Sorting system and wrapping method therefor
By setting up a first binding zone on the circular track of the cross-belt sorter and using an adjustable speed conveyor mechanism to determine the target trolley, the problems of low packing efficiency and abnormalities on the cross-belt sorting equipment are solved, and efficient and stable package transportation is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WEIHAI NEWBEIYANG ZHENGQI ROBOT
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
AI Technical Summary
Existing cross-sorting equipment has low packing efficiency and is prone to packing abnormalities.
A first binding area is set on the circular track of the cross-belt sorting machine. The target trolley is determined by the first conveying strategy and the second conveying strategy. The package is transported to the loading area by the first speed-adjustable conveying mechanism, avoiding frequent start and stop and improving loading efficiency and success rate.
It improved packing efficiency, reduced packing anomalies, and ensured accurate package positioning and stable delivery.
Smart Images

Figure CN117324265B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of logistics technology, and more specifically, to a sorting system and a packing method thereof. Background Technology
[0002] In recent years, with the development of e-commerce, the logistics industry has also developed rapidly, and cross-sorting equipment has been widely used in the sorting centers of logistics companies across the country.
[0003] The disclosed cross-sorting equipment includes a cross-sorter and a packing platform for supplying packages to the cross-sorter. The cross-sorter includes multiple carts arranged sequentially along a loop. Identification devices are installed on the movement paths of the carts along the loop, capable of identifying whether a cart is empty. The packing platform includes a conveyor belt for transporting packages, and detection devices are installed on the path along which packages are transported. The cross-sorter includes a sorting controller, and the packing platform includes a packing controller. The sorting controller sends the position and status of each cart on the loop to the packing controller at preset time intervals. When the detection device detects that a package has arrived at a set position on the packing platform, the packing controller binds the package to a target cart and transports the package to the target cart using the following method:
[0004] 1) Determine the loading and binding positions on the loop line corresponding to the package based on the package location, and check whether the cart at the binding position is in an empty state;
[0005] 2) If the trolley at the binding position is empty, then the trolley is identified as the target trolley, and the conveyor belt is controlled to transport the package to the loop at a set speed, so that when the target trolley reaches the upper packaging position corresponding to the package, the package also reaches the upper packaging position, thereby transporting the package to the target trolley.
[0006] 3) If the trolley at the binding position is not empty, control the conveyor belt to stop conveying the package and wait to check the status of the next trolley to arrive at the binding position. If the next trolley to arrive at the binding position is empty, then the trolley is identified as the target trolley, and the conveyor belt is started to convey the package to the upper packaging position. Otherwise, continue to wait to check the status of the next trolley to arrive at the binding position, and so on, until an empty trolley arrives at the binding position, and then control the conveyor belt to start to convey the package to the upper packaging position.
[0007] The inventors discovered that the cross-sorting equipment of the relevant technology has problems such as low packing efficiency and easy packing abnormalities. Summary of the Invention
[0008] The purpose of this application is to provide a sorting system and a packing method thereof, which has high packing efficiency and is less prone to packing abnormalities.
[0009] The embodiments of this application can be implemented as follows:
[0010] Firstly, this application provides a method for loading packages into a sorting system. The sorting system includes a cross-belt sorter and a loading platform. The cross-belt sorter includes a circular track and M trolleys arranged sequentially along the circular track. Multiple package drop ports are provided on the side of the circular track. The trolleys can move along the circular track to transport packages to the drop ports. The circular track includes a preset first binding area, which can accommodate N trolleys, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2. The loading platform intersects with the movement paths of the trolleys and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The loading platform includes a buffer zone, a second binding zone, and a loading zone arranged sequentially along the package conveying direction. The second binding zone receives packages from the buffer zone and transports them to the loading zone. The loading zone connects to the circular track and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The second binding zone is equipped with a first conveying mechanism, the conveying speed of which is adjustable. The method for loading packages into the sorting system includes:
[0011] When the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, the system determines whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, according to the first conveying strategy. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area without stopping the first conveying mechanism. When the trolley can successfully load the target package and the trolley is in an available state, the trolley is determined to be able to match the target package. The trolley's state includes available and unavailable.
[0012] When it is determined that there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined from the trolleys that can match the target package; when it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper packaging area;
[0013] The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley, and the first conveying mechanism is controlled to transport the target package to the target trolley based on the motion parameters of the target package.
[0014] In an optional embodiment, the upper packaging platform includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other along its width direction. The first side of the upper packaging platform intersects the circular track at a first intersection point, and the second side of the upper packaging platform intersects the circular track at a second intersection point. Along the movement direction of the trolley, the first binding area, the first intersection point, and the second intersection point are arranged sequentially at intervals. When part or all of the trolley is located within the first binding area, the trolley is identified as the trolley within the first binding area.
[0015] In an optional implementation, when the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, the step of determining whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy includes:
[0016] Based on the first delivery strategy, determine whether there is a vehicle among all the vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package.
[0017] If it is determined that there is a vehicle in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package, then determine whether there is a vehicle in the first binding area that is in a usable state among all the vehicles that can successfully load the target package.
[0018] If it is determined that among all the vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package, there is a vehicle in the available state, then it is determined that there is a vehicle in the first binding area that can match the target package.
[0019] or,
[0020] Determine if any of the cars in the first binding area are in a usable state;
[0021] If it is determined that there is a usable car among all the cars in the first binding area, then according to the first transport strategy, it is determined whether there is a car that can successfully load the target package among all the cars in the first binding area that are usable.
[0022] If it is determined that among all the vehicles in the first binding area that are in an available state, there is a vehicle that can successfully load the target package, then it is determined that among the vehicles in the first binding area, there is a vehicle that can match the target package.
[0023] In an optional implementation, the packing method of the sorting system further includes determining whether a trolley can successfully load the target package by:
[0024] The synchronization position of the trolley is determined based on the position of the target package along the width of the second binding area. The time it takes for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area is equal to the time it takes for the trolley to move from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package. The upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track when the target package is transported to the circular track along the direction of the upper packaging platform.
[0025] Based on the current position and the synchronized position of the vehicle, the first running time T1 and the second running time T2 of the vehicle are calculated using the following formula:
[0026] L = V1 * T1 + V2 * T2 + L 加1 +A ①
[0027] S / V 车=T1+T 加1 +T2 ②
[0028] Wherein, the first running time T1 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the first speed V1, the second running time T2 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the second speed V2, and L is the length of the second binding area along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism. 加1 A is the distance the target package is transported as the first conveying mechanism accelerates the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a1. A is the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism, S is the displacement of the trolley from its current position to the synchronous position, and V... 车 Let T be the speed at which the trolley moves along the circular track. 加1 The time required for the first conveying mechanism to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a1;
[0029] When both the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 are non-negative, the trolley is determined to be the trolley that can successfully load the target package. When at least one of the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 is negative, the trolley is determined to be the trolley that cannot successfully load the target package.
[0030] In an optional implementation, when it is determined that there is a vehicle in the first binding area that can match the target package, the step of determining the target vehicle from the vehicles that can match the target package includes:
[0031] The cart that is closest to the loading platform among the carts that can match the target package is identified as the target cart.
[0032] The steps for determining the motion parameters of the target package based on the target vehicle include: determining the first running time T1 corresponding to the target vehicle as the first delivery time of the target package, and determining the second running time T2 corresponding to the target vehicle as the second delivery time of the target package;
[0033] The steps of controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package according to the motion parameters of the target package include: first controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at a first speed V1 and continue for a first conveying time, then controlling the first conveying mechanism to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 with a preset acceleration a1, and then controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the second speed V2 and continue for a second conveying time.
[0034] In an optional implementation, the buffer zone includes a second conveying mechanism, and the upper packaging zone includes a third conveying mechanism. The second conveying mechanism is used to convey packages to the second binding zone at a uniform speed of a first speed V1, and the third conveying mechanism is used to receive packages from the second binding zone and convey the received packages to a trolley on a circular track at a second speed V2.
[0035] In an optional embodiment, the first conveying mechanism includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, a third conveying component, and a fourth conveying component arranged sequentially along the direction of conveying packages on the loading platform. The loading method of the sorting system further includes:
[0036] When the target package is detected leaving the first conveyor assembly, the conveying speed of the first conveyor assembly is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveyor assembly; when the target package is detected leaving the second conveyor assembly, the conveying speed of the second conveyor assembly is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the first conveyor assembly; when the target package is detected leaving the third conveyor assembly, the conveying speed of the third conveyor assembly is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveyor assembly; when the target package is detected leaving the fourth conveyor assembly, the conveying speed of the fourth conveyor assembly is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the third conveyor assembly.
[0037] In an optional implementation, when it is determined that there is no cart in the first binding area that can match the target package, the step of determining the target cart according to the second transport strategy includes:
[0038] When it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the first conveying mechanism is controlled to decelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2.
[0039] Continuously check if any vehicles with an available status have reached the beginning of the first binding area;
[0040] When a car with an available status arrives at the beginning of the first binding area, the car with the available status is identified as the target car.
[0041] The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target vehicle, including: calculating the waiting time T of the target package using the following formula. 等 and the third delivery time T3;
[0042] L = L 减 +L 加2 +V2*T3+A ④
[0043] S / V 车 =T 等 +T 加2 +T3 ⑤
[0044] Where L is the length of the second binding area along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism, L 减 L is the distance the target package is transported during the process of the first conveying mechanism decelerating the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero at a preset acceleration a2. 加2 A is the distance the target package is transported as the first conveying mechanism accelerates the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a3. A is the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism, S is the displacement of the trolley from its current position to the synchronous position, and V is the distance the trolley travels. 车 Let T be the speed at which the trolley moves along the circular track. 等 T is the waiting time for the target package from the time the target cart is identified until the target package begins to be transported. 加2 T3 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to accelerate from zero to the second speed V2 with a preset acceleration a3, and T3 is the time for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the second speed V2; wherein, the time for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area is equal to the time for the trolley to move from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package, and the upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track when the target package is conveyed to the circular track along the direction of conveying packages on the upper packaging platform;
[0045] The steps of controlling the first conveyor mechanism to transport the target package based on the motion parameters of the target package include:
[0046] First, control the first conveying mechanism to decelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2, and then wait for the target package for a period of time T from the moment the target trolley is determined. 等 At that time, the first conveying mechanism is controlled to accelerate the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 with a preset acceleration a3, and then the first conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the target package at the second speed V2 and continue for a third conveying time T3.
[0047] Secondly, this application provides a sorting system, including a cross-belt sorter and a loading platform. The cross-belt sorter includes a circular track and M trolleys arranged sequentially along the circular track. Multiple drop-off points are provided on the sides of the circular track. The trolleys can move along the circular track to transport packages to the drop-off points. The circular track includes a preset first binding area, which can accommodate N trolleys, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2. The loading platform intersects with the movement paths of the trolleys and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The loading platform includes a buffer zone, a second binding zone, and a loading zone arranged sequentially along the package conveying direction. The second binding zone receives packages from the buffer zone and transports them to the loading zone. The loading zone is connected to the circular track and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The second binding zone is equipped with a first conveying mechanism, the conveying speed of which is adjustable. The loading platform includes a first controller, and the cross-belt sorter includes a second controller. The first controller and the second controller are communicatively connected. The second controller sends the position and status of each trolley to the first controller at set intervals. The first controller is configured as follows:
[0048] When the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, the system determines whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, according to the first conveying strategy. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area without stopping the first conveying mechanism. When the trolley can successfully load the target package and the trolley is in an available state, the trolley is determined to be able to match the target package. The trolley's state includes available and unavailable.
[0049] When it is determined that there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined from the trolleys that can match the target package; when it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper packaging area;
[0050] The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley, and the first conveying mechanism is controlled to transport the target package to the target trolley based on the motion parameters of the target package.
[0051] In an optional embodiment, the upper packaging platform includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other along its width direction. The first side of the upper packaging platform intersects the circular track at a first intersection point, and the second side of the upper packaging platform intersects the circular track at a second intersection point. Along the movement direction of the trolley, the first binding area, the first intersection point, and the second intersection point are arranged sequentially at intervals. When part or all of the trolley is located within the first binding area, the trolley is identified as the trolley within the first binding area.
[0052] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application include, for example:
[0053] In this embodiment of the application, a first binding area is provided on the circular track of the cross-belt sorting machine. The first binding area can accommodate N trolleys (where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2). When binding a target trolley to a target package, it is determined whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy. If so, the target trolley is determined from the trolleys that can match the target package. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the upper packaging area without stopping the first conveying mechanism from conveying the target package. Because in the process of binding the target package to the target cart in this embodiment of the application, multiple carts (e.g., N or (N+1)) in the first binding area are queried to determine whether there is a cart that can match the target package, this embodiment of the application can query a cart that can match the target package in one go as much as possible, thereby determining the target cart, improving the success rate of binding the target package to the target cart, and transporting the target package to the loading area as much as possible without stopping the first conveyor mechanism, thereby reducing the start and stop process of the first conveyor mechanism, avoiding the reduction in loading efficiency and loading abnormalities caused by the frequent start and stop of the first conveyor mechanism during the process of binding the target package to the target cart, and improving loading efficiency and loading success rate. Attached Figure Description
[0054] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0055] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting system in one embodiment of this application;
[0056] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the sorting system in one embodiment of this application;
[0057] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a packing method for a sorting system in one embodiment of this application;
[0058] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the upper platform and the circular track in one embodiment of this application.
[0059] Icons: 010 - Sorting System; 100 - Cross-belt Sorter; 110 - Circular Track; 111 - Storage Container; 112 - Cart Position Detection Mechanism; 113 - Cart Status Detection Mechanism; 114 - First Binding Area; 115 - Cart Drive Mechanism; 117 - Drop-off Point; 120 - Cart; 130 - Second Controller; 200 - Loading Platform; 210 - Buffer Zone; 211 - Second Conveying Mechanism; 220 - Second Binding Area; 221 - First Conveying Mechanism; 222 - First Conveying Component; 223 - Second Conveying Component; 224 - Third Conveying Component; 225 - Fourth Conveying Component; 230 - Loading Area; 231 - Third Conveying Mechanism; 240 - Detection Component; 250 - First Controller. Detailed Implementation
[0060] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.
[0061] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0062] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.
[0063] In the description of this application, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," or "outer" are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the invention is usually placed during use, they are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and 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 of this application.
[0064] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0065] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.
[0066] In the cross-sorting equipment of related technologies, when binding a package to a target trolley, the upper package controller queries the status of the trolley at the binding position corresponding to the package on the loop. If the trolley is not empty, the controller stops the conveyor belt from conveying the package and waits to query the status of the next trolley to arrive at the binding position. Only when an empty trolley arrives at the binding position is found will the controller start the conveyor belt to convey the package to the upper package position. In cross-sorting equipment of related technologies, the loading controller binds a package to a target cart by querying whether the cart at the binding position corresponding to the package is empty. When the loading controller queries the status of the cart at the binding position, there is a certain probability that the cart at the binding position is not empty (for example, the cross-sorting equipment includes multiple loading stations, and each loading station binds the packages it transports to the target cart according to the above method. Along the transport direction of the carts on the loop, when the loading controller of a downstream loading station queries the status of the cart at the binding position corresponding to a package transported by that loading station, that cart may be carrying a package transported by an upstream loading station and is not empty). Furthermore, since the sorting controller sends the position and status of each cart on the loop to the loading controller at a preset time interval, it is also possible that when the package arrives at the set position of the loading station, although the cart at the binding position corresponding to the package is empty, the opportunity for the sorting controller to send the cart position and status to the loading controller has been missed, resulting in the loading controller not being able to find that the cart at the binding position is empty. When a package arrives at the designated position on the loading platform, if the loading controller detects that the trolley at the bound position is not empty or cannot detect that the trolley at the bound position is empty, it will control the conveyor belt to stop transporting the package until it detects that the next trolley arriving at the bound position is empty, and then restart the conveyor belt to transport the package. Therefore, in the cross-sorting equipment of related technologies, the conveyor belt of the loading platform will have the problem of frequent start and stop, resulting in a decrease in conveying efficiency, which leads to a low loading efficiency of the cross-sorting equipment. In fact, during the start and stop of the conveyor belt, the package may slip, causing inaccurate package positioning and resulting in loading abnormalities.
[0067] To address the issues of low packing efficiency and frequent packing anomalies in related technologies, this application provides a sorting system and a packing method for that system. The sorting system of this application embodiment is described below.
[0068] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sorting system 010 in one embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the sorting system 010 in one embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2The sorting system 010 provided in this embodiment includes a cross-belt sorter 100 and a loading platform 200. The cross-belt sorter 100 includes a circular track 110 and M trolleys 120 arranged sequentially along the circular track 110, where M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The side of the circular track 110 is provided with multiple package drop ports 117, and the trolleys 120 can move along the circular track 110 to transport packages to the package drop ports 117. Figure 1 Only a portion of the straight section of the circular track 110 is shown. In this embodiment, the loading platform 200 intersects with the movement path of the trolley 120 for conveying packages to the trolley 120. The sorting system 010 may include multiple loading platforms 200 for conveying packages to the trolley 120 on the circular track 110 at different positions. Figure 1 As shown, each package drop-off port 117 is connected to a storage container 111, and multiple storage containers 111 are used to store different types of packages. After receiving a package from the loading platform 200, the trolley 120 can transport the package to the corresponding drop-off port 117 according to the type of package it is carrying. The trolley 120 is equipped with a sorting component (not shown in the figure), which can transport packages to the drop-off port 117 along the sorting direction, so that the package enters the corresponding storage container 111 through the drop-off port 117. The sorting direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the trolley 120. Optionally, packages can be classified according to their destination, so different storage containers 111 can correspond to different destinations, realizing the classified storage of packages.
[0069] In this embodiment of the application, the circular track 110 includes a preset first binding area 114 (see... Figure 4 The first binding area 114 can accommodate N carts 120, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The first binding area 114 is located upstream of the intersection of the loading platform 200 and the movement paths of the carts 120. In this embodiment, the sorting system 010 can control the loading platform 200 to load carts according to the state of the carts 120 in the first binding area 114. It should be noted that the first binding area 114 can accommodate N carts 120, meaning that the length of the first binding area 114 is sufficient to allow a maximum of N carts 120 to be completely located within the first binding area 114. That is, the length of the first binding area 114 can be equal to the length of N carts 120, or slightly greater than the length of N carts 120. In this embodiment, the length of the first binding area 114 is equal to the length of N trolleys 120. During the movement of the trolleys 120 along the circular track 110, as the trolleys 120 move, there may be a situation where exactly N trolleys 120 are completely within the first binding area 114 (e.g., Figure 4As shown), there may also be a situation where (N-1) small cars 120 are completely located within the first binding area 114, and there is also a small car 120 partially located within the first binding area 114 before and after the aforementioned (N-1) small cars 120.
[0070] The loading platform 200 includes a buffer zone 210, a second binding zone 220, and a loading zone 230 arranged sequentially along the package conveying direction. The second binding zone 220 receives packages from the buffer zone 210 and conveys them to the loading zone 230. The loading zone 230 connects to the circular track 110 and is used to convey packages to the trolley 120. The second binding zone 220 is equipped with a first conveying mechanism 221, the conveying speed of which is adjustable. In this embodiment, the first conveying mechanism 221 includes a first conveying component 222, a second conveying component 223, a third conveying component 224, and a fourth conveying component 225 arranged sequentially along the package conveying direction of the loading platform 200, and the conveying speeds of the first conveying component 222, the second conveying component 223, the third conveying component 224, and the fourth conveying component 225 are all adjustable.
[0071] In this embodiment, the buffer zone 210 of the upper packaging platform 200 includes a second conveying mechanism 211, and the upper packaging area 230 includes a third conveying mechanism 231. A weighing component is provided below the conveying surface of the second conveying mechanism 211, and a light curtain component is provided on the path of the second conveying mechanism 211 for conveying packages. During the process of conveying packages by the second conveying mechanism 211, the weighing component weighs the packages, and the light curtain component measures the size of the packages. Optionally, the second conveying mechanism 211 conveys packages at a fixed speed to ensure the accuracy of package weight and size measurements. The upper packaging area 230 is connected to the annular track 110 of the cross-belt sorting machine 100. The upper packaging area 230 includes a triangular area, which is a right-angled triangle, and the hypotenuse of the triangular area abuts against one side of the annular track 110. Optionally, the third conveying component 224 also conveys the package at a fixed speed, and the speed at which the third conveying component 224 conveys the package matches the moving speed of the trolley 120 on the circular track 110. This ensures that when the package is conveyed to the trolley 120, the velocity component of the package along the moving direction of the trolley 120 is equal to the moving speed of the trolley 120, thereby preventing changes in the speed of the package during loading and ensuring the stability of loading. A detection component 240 is provided between the buffer zone 210 and the second binding zone 220. The signal output by the detection component 240 can determine whether the package has arrived at or left the second binding zone 220. Optionally, the detection component 240 includes multiple photoelectric sensors spaced apart along the width direction of the second binding zone 220. These multiple photoelectric sensors can be transmission sensors or reflection sensors. The width direction of the second binding zone 220 refers to the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first conveying mechanism 221 conveys the package.
[0072] In this embodiment, the packing station 200 includes a first controller 250, and the cross-belt sorting machine 100 includes a second controller 130. The first controller 250 and the second controller 130 are communicatively connected. The second controller 130 sends the position and status of each cart 120 to the first controller 250 at set intervals. The first conveying mechanism 221, the second conveying mechanism 211, the third conveying mechanism 231, and the detection component 240 are all electrically connected to the first controller 250 to operate under the control of the first controller 250 or to provide feedback on the collected information to the first controller 250.
[0073] In this embodiment, a trolley drive mechanism 115, a trolley position detection mechanism 112, and a trolley status detection mechanism 113 are provided on the circular track 110. All three mechanisms are electrically connected to the second controller 130. The trolley drive mechanism 115 drives the trolley 120 to move along the circular track 110. The second controller 130 determines the position of each trolley 120 on the circular track 110 based on the signal output by the trolley position detection mechanism 112, and determines whether each trolley 120 has a package on it based on the signal output by the trolley status detection mechanism 113. Optionally, the trolley position detection mechanism 112 includes a sensor mounted on the circular track 110 and a detection element mounted on a preset trolley 120. When the second controller 130 detects that the detection element engages with the sensor, it determines that the preset trolley 120 is at the zero point position. During the movement of the trolley 120, the second controller 130 determines the position of each trolley 120 based on the position of the preset trolley 120 and the distance between each trolley 120 and the preset trolley 120. Optionally, along the movement direction of the trolley 120, the trolley state detection mechanism 113 is located upstream of the first binding area 114. Optionally, the trolley state detection mechanism 113 is a grayscale meter, which is used to acquire images of each trolley 120 passing its detection position. The second controller 130 determines whether there is a package on the trolley 120 based on the images acquired by the grayscale meter.
[0074] Each vehicle 120 has two states: available and unavailable. When the first controller 250 identifies a target vehicle 120 for a target package, it sends the binding information between the target package and the target vehicle 120 to the second controller 130. The second controller 130 then changes the status of the target vehicle 120 to the reserved state. When a vehicle 120 has a package on it or has been reserved by another package, the second controller 130 sets the status of the vehicle 120 to unavailable. When a vehicle 120 has no package on it and has not been reserved by another package, the second controller 130 sets the status of the vehicle 120 to available. The second controller 130 sends the location and status of each vehicle 120 to the first controller 250 at set intervals.
[0075] The first controller 250 in this embodiment is configured as follows:
[0076] When the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area 220 of the loading platform 200, the system determines whether there is a trolley 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area 230 without stopping the first conveying mechanism 221. When the trolley 120 can successfully load the target package and the status of the trolley 120 is available, the trolley 120 is determined to be able to match the target package. The status of the trolley 120 includes available and unavailable.
[0077] When it is determined that there is a trolley 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, the target trolley 120 is determined from the trolleys 120 that can match the target package; when it is determined that there is no trolley 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, the target trolley 120 is determined according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism 221 stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper packaging area 230;
[0078] The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley 120, and the first conveying mechanism 221 is controlled to convey the target package to the target trolley 120 based on the motion parameters of the target package.
[0079] For details on the specific control method of the first controller 250, please refer to the following description of the packaging method in the embodiments of this application.
[0080] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a packing method for a sorting system 010 in one embodiment of this application. This packing method can be applied to the sorting system 010 provided in this embodiment. Figure 3 As shown, the packaging method provided in this application includes:
[0081] Step S100: When the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, it is determined whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy; wherein, the first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area without stopping the first conveying mechanism from conveying the target package, and determining that the trolley can match the target package when the trolley can successfully load the target package and the trolley is in an available state, wherein the state of the trolley includes available and unavailable.
[0082] Taking the sorting system 010 provided in this embodiment as an example, the first controller 250 can detect whether a target package has reached the second binding area 220 of the loading platform 200 through the detection component 240. In this embodiment, the detection component 240 is disposed between the buffer zone 210 and the second binding area 220. Optionally, when the detection component 240 detects that the rear edge of the target package has reached the detection position of the detection component 240, it is determined that the target package has reached the second binding area 220. Optionally, a similar detection component can also be disposed between the second binding area 220 and the loading area 230. When the detection component detects that the front edge of the target package has reached the detection position of the detection component, it is determined that the target package has left the second binding area 220. This determination method ensures that the target package is only determined to be transported within the second binding area 220 when it is completely located within the second binding area 220.
[0083] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the cooperation between the upper platform 200 and the annular track 110 in one embodiment of this application. Figure 4 As shown, the upper platform 200 includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other along its width direction. The first side of the upper platform 200 intersects the circular track 110 at a first intersection point A, and the second side of the upper platform 200 intersects the circular track 110 at a second intersection point B. Along the moving direction of the trolley 120, the first binding area 114, the first intersection point A and the second intersection point B are arranged alternately. When part or all of the trolley 120 is located in the first binding area 114, the trolley 120 is identified as the trolley 120 within the first binding area 114.
[0084] The first binding area 114 can be pre-designed according to the application scenario of the sorting system 010. Specifically, the first binding area 114 is pre-calculated based on parameters such as the moving speed of the trolley 120 along the circular track 110, the maximum package size, the minimum package size, and the width of the upper packaging platform 200. In this embodiment, the first binding area 114 can accommodate N trolleys 120, that is, the length of the first binding area 114 is such that a maximum of N trolleys 120 can be completely located within the first binding area 114, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the value of N is 3. In other optional embodiments, the value of N can also be 2, 4, 5, etc. As described above, during the movement of the trolley 120 along the circular track 110, as the trolley 120 moves, there may be a situation where exactly N trolleys 120 are completely located within the first binding area 114 (e.g., Figure 4As shown), it is also possible that (N-1) trolleys 120 are completely located within the first binding area 114, and there is also one trolley 120 partially located within the first binding area 114 before and after the aforementioned (N-1) trolleys 120. Since a trolley 120 is defined as a trolley 120 within the first binding area 114 when it is partially or completely located, in this embodiment, during the movement of the trolleys 120, there may be N trolleys 120 located within the first binding area 114, or there may be (N+1) trolleys located within the first binding area 114. Figure 4 As shown, along the moving direction of the trolley 120, the distance from the starting end of the first binding area 114 to the first intersection point is D1, and the distance from the ending end of the first binding area 114 to the first intersection point A is D2, where D1 is greater than D2.
[0085] In step S100, when the target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area 220 of the loading platform 200, it is determined according to the first conveying strategy whether there is a trolley 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package. Specifically, this can include the following two implementation methods:
[0086] (1) Determine whether there is a vehicle 120 among all the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114 that can successfully load the target package according to the first transport strategy;
[0087] If it is determined that there is a vehicle 120 among all the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114 that can successfully load the target package, then determine whether there is a vehicle 120 in the first binding area 114 that is in a usable state among all the vehicles 120 that can successfully load the target package.
[0088] If it is determined that among all the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114 that can successfully load the target package, there is a vehicle 120 in the available state, then it is determined that among the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114, there is a vehicle 120 that can match the target package.
[0089] (2) Determine whether there is a usable car 120 among all the cars 120 in the first binding area 114;
[0090] If it is determined that there is a usable trolley 120 among all the trolleys 120 in the first binding area 114, then according to the first transport strategy, it is determined whether there is a trolley 120 among all the usable trolleys 120 in the first binding area 114 that can successfully load the target package.
[0091] If it is determined that among all the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114 that are in an available state, there is a vehicle 120 that can successfully load the target package, then it is determined that among the vehicles 120 in the first binding area 114, there is a vehicle 120 that can match the target package.
[0092] It can be seen that the vehicle 120 that can match the target package as determined by the above methods (1) and (2) refers to the vehicle 120 that can successfully load the target package and whose status is available. Specifically, when there is already a package on the vehicle 120 or the vehicle 120 has been reserved by other packages, the status of the vehicle 120 is set to unavailable. When there is no package on the vehicle 120 and the vehicle 120 has not been reserved by other packages, the status of the vehicle 120 is set to available.
[0093] Furthermore, in step S100, it can be determined whether a trolley 120 can successfully load the target package by the following method:
[0094] The synchronous position of the trolley 120 is determined based on the position of the target package along the width direction of the second binding area 220. The time it takes for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area 230 is equal to the time it takes for the trolley 120 to move from the synchronous position to the upper packaging position of the target package. The upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track 110 when the target package is transported to the circular track 110 along the direction of transporting packages along the upper packaging platform 200.
[0095] Based on the current position and synchronized position of the vehicle 120, the first running time T1 and the second running time T2 of the vehicle 120 are calculated using the following formula:
[0096] L = V1 * T1 + V2 * T2 + L 加1 +A ①
[0097] S / V 车 =T1+T 加1 +T2 ②
[0098] Wherein, the first running time T1 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package at the first speed V1, the second running time T2 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package at the second speed V2, and L is the length of the second binding area 220 along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism 221. 加1 A is the distance the target package is transported as the first conveying mechanism 221 accelerates the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a1. A is the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism 221, S is the displacement of the trolley 120 from its current position to the synchronous position, and V is the distance traveled. 车 T is the speed at which the trolley 120 moves along the circular track 110.加1 The time required for the first conveying mechanism 221 to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a1;
[0099] When both the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 are non-negative, the trolley 120 is determined to be the trolley 120 that can successfully load the target package. When at least one of the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 is negative, the trolley 120 is determined to be the trolley 120 that cannot successfully load the target package.
[0100] Optionally, in this embodiment, the position of the leading edge of the trolley 120 is used to represent the position of the trolley 120. According to the first calculation model composed of equations ① and ②, during the process of the target package passing through the second binding area 220, the target package is first transported at a first speed V1 for a first running time T1. Then, the first conveying mechanism 221 uses a preset acceleration a1 to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2. Finally, the target package is transported at the second speed V2 for a second running time T2. During this process, the position of the target package changes from the first position to the second position. The displacement of the target package is (LA), and the time of transport is T1 and T2. 加1 The sum of T1 and T2. Where, when the target package is in the first position, its rear edge just reaches the second binding area 220; when the target package is in the second position, its front edge just reaches the upper packaging area 230. Therefore, LA = V1*T1 + V2*T2 + L 加1 Thus, we obtain equation ①. In this process, if the trolley 120 can move from its current position to the synchronization position, that is, when the target package is in the second position (i.e., when the leading edge of the target package just reaches the upper packaging area 230), the leading edge of the trolley 120 reaches the synchronization position. Since the time it takes for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area 230 is equal to the time it takes for the trolley 120 to move from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package, the target package and the trolley 120 can reach the upper packaging position of the target package simultaneously. Let the displacement of the trolley 120 from its current position to the synchronization position be S, and the moving speed of the trolley 120 be Vcar. Therefore, T1 and T2 need to satisfy equation ② (S / Vcar). 车 =T1+T 加1 +T2) can be established.
[0101] Optionally, in this embodiment, the top position of the target package is first calculated, and then the synchronous position of the target package is calculated based on the top position of the target package, the conveying speed of the target package in the top packaging area 230, and the moving speed of the trolley 120. The top position of the target package is calculated based on the position of the target package along the width direction of the second binding area 220, the length of the target package, the width of the target package, and the angle between the top packaging platform 200 and the circular track 110. Since the trolley 120 can move from the synchronous position to the top position of the target package when the target package is conveyed from the second position to the top position, during this process, the target package is conveyed at a second speed V2, and the trolley 120 moves at a speed V... 车 Therefore, along the direction of movement of the trolley 120, the distance D3 from the synchronized position of the trolley 120 to the top position of the target package satisfies:
[0102] D3=(D4 / V2)*V 车 ③
[0103] Where D4 is the length of the upper packaging area 230 corresponding to the upper packaging position of the target package along the direction of transporting the package along the upper packaging platform 200. Thus, the synchronization position can be calculated according to the above formula ③. Since the synchronization position satisfies the above conditions, when binding the matching trolley 120 to the target package, as long as the trolley 120 moves from the current position to the synchronization position, the target package can be transported from the first position to the second position, which can ensure that when the trolley 120 moves from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package, the target package also reaches the upper packaging position.
[0104] After calculation according to the first calculation model, if both the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 are non-negative, it means that there exist T1 and T2 that meet the conditions so that the trolley 120 can reach the synchronization position just when the target package reaches the second position, thus enabling the target package to be transported onto the trolley 120. Therefore, the trolley 120 is determined to be the trolley 120 that can successfully load the target package. Conversely, if at least one of the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 is negative, it means that there are no T1 and T2 that meet the conditions so that the target package can be transported onto the trolley 120. Therefore, the trolley 120 is determined to be the trolley 120 that cannot successfully load the target package.
[0105] After step S100 is completed, when it is determined that there is a vehicle 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, the following is executed:
[0106] Step S200: Identify the target vehicle from the vehicles that can match the target package.
[0107] In an optional embodiment, the cart 120 that is closest to the loading platform 200 among the carts 120 that can match the target package determined in step S100 can be identified as the target cart 120.
[0108] If, after step S100 is completed, it is determined that there is no vehicle 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, then the following steps are executed:
[0109] Step S300: Determine the target trolley according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper package area.
[0110] Taking the sorting system 010 provided in this application embodiment as an example, when the first controller 250 determines, according to the first conveying strategy, that there is no cart 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, then the target cart 120 is determined according to the second conveying strategy. Optionally, the step of determining the target cart according to the second conveying strategy includes:
[0111] The first conveying mechanism 221 is controlled to decelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2; continuously query whether there is a trolley 120 in the available state arriving at the beginning of the first binding area 114; when it is found that a trolley 120 in the available state has arrived at the beginning of the first binding area 114, the trolley 120 in the available state is identified as the target trolley 120.
[0112] After the target vehicle is determined through step S200 or step S300, execute:
[0113] In step S400, the motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley, and the first conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the target package to the target trolley based on the motion parameters of the target package.
[0114] If, based on the first conveying strategy, it is determined that there is a trolley 120 within the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, and the target trolley 120 is determined through step S200, then step S400, which involves determining the motion parameters of the target package based on the target trolley 120, may specifically include:
[0115] The first running time T1 corresponding to the target trolley 120 is determined as the first delivery time of the target package, and the second running time T2 corresponding to the target trolley 120 is determined as the second delivery time of the target package.
[0116] Furthermore, if, based on the first conveying strategy, it is determined that there is a trolley 120 within the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, and the target trolley 120 is determined through step S200, then step S400, which involves controlling the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package according to the motion parameters of the target package, may specifically include:
[0117] First, control the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package at a first speed V1 for a first conveying time. Then, control the first conveying mechanism 221 to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 with a preset acceleration a1. Then, control the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package at the second speed V2 for a second conveying time.
[0118] If, based on the first conveying strategy, it is determined that there is no trolley 120 within the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, and the target trolley 120 is determined through step S300, then step S400, which involves determining the motion parameters of the target package based on the target trolley 120, may specifically include:
[0119] Calculate the waiting time T for the target package using the following formula. 等 and the third delivery time T3;
[0120] L = L 减 +L 加2 +V2*T3+A ④
[0121] S / V 车 =T 等 +T 加2 +T3 ⑤
[0122] Where L is the length of the second binding area 220 along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism 221, L 减 L is the distance the target package is transported during the process of the first conveying mechanism 221 decelerating the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2. 加2 A is the distance the target package is transported during the process of the first conveying mechanism 221 accelerating the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a3, where A is the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism 221, S is the displacement of the trolley 120 from its current position to the synchronous position, and V is the distance the target package is transported. 车 T is the speed at which the trolley 120 moves along the circular track 110. 等 T is the waiting time for the target package from the moment the target trolley 120 is identified until the target package begins to be transported. 加2T3 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism 221 to accelerate the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a3, and T3 is the time for the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package at the second speed V2; wherein, the time for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area 230 is equal to the time for the trolley 120 to move from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package, and the upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track 110 when the target package is conveyed to the circular track 110 along the direction of conveying the package along the upper packaging platform 200.
[0123] If, according to the first conveying strategy, there is no trolley 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package, and the target trolley 120 is determined through step S300, then step S400, which involves controlling the first conveying mechanism 221 to convey the target package based on the motion parameters of the target package, may specifically include:
[0124] First, control the first conveying mechanism 221 to decelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2, and then wait for the target package for a period of time T starting from the moment the target trolley 120 is determined. 等 At that time, the first conveying mechanism 221 is controlled to accelerate the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 with a preset acceleration a3, and then the first conveying mechanism 221 is controlled to convey the target package at the second speed V2 and continue for a third conveying time T3.
[0125] In an optional embodiment, the second conveying mechanism 211 of the buffer zone 210 can be used to convey packages to the second binding area 220 at a constant speed of a first speed V1, and the third conveying mechanism 231 of the upper packaging area 230 is used to receive packages from the second binding area 220 and convey the received packages to the trolley 120 on the circular track 110 at a second speed V2. Since, after binding the target package to the target trolley 120, the first conveying mechanism 221 conveys the target package at the first speed V1 when the target package enters the second binding area 220, and the first conveying mechanism 221 conveys the target package at the second speed V2 when the target package leaves the second binding area 220, while the second conveying mechanism 211 conveys the target package to the second binding area 220 at the first speed V1, and the third conveying mechanism 231 conveys the target package from the second binding area 220 at the second speed V2, this embodiment ensures that the target package does not experience sudden speed changes when entering and leaving the second binding area 220, thus guaranteeing the stability of package delivery.
[0126] Furthermore, the packing method of the sorting system 010 may also include:
[0127] When the target package is detected leaving the first conveying assembly 222, the conveying speed of the first conveying assembly 222 is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveying mechanism 211; when the target package is detected leaving the second conveying assembly 223, the conveying speed of the second conveying assembly 223 is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the first conveying assembly 222; when the target package is detected leaving the third conveying assembly 224, the conveying speed of the third conveying assembly 224 is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveying assembly 223; when the target package is detected leaving the fourth conveying assembly 225, the conveying speed of the fourth conveying assembly 225 is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the third conveying assembly 224.
[0128] In this embodiment, after a conveying component completes its task of conveying a target package, its conveying speed is adjusted to be the same as that of the previous conveying mechanism / component. This allows multiple conveying components of the first conveying mechanism 221 to simultaneously convey packages at different speeds. For example, at a certain moment, the conveying speed of the first conveying component 222 is a first speed V1, the conveying speeds of the third conveying component 224 and the fourth conveying component 225 are a second speed V2, while the conveying speed of the second conveying component 223 is accelerating from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2. Through this embodiment, multiple packages can be present in the second binding area 220 at the same time, each package located on a different conveying component. Each conveying component only needs to convey the package according to its motion parameters to ensure that the package is delivered to the corresponding target cart 120. This embodiment improves the efficiency of package conveying on the loading platform 200, thereby improving the loading efficiency of the sorting system 010.
[0129] In summary, in this embodiment of the application, a first binding area 114 is provided on the circular track 110 of the cross-belt sorting machine 100. The first binding area 114 can accommodate N carts (where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2). When binding a target cart 120 to a target package, it is determined whether there is a cart 120 in the first binding area 114 that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy. If so, the target cart 120 is determined from the carts 120 that can match the target package. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the upper packaging area 230 without stopping the first conveying mechanism 221 from conveying the target package. In this embodiment of the application, during the process of binding the target cart 120 to the target package, multiple carts 120 (e.g., N or (N+1)) within the first binding area 114 are queried to determine whether there is a cart 120 that can match the target package. Therefore, through this embodiment of the application, it is possible to query the carts 120 that can match the target package in one go as much as possible, thereby determining the target cart 120, improving the success rate of binding the target package to the target cart 120, and transporting the target package to the loading area 230 as much as possible without stopping the first conveying mechanism 221, thereby reducing the start-stop process of the first conveying mechanism 221, avoiding the reduction in loading efficiency and loading abnormalities caused by the frequent start-stop of the first conveying mechanism 221 during the process of binding the target package to the target cart 120, and improving loading efficiency and loading success rate.
[0130] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A method for loading packages into a sorting system, characterized in that, The sorting system includes a cross-belt sorter and a loading platform. The cross-belt sorter includes a circular track and M trolleys arranged sequentially along the circular track. Multiple drop-off points are provided on the sides of the circular track. The trolleys can move along the circular track to transport packages to the drop-off points. The circular track includes a preset first binding area, which can accommodate N trolleys, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2. The loading platform intersects with the movement paths of the trolleys and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The loading platform includes a buffer zone, a second binding zone, and a loading zone arranged sequentially along the package transport direction. The second binding zone receives packages from the buffer zone and transports the packages to the loading zone. The loading zone is connected to the circular track and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The second binding zone is equipped with a first conveying mechanism, the conveying speed of which is adjustable. The loading method of the sorting system includes: When a target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, a first conveying strategy is used to determine whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area without stopping the first conveying mechanism. When the trolley can successfully load the target package and the trolley is in an available state, the trolley is determined to be able to match the target package. The state of the trolley includes available and unavailable. When it is determined that there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined from the trolleys that can match the target package; when it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper packaging area; The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley, and the first conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the target package to the target trolley based on the motion parameters of the target package.
2. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper platform includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other along its width direction. The first side of the upper platform intersects the circular track at a first intersection point, and the second side of the upper platform intersects the circular track at a second intersection point. Along the moving direction of the trolley, the first binding area, the first intersection point, and the second intersection point are arranged sequentially at intervals. When part or all of the trolley is located within the first binding area, the trolley is identified as a trolley within the first binding area.
3. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When a target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, the step of determining whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package according to the first conveying strategy includes: Based on the first transport strategy, determine whether there is a vehicle among all the vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package onto the vehicle. If it is determined that there is a vehicle among all the vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package, then determine whether there is a vehicle in the first binding area that is in a usable state among all the vehicles that can successfully load the target package. If it is determined that among all the vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package, there is a vehicle in a usable state, then it is determined that among the vehicles in the first binding area, there is a vehicle that can match the target package. or, Determine whether there is a vehicle in the first binding area that is in an available state; If it is determined that there is a usable vehicle among all the vehicles in the first binding area, then according to the first transport strategy, it is determined whether there is a vehicle among all the usable vehicles in the first binding area that can successfully load the target package. If it is determined that among all the vehicles in the first binding area that are in an available state, there is a vehicle that can successfully load the target package, then it is determined that among the vehicles in the first binding area, there is a vehicle that can match the target package.
4. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sorting system's loading method further includes determining whether a cart can successfully load the target package using the following methods: The synchronous position of the trolley is determined based on the position of the target package along the width direction of the second binding area, wherein the time it takes for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area is equal to the time it takes for the trolley to move from the synchronous position to the upper packaging position of the target package, and the upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track when the target package is transported to the circular track along the direction of the upper packaging platform. Based on the current position and the synchronized position of the vehicle, the first running time T1 and the second running time T2 of the vehicle are calculated using the following formula: L=V1*T1+V2*T2+L 加1 +A ① S / V 车 =T1+T 加1 +T2 ② Wherein, the first running time T1 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at a first speed V1, the second running time T2 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at a second speed V2, and L is the length of the second binding area along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism. 加1 Let A be the distance the target package is transported as the first conveying mechanism accelerates its conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a1; let A be the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism; let S be the displacement of the trolley from its current position to the synchronous position; and let V be the distance the target package is transported. 车 T is the speed at which the trolley moves along the circular track. 加1 The time required for the first conveying mechanism to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 at the preset acceleration a1; When both the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 are non-negative, the trolley is determined to be a trolley that can successfully load the target package. When at least one of the calculated first running time T1 and the second running time T2 is negative, the trolley is determined to be a trolley that cannot successfully load the target package.
5. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 4, characterized in that, When it is determined that there is a vehicle in the first binding area that can match the target package, the step of determining the target vehicle from the vehicles that can match the target package includes: The cart that is closest to the loading platform among the carts that can match the target package is identified as the target cart. The step of determining the motion parameters of the target package based on the target vehicle includes: determining the first running time T1 corresponding to the target vehicle as the first transport time of the target package, and determining the second running time T2 corresponding to the target vehicle as the second transport time of the target package; The step of controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package according to the motion parameters of the target package includes: first controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the first speed V1 and continue for the first conveying time; then controlling the first conveying mechanism to accelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to the second speed V2 with the preset acceleration a1; and then controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the second speed V2 and continue for the second conveying time.
6. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buffer zone includes a second conveying mechanism, and the upper packaging area includes a third conveying mechanism. The second conveying mechanism is used to convey packages to the second binding area at a uniform speed of a first speed V1, and the third conveying mechanism is used to receive packages from the second binding area and convey the received packages to the trolley on the circular track at a second speed V2.
7. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first conveying mechanism includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, a third conveying component, and a fourth conveying component arranged sequentially along the direction of conveying packages on the loading platform. The loading method of the sorting system further includes: When the target package is detected to have left the first conveying component, the conveying speed of the first conveying component is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveying component; when the target package is detected to have left the second conveying component, the conveying speed of the second conveying component is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the first conveying component; when the target package is detected to have left the third conveying component, the conveying speed of the third conveying component is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the second conveying component; when the target package is detected to have left the fourth conveying component, the conveying speed of the fourth conveying component is adjusted to be the same as the conveying speed of the third conveying component.
8. The packing method of the sorting system according to claim 2, characterized in that, When it is determined that there is no cart in the first binding area that can match the target package, the step of determining the target cart according to the second delivery strategy includes: When it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the first conveying mechanism is controlled to decelerate the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero with a preset acceleration a2. Continuously check if any vehicles with an available status have reached the beginning of the first binding area; When a vehicle with an available status is found to have arrived at the beginning of the first binding area, the vehicle with the available status is identified as the target vehicle. Determining the motion parameters of the target package based on the target vehicle includes: calculating the waiting time T of the target package using the following formula. 等 and the third delivery time T3; L=L 减 +L 加2 +V2*T3+A ④ S / V 车 =T 等 +T 加2 +T3 ⑤ Where L is the length of the second binding area along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism, L 减 L is the distance the target package is transported during the process of the first conveying mechanism decelerating the conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero at the preset acceleration a2. 加2 Let V be the distance the target package is transported during the process where the first conveying mechanism accelerates the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at a preset acceleration a3, where A is the length of the target package along the conveying direction of the first conveying mechanism, S is the displacement of the trolley from its current position to the synchronous position, and V is the distance the trolley moves from its current position to the synchronous position. 车 T is the speed at which the trolley moves along the circular track. 等 T is the waiting time of the target package from the time the target trolley is determined to the time the target package begins to be transported. 加2 T3 is the time required for the first conveying mechanism to accelerate its conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at the preset acceleration a3, and T3 is the time for the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package at the second speed V2; wherein, the time for the target package to pass through the upper packaging area is equal to the time for the trolley to move from the synchronization position to the upper packaging position of the target package, and the upper packaging position of the target package is the position of the target package on the circular track when the target package is conveyed to the circular track along the direction of conveying packages on the upper packaging platform; The step of controlling the first conveying mechanism to convey the target package according to the motion parameters of the target package includes: First, the first conveying mechanism is controlled to decelerate its conveying speed from the first speed V1 to zero at the preset acceleration a2, and then waits for the target package for a period T from the moment the target trolley is determined. 等 At that time, the first conveying mechanism is controlled to accelerate the conveying speed from zero to the second speed V2 at the preset acceleration a3, and then the first conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the target package at the second speed V2 and continue for the third conveying time T3.
9. A sorting system, characterized in that, The system includes a cross-belt sorting machine and a loading platform. The cross-belt sorting machine comprises a circular track and M trolleys arranged sequentially along the circular track. Multiple package drop-off points are provided on the sides of the circular track. The trolleys can move along the circular track to transport packages to the drop-off points. The circular track includes a pre-defined first binding area capable of accommodating N trolleys, where M and N are both positive integers greater than or equal to 2. The loading platform intersects with the movement paths of the trolleys and is used to transport packages to the trolleys. The loading platform includes a buffer zone and a second binding area arranged sequentially along the package transport direction. The second binding area is used to receive packages from the buffer zone and transport the packages to the upper packaging area. The upper packaging area is connected to the circular track and used to transport the packages to the trolleys. The second binding area is equipped with a first conveying mechanism, the conveying speed of which is adjustable. The upper packaging platform includes a first controller, and the cross-belt sorting machine includes a second controller. The first controller and the second controller are communicatively connected. The second controller sends the position and status of each trolley to the first controller at set intervals. The first controller is configured as follows: When a target package is detected to have arrived at the second binding area of the loading platform, a first conveying strategy is used to determine whether there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package. The first conveying strategy includes conveying the target package to the loading area without stopping the first conveying mechanism. When the trolley can successfully load the target package and the trolley is in an available state, the trolley is determined to be able to match the target package. The state of the trolley includes available and unavailable. When it is determined that there is a trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined from the trolleys that can match the target package; when it is determined that there is no trolley in the first binding area that can match the target package, the target trolley is determined according to the second conveying strategy; wherein, the second conveying strategy includes the first conveying mechanism stopping the conveying of the target package for a period of time before conveying the target package to the upper packaging area; The motion parameters of the target package are determined based on the target trolley, and the first conveying mechanism is controlled to convey the target package to the target trolley based on the motion parameters of the target package.
10. The sorting system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The upper platform includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other along its width direction. The first side of the upper platform intersects the circular track at a first intersection point, and the second side of the upper platform intersects the circular track at a second intersection point. Along the moving direction of the trolley, the first binding area, the first intersection point, and the second intersection point are arranged sequentially at intervals. When part or all of the trolley is located within the first binding area, the trolley is identified as a trolley within the first binding area.