rail 5 or the power supply rail 31; the goods on the outermost shelf 2 or the second outermost shelf 2 are transported in and out by the stacker crane 3 in the outermost aisle and then by the ground mobile robots 4.

[0056] In addition, an angle correction device 10 is provided for the floor mobile robot 1 and the ground mobile robot 4.

[0057] Floor mobile robot 1 is capable of driving in and out of the warehouse with cargo, without entering or leaving empty.

[0058] The intersection of the double-lane floor passage 6, the single-lane floor passage 9, and the ground rail 5 is temporarily designated as a restricted area, prioritizing the passage of the stacker crane 3. The rectangular area on the double-lane floor passage 6 under the two adjacent racks 2 also includes the area in the aisle that does not affect the movement of the stacker crane 3. The rectangular area can accommodate one to four floor mobile robots 1, which can move and adjust their positions in four directions within the rectangular area.

[0059] The floor mobile robot 1 and the stacker crane 3 exchange goods in a collaborative mode. The collaborative mode is as follows: the floor mobile robot 1 waits for or adapts to the stacker crane 3, and the forks on the stacker crane 3 directly pick up and put down goods from the floor mobile robot 1. In the rectangular area and within the lateral dimension of the floor double channel 6, the floor mobile robot 1 can track and locate the stacker crane 3. The purpose is to improve the travel speed of the stacker crane 3 while reducing the positioning accuracy at the goods exchange position.

[0060] Ground mobile robot 4 and stacker crane 3 use a collaborative mode to exchange goods.

[0061] The ground mobile robot 4 and the stacker crane 3 can also communicate in a non-contact manner. Specifically, at the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf 2, the top of the ground mobile robot 4 rises up, lifts the goods from the shelf 2, and transports them out along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail 5. After the ground mobile robot 4 travels to its position along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail 5, the top of the robot descends again and places the goods on the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf 2, which is then transported to other storage positions by the stacker crane 3. Except for the storage positions on the double-aisle floor 6 and single-aisle floor 9, the lowest storage positions of the other outermost shelves 2 may or may not be used as temporary, non-storage indirect transfer storage positions. On the shelves 2 of the indirect transfer storage positions, there are support bars 21 that support the goods along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail 5.

[0062] The floor mobile robot 1 is a four-way moving top lifting mobile robot. The chassis 104 of the floor mobile robot 1 has two pairs of lateral moving wheels 101 that travel in the direction parallel to the ground rail 5, and two rubber tracks 102 that travel on the floor double channel 6 perpendicular to the ground rail 5, so as to cross the ground rail 5 without obstruction on the floor double channel 6.

[0063] The initial height and travel distance of the lifting operation of the ground mobile robot 4 are the same as those of the floor mobile robot 1, and it does not need to cross the ground track 5.

[0064] Four lateral wheels 101 move up and down simultaneously with the chassis 104. When moving downwards, the four lateral wheels 101 touch the ground, moving laterally parallel to the ground rail 5. When moving upwards, the two rubber tracks 102 touch the ground, moving longitudinally perpendicular to the ground rail 5. The lifting plate 107 rises and falls relative to the chassis 104 to pick up and drop goods. The rotational supports for the support rollers 103, drive wheels 105, and driven wheels 106 are all mounted on the chassis 104, and the outer shell 108 is fixed to the chassis 104. The two drive motors of the two rubber tracks 102 are synchronized. The drive wheels 105 and driven wheels 106 enable one rubber track 102 to move synchronously in a straight line. After a period of time, accumulated errors occur, which are then adjusted asynchronously by the two drive motors. Multiple smaller diameter support rollers 103 are located below the drive wheels 105 and driven wheels 106, thus enabling the floor-moving robot 1 to both cross the ground rail 5 and maintain a relatively short length.

[0065] Floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4 are equipped with photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices for forward and backward and left and right directions, to determine their positions on the dual-channel floor 6 and single-channel floor 9, the distance between floor mobile robots 1 or between ground mobile robots 4, and the detection of floor mobile robot 1 tracking and positioning stacker 3.

[0066] Floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4 receive position and speed information from laser ranging as the stacker crane 3 travels along the aisle, and integrate the measurement information from the forward and backward photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices of floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4, and cross the ground track 5 according to the control strategy.

[0067] An angle correction device 10 is provided for the floor mobile robot 1 and the ground mobile robot 4 to be perpendicular to the alleyway. After the floor mobile robot 1 and the ground mobile robot 4 move in four directions for a long time, they will accumulate errors. The angle is corrected by rotating vertically.

[0068] In the stacker crane 3, guide columns 314 are fixed to the lower crossbeam 303. Guided by the guide columns 314, the loading platform 301 moves up and down by the cable reel assembly 315 pulling the cable and being guided by the cable guide wheel assembly 313. A fork 302 is mounted on the loading platform 301. The fork 302 is a bi-directional retractable fork. A drive source 304 is provided at the lower part of one end of the lower crossbeam 303. Power is transmitted through the meshing of the drive gear 305 and the driven gear 306. The driven gear 306 is fixed to the roller drive shaft assembly 308. The two ends of the roller drive shaft assembly 308 are supported on the lower crossbeam 303 by two wall bearings 307. A roller driven shaft assembly 311 is also provided at the lower part of the other end of the lower crossbeam 303. The driven shaft assembly 311 is supported on the lower crossbeam 303 by two wall-mounted bearings 307 at both ends. Each of the two end faces of the lower crossbeam 303 in the direction of movement is provided with a pair of guide wheel shaft assemblies 309. Each guide wheel shaft assembly 309 is fixed to the end face of the lower crossbeam 303 in the direction of movement by two seated bearings 310. The guide column 314 is also provided with two pairs of upper guide wheels 312, each pair of upper guide wheels 312 being guided in the groove of the overhead rail 8. The stacker crane 3 is supported on the ground rail 5 by the roller drive shaft assembly 308 and the roller driven shaft assembly 311, guided on the side of the ground rail 5 by the two pairs of guide wheel shaft assemblies 309, and guided on the overhead rail 8 by the two pairs of upper guide wheels 312. It travels along the tunnel under the drive of the drive source 304.

[0069] The roller drive shaft integrated component 308, the roller driven shaft integrated component 311, and the guide wheel shaft integrated component 309 are all made of ductile iron.

[0070] The specific structure and function of this invention are as follows:

[0071] like Figures 1-2 , Figure 8 The floor-mounted dual-channel 6-way multi-pass system warehouse shown, or as... Figure 1 , Figures 9-10The two multi-passage warehouse systems shown are single-aisle floor systems with ground output. The difference between the dual-aisle floor system (6) and the multiple parallel single-aisle floor systems (9) lies in the passage width of the dual-aisle floor system. The dual-aisle floor system allows two floor mobile robots (1) to travel side-by-side along the dual-aisle floor system, and a single floor mobile robot (1) to travel laterally in a direction perpendicular to the dual-aisle floor system. However, a single floor mobile robot (1) on a parallel single-aisle floor system (9) cannot travel laterally in a direction perpendicular to the dual-aisle floor system. For heavy cargo storage, the configuration of multiple parallel single-aisle floor systems (9) is chosen because the multiple parallel single-aisle floor systems (9) are supported by racks (2) in the middle, and the racks (2) above the dual-aisle floor system have a large load-bearing capacity.

[0072] The multi-lane system warehouse of the present invention, which is a collaboration between a stacker crane 3 and a mobile robot, includes a floor mobile robot 1, a rack 2, a stacker crane 3, a ground rail 5, a conveyor line 7, and a ceiling rail 8. It can be equipped with a double floor aisle 6 or multiple parallel single floor aisles 9, and a ground mobile robot 4. Each aisle of the warehouse is equipped with a single stacker crane 3, and the ground rail 5 and ceiling rail 8 guide the stacker crane 3.

[0073] One or both ends of the aisle are equipped with a conveyor line 7 for entering and exiting the warehouse. The stacker crane 3 exchanges goods with the conveyor line 7. The goods include boxes that meet the storage and retrieval requirements, or warehouse pallets and operation units that stack boxes and bags of various sizes on the warehouse pallets.

[0074] A floor-moving robot 1 is provided. Under the racks 2 perpendicular to the aisle direction, there are double floor aisles 6 or two parallel single floor aisles 9, which are at the same height as the ground rails 5, for the floor-moving robot 1 to travel on. The width of the double floor aisle 6 is sufficient for two floor-moving robots 1 to travel on, and the width of the single floor aisle 9 is sufficient for one floor-moving robot 1 to travel on. The floor-moving robot 1 traveling on the double floor aisle 6 or the single floor aisle 9 must cross the ground rails 5. The double floor aisles in each aisle are temporarily set as restricted areas, with the stacker crane 3 having priority to pass. The rectangular area on the double floor aisles 6 under the two adjacent racks 2 also includes the area in the aisle (not under the racks 2) that does not affect the movement of the stacker crane 3. The rectangular area can accommodate one to four floor-moving robots 1, and the floor-moving robot 1 can move and adjust its position in four directions within the rectangular area.

[0075] With or without the presence of ground mobile robot 4, it travels on the ground under the outermost shelf 2, which is perpendicular to the aisle direction, and cannot cross the ground rail 5; goods on the outermost shelf 2 or the second outermost shelf 2, in addition to the conveyor line 7, can also be transported directly in and out by ground mobile robot 4 via stacker crane 3 in the outermost aisle.

[0076] In addition, an angle correction device 10 is provided for the floor mobile robot 1 and the ground mobile robot 4.

[0077] Floor mobile robot 1 drives in and out with goods loaded, without entering or leaving the warehouse empty. Floor mobile robot 1 and stacker crane 3 exchange goods in a collaborative mode. The collaborative mode is as follows: floor mobile robot 1 waits for or adapts to the stacker crane 3, and the forks 302 on the stacker crane 3 directly pick up and place goods from the floor mobile robot 1. In the rectangular area and within the lateral dimension of the floor double channel 6, floor mobile robot 1 can track and locate stacker crane 3. The purpose is to improve the travel speed of stacker crane 3 while appropriately reducing the positioning accuracy when exchanging goods.

[0078] Ground mobile robot 4 and stacker crane 3 can cooperate to exchange goods.

[0079] In addition, there is a non-contact method. At the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf 2, the top of the ground mobile robot 4 rises up, lifts the goods from the shelf 2, and transports them out along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail 5. After the ground mobile robot 4 moves to the position perpendicular to the ground rail 5, the top of the robot descends and places the goods on the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf 2, which is then transported to other storage positions by the stacker crane 3. Except for the areas under the double-aisle floor 6 and the single-aisle floor 9, the lowest storage positions of the outermost shelf 2 are temporary, non-storage storage positions.

[0080] The floor mobile robot 1 is a four-way moving top lifting mobile robot. Its chassis 104 has two pairs of lateral moving wheels 101 that travel in the direction parallel to the ground rail 5, and rubber tracks 102 that travel on the floor double channel 6 perpendicular to the ground rail 5, so as to cross the ground rail 5 without obstruction on the floor double channel 6.

[0081] The initial height and travel of the lifting operation of the ground mobile robot 9 are the same as those of the floor mobile robot 1, and it has only two pairs of wheels in the direction perpendicular to the ground rail 5, so it does not need to cross the ground rail 5.

[0082] like Figures 3-4As shown, the floor mobile robot 1 includes lateral wheels 101, rubber tracks 102, support wheels 103, chassis 104, drive wheels 105, driven wheels 106, lifting plate 107, and outer shell 108. The four lateral wheels 101 move up and down simultaneously with the chassis 104. When moving downwards, the four lateral wheels 101 touch the ground, moving laterally parallel to the ground track 5. When moving upwards, the two rubber tracks 102 touch the ground, moving longitudinally perpendicular to the ground track 5. The lifting plate 107 moves up and down relative to the chassis 104 to pick up and drop goods. The support wheels 105... 3. The rotational supports for the drive wheel 105 and driven wheel 106 are both mounted on the chassis 104, and the outer shell 108 is fixed to the chassis 104; the two drive motors of the two rubber tracks 102 are synchronized, and the drive wheel 105 and driven wheel 106 enable one rubber track 102 to move synchronously in a straight line. After a period of time, an accumulated error occurs, and then the two drive motors are asynchronously adjusted; multiple smaller diameter support rollers 103 are located below the drive wheel 105 and driven wheel 106, so that the floor mobile robot 1 can both cross the ground rail 5 and has a relatively short length.

[0083] Floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4 are equipped with photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices for forward and backward and left and right directions, to determine their positions on the dual-channel floor 6 and single-channel floor 9, the distance between floor mobile robots 1 or between ground mobile robots 4, and the detection of floor mobile robot 1 tracking and positioning stacker 3.

[0084] Floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4 receive position and speed information from laser ranging as the stacker crane 3 travels along the aisle, and integrate the measurement information from the forward and backward photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices of floor mobile robot 1 and ground mobile robot 4, and cross the ground track 5 according to the control strategy.

[0085] The structure supporting and guiding the stacker crane 3 on the ground rail 5, the dimensions of the floor double channel 6 and floor single channel 9 laying structure, and the structure and dimensions of the floor mobile robot 1 that needs to cross the ground rail 5 are all closely related.

[0086] like Figures 2-8 As shown, the stacker crane 3 for multi-pass warehouses of the present invention includes: a loading platform 301, forks 302, a lower crossbeam 303, a drive source 304, a drive gear 305, a driven gear 306, a wall-mounted bearing 307, an integrated roller drive shaft 308, an integrated guide wheel shaft 309, a seated bearing 310, an integrated roller driven shaft 311, an upper guide wheel 312, a cable guide wheel assembly 313, a guide post 314, and a cable reel assembly 315;

[0087] Guide column 314 is fixed on lower crossbeam 303. Guided by guide column 314, loading platform 301 is pulled by cable drum component 315 and moves up and down by cable guide wheel assembly 313. Loading platform 301 is equipped with a fork 302, which is a bi-directional retractable fork. A drive source 304 is provided at the lower part of one end of lower crossbeam 303. Power is transmitted through the meshing of drive gear 305 and driven gear 306. Driven gear 306 is fixed on roller drive shaft integrated component 308. The two ends of roller drive shaft integrated component 308 are supported on lower crossbeam 303 by two wall bearings 307. Roller driven shaft integrated component 311 is also provided at the lower part of the other end of lower crossbeam 303. The 11 is supported on the lower crossbeam 303 by two wall-mounted bearings 307 at both ends; each of the two end faces of the lower crossbeam 303 in the direction of movement is provided with a pair of integrated guide wheel shafts 309, and each integrated guide wheel shaft 309 is fixed to the end face of the lower crossbeam 303 in the direction of movement by two seated bearings 310; the guide column 314 is also provided with two pairs of upper guide wheels 312, and each pair of upper guide wheels 312 is guided in the groove of the overhead rail 8; the stacker crane 3 is supported on the ground rail 5 by the integrated roller drive shaft 308 and the integrated roller driven shaft 311, guided on the side of the ground rail 5 by the two pairs (four) integrated guide wheel shafts 309, and guided on the overhead rail 8 by the two pairs (four) upper guide wheels 312, and travels along the tunnel under the drive of the drive source 304.

[0088] Preferably, the roller drive shaft integrated component 308, the roller driven shaft integrated component 311, and the guide wheel shaft integrated component 309 are all made of ductile iron, which has better wear resistance and higher strength than the polymer material guide wheels currently used.

[0089] In response to the new business model demand of "industrial buildings moving upstairs", the method of allocating storage locations on the racks 2 and the scheduling method of the stacker crane 3 in the multi-passage system warehouse in this invention are very different from those of traditional automated warehouses. The collaborative control strategy of the floor mobile robot 1, the ground mobile robot 4 and the stacker crane 3 is an unprecedented application scenario. These new contents need further analysis and optimization.

[0090] The above description is an explanation of the present invention and not a limitation thereof. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Within the scope of protection of the present invention, any form of modification may be made.

Claims

1. A multi-access system warehouse that integrates a stacker crane and a mobile robot, characterized in that: Includes floor mobile robot (1), shelf (2), stacker crane (3), ground rail (5), conveyor line (7), overhead rail (8), angle correction device (10), power supply rail (31), select floor dual channel (6) or multiple parallel floor single channel (9), select to configure or not configure ground mobile robot (4); The warehouse shelves (2) are used to store goods, including boxes that meet the storage and retrieval requirements, or warehouse pallets and operation units that stack boxes and bags of various sizes on the warehouse pallets; aisles are set between the shelves (2), and each aisle is equipped with a single stacker crane (3). The ground rail (5) and the overhead rail (8) guide the stacker crane (3), and the power supply rail (31) supplies power to the stacker crane (3). The stacker crane (3) moving along the aisle stores and retrieves the goods from the storage locations on the shelves (2); one or both ends of the aisle are equipped with inbound and outbound conveyor lines (7), and the stacker crane (3) and the conveyor lines (7) exchange the goods to transport the goods in and out; Multiple floor mobile robots (1) travel on the floor double channel (6) or multiple parallel floor single channel (9), and need to cross the ground rail (5) and power supply rail (31). The floor mobile robots (1) hand over the goods to the stacker (3) and then transport the goods in and out. Under the shelf (2) perpendicular to the aisle direction, there are double floor channels (6) or multiple parallel single floor channels (9) that are at the same height as the ground rail (5) for the floor mobile robot (1) carrying goods to travel. The upper surface of the double floor channels (6) and the single floor channels (9) is higher than the power supply rail (31), and the power supply rail (31) is fixed to the bottom side of the shelf (2). The width of the double floor channels (6) is sufficient for two floor mobile robots (1) carrying goods to travel, and the width of the single floor channels (9) is sufficient for one floor mobile robot (1) carrying goods to travel. Multiple ground mobile robots (4) travel on the ground under the outermost shelf (2) perpendicular to the aisle direction, and cannot cross the ground rail (5) or the power supply rail (31); the goods on the outermost shelf (2) or the second outermost shelf (2) are transported in and out by the stacker crane (3) in the outermost aisle and then by the ground mobile robots (4); In addition, angle correction devices (10) for floor mobile robot (1) and ground mobile robot (4) are also provided. The floor mobile robot (1) is loaded with goods and drives out of the warehouse, and does not enter or leave the warehouse empty; The intersection of the double-lane floor (6), the single-lane floor (9), and the ground rail (5) is temporarily designated as a restricted area, with priority given to the stacker crane (3). The rectangular area on the double-lane floor (6) under the two adjacent racks (2) also includes the area in the aisle that does not affect the movement of the stacker crane (3). The rectangular area accommodates one to four floor mobile robots (1), and the floor mobile robots (1) move in four directions to adjust their positions in the rectangular area. The floor mobile robot (1) and the stacker crane (3) exchange goods in a collaborative mode. The collaborative mode is as follows: the floor mobile robot (1) waits for or adapts to the stacker crane (3) and the forks on the stacker crane (3) directly pick up and place the goods from the floor mobile robot (1). In the rectangular area and within the lateral dimension of the floor double channel (6), the floor mobile robot (1) can track and locate the stacker crane (3) in order to improve the travel speed of the stacker crane (3) while reducing the positioning accuracy at the location of the goods exchange. The floor mobile robot (1) is a four-way moving top lifting mobile robot. The chassis (104) of the floor mobile robot (1) has two pairs of lateral moving wheels (101) that travel in the direction parallel to the ground rail (5), and two rubber tracks (102) that travel on the floor double channel (6) perpendicular to the ground rail (5), so that it can cross the ground rail (5) without obstruction on the floor double channel (6). The initial height and stroke of the lifting operation of the ground mobile robot (4) are the same as those of the floor mobile robot (1), and it does not need to cross the ground track (5). The four lateral wheels (101) move up and down simultaneously with the chassis (104). When moving downwards, the four lateral wheels (101) touch the ground, moving laterally parallel to the ground rail (5). When moving upwards, the two rubber tracks (102) touch the ground, moving longitudinally perpendicular to the ground rail (5). The lifting plate (107) rises and falls relative to the chassis (104) to retrieve the cargo. The rotational supports for the support rollers (103), drive wheels (105), and driven wheels (106) are all mounted on the chassis (104). (108) is fixed to the chassis (104); the two drive motors of the two rubber tracks (102) are synchronized, and the drive wheel (105) and driven wheel (106) make one rubber track (102) move in a straight line synchronously. After a period of time, an accumulated error is generated, and then the two drive motors are adjusted asynchronously; multiple smaller diameter support rollers (103) are located below the drive wheel (105) and driven wheel (106), so that the floor mobile robot (1) can both cross the ground rail (5) and has a shorter length.

2. The multi-passage system warehouse with stacker crane and mobile robot collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The ground mobile robot (4) and the stacker crane (3) use a collaborative mode to deliver the goods; The ground mobile robot (4) and the stacker crane (3) can also use a non-contact method, specifically: at the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf (2), the top of the ground mobile robot (4) is raised, the goods are lifted from the shelf (2), and transported out along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail (5); after the ground mobile robot (4) travels to the position along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail (5), the top is lowered, the goods are placed on the lowest storage position of the outermost shelf (2), and the stacker crane (3) moves them to other storage positions; except for the storage positions on the double-aisle floor (6) and single-aisle floor (9), the lowest storage positions of the other outermost shelves (2) are used as or not used as temporary, non-storage indirect transfer storage positions. On the shelf (2) of the indirect transfer storage position, there are support bars (21) that support the goods along the direction perpendicular to the ground rail (5).

3. The multi-passage system warehouse with stacker crane and mobile robot collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The floor mobile robot (1) and the ground mobile robot (4) are equipped with photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices in the front-back and left-right directions to determine their positions on the floor dual channel (6) and the floor single channel (9), the distance between floor mobile robots (1) or between ground mobile robots (4), and the detection of the floor mobile robot (1) tracking and positioning the stacker (3).

4. The multi-passage system warehouse with stacker crane and mobile robot collaboration as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The floor mobile robot (1) and the ground mobile robot (4) receive the position and speed information of the stacker crane (3) traveling along the alleyway by laser ranging, and integrate the measurement information of the forward and backward photoelectric measurement modules and / or ultrasonic ranging devices of the floor mobile robot (1) and the ground mobile robot (4) to cross the ground track (5) according to the control strategy.

5. The multi-passage system warehouse with stacker crane and mobile robot collaboration as described in claim 1, characterized in that: An angle correction device (10) is provided for the floor mobile robot (1) and the ground mobile robot (4) to be perpendicular to the alleyway. After the four-way moving floor mobile robot (1) and the ground mobile robot (4) have been running for a long time, they will accumulate errors. The angle is corrected by rotating vertically.

6. The multi-penetration system warehouse of claim 1, characterized in that: In the stacker crane (3), the guide column (314) is fixed on the lower crossbeam (303). Under the guidance of the guide column (314), the loading platform (301) is pulled by the cable drum component (315) and moves up and down by the cable guide wheel assembly (313). The loading platform (301) is equipped with a fork (302), which is a bidirectional retractable fork. The lower crossbeam (303) has a drive source (304) at one end, which transmits power through the meshing of the drive gear (305) and the driven gear (306). The driven gear (306) is fixed on the roller drive shaft assembly (308). The roller drive shaft assembly (308) is supported on the lower crossbeam (303) by two wall bearings (307) at both ends. The lower crossbeam (303) also has a roller driven shaft assembly (311) at the other end. The driven shaft assembly (311) is supported on the lower crossbeam (303) by two wall-mounted bearings (307) at both ends; a pair of guide wheel shaft assemblies (309) are provided on each of the two end faces of the lower crossbeam (303) in the direction of movement, and each guide wheel shaft assembly (309) is fixed on the end face of the lower crossbeam (303) in the direction of movement by two seated bearings (310); two pairs of upper guide wheels (312) are also provided on the guide column (314), and each pair of upper guide wheels (312) is guided in the groove of the overhead rail (8); the stacker (3) is supported on the ground rail (5) by the roller drive shaft assembly (308) and the roller driven shaft assembly (311), guided on the side of the ground rail (5) by the two pairs of guide wheel shaft assemblies (309), and guided on the overhead rail (8) by the two pairs of upper guide wheels (312), and travels along the tunnel under the drive of the drive source (304).

7. The multi-penetration system warehouse of claim 6, characterized in that: The roller drive shaft assembly (308), the roller driven shaft assembly (311), and the guide wheel shaft assembly (309) are all made of ductile iron.

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