Transport robot and warehousing system

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a handling robot and warehousing system, including: a chassis assembly, a gantry assembly, a pick-and-place assembly, and a support assembly. The gantry assembly is mounted on the chassis assembly; the pick-and-place assembly includes a base and a pick-and-place mechanism, the base driving the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or fall along the gantry assembly; the support assembly is mounted on the base and configured to move between a first position and a second position; in the first position, the support assembly extends to abut against a carrier; in the second position, the support assembly retracts relative to the carrier; during the pick-and-place process of handling a single container, the pick-and-place assembly moves along the height direction to different height positions, and the support assembly is configured to abut against and move in cooperation with the carrier as the pick-and-place assembly rises or falls along the gantry assembly. This disclosure enhances the stability of the robot's container retrieval and return and provides support throughout the lifting and lowering process of the pick-and-place assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of logistics and warehousing, specifically to a handling robot; it also relates to a warehousing system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the logistics industry and the continuous increase in human resource costs, more and more people are choosing to use automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) to solve warehousing problems in order to improve warehouse utilization efficiency and reduce warehousing costs. Currently, warehousing systems typically use handling robots equipped with multi-level masts to perform high-level container handling operations.

[0003] In existing technologies, when handling robots perform box retrieval and return operations, a preset height difference is typically set between the retrieval mechanism and the shelf's bearing surface to prevent containers from getting stuck on the edges of the shelves or retrieval mechanism, thus preventing retrieval and return failures. Because containers and their contents are relatively heavy, the combined effect of their own weight and the aforementioned height difference causes a significant impact on the shelves or retrieval mechanism, potentially leading to equipment damage and unstable or misaligned placement. Therefore, reducing the impact of containers on the shelves and robot during box retrieval and return, and enhancing the stability of the robot during box retrieval and return, is a crucial problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a handling robot and a warehousing system to address the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a handling robot is provided, comprising:

[0006] Chassis components;

[0007] A gantry assembly is mounted on the chassis assembly;

[0008] The pick-and-place assembly includes a base and a pick-and-place mechanism, wherein the base is configured to drive the pick-and-place mechanism to rise or fall along the gantry assembly;

[0009] A support assembly is disposed on the base and configured to move between a first position and a second position; in the first position, the support assembly extends to abut against the carrier; in the second position, the support assembly retracts relative to the carrier; the pick-and-place assembly is configured to move along the height direction to different height positions during the pick-and-place of a single container, and the support assembly is configured to abut against and move in cooperation with the carrier as the pick-and-place assembly rises or falls along the gantry assembly.

[0010] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism includes a support portion for carrying a container and a pick-and-place member for picking up and placing the container. The handling robot is configured to, when picking up a container, control the pick-and-place member to move in the height direction to a first height position where the support portion is lower than the support surface on which the container is placed; and after the pick-and-place member picks up the container on the support surface to a first predetermined position, control the pick-and-place member to move upward to a second height position so that the pick-and-place member completely picks up the container onto the support portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place component is configured to simultaneously pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the support portion during the process of rising from the first height position to the second height position; or, the pick-and-place component is configured to pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the support portion after rising from the first height position to the second height position.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, at the second height position, the supporting part is lower than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part and the supporting surface at the first height position; or, at the second height position, the supporting part is flush with or higher than the supporting surface.

[0013] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located in a first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place component is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the support portion.

[0014] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located in a first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place component is configured not to fall on the support portion, or the edge of the container away from the pick-and-place component is configured not to fall on the support portion.

[0015] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism includes a support portion for carrying a container and a pick-and-place member for picking up and placing the container. The handling robot is configured to, when returning the container, control the pick-and-place member to move in the height direction to a third height position so that the support portion is higher than the target support surface; and after the pick-and-place member picks up the container on the support portion to a second predetermined position, control the pick-and-place member to move downward to a fourth height position so that the pick-and-place member completely returns the container to the support surface.

[0016] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place component is configured to simultaneously return the container from the second predetermined position to the bearing surface during the process of descending from the third height position to the fourth height position; or, the pick-and-place component is configured to return the container from the second predetermined position to the bearing surface after descending from the third height position to the fourth height position.

[0017] In one embodiment of this disclosure, at the fourth height position, the supporting part is higher than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part and the supporting surface at the third height position; or, at the fourth height position, the supporting part is flush with or lower than the supporting surface.

[0018] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located in a second predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the bearing surface.

[0019] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located in a second predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured not to fall on the bearing surface, or the edge of the container away from the bearing surface is configured not to fall on the bearing surface.

[0020] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the support assembly includes a support portion and an abutment portion connected to the support portion; in a first position, the support portion is configured to extend outward relative to the base so that the abutment portion abuts against the carrier; in a second position, the support portion is configured to retract so that the abutment portion moves to a position adjacent to the base.

[0021] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the portion of the abutment that contacts the carrier is configured to use a self-lubricating material.

[0022] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the self-lubricating material includes any one of nylon, POM, PA, PBT, PC, carbon fiber, PTFE, PPS, graphite, and organosilicon.

[0023] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the abutting portion includes a fixed portion and a sliding portion, the sliding portion being configured to slidably connect to the fixed portion; when in a first position, the sliding portion abuts against the carrier; when the pick-and-place assembly drives the support assembly to rise or fall along the gantry assembly, the sliding portion is configured to slide relative to the fixed portion.

[0024] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the abutting portion includes a bracket and a rolling portion rotatably connected to the bracket. When in a first position, the rolling portion is configured to abut against the vehicle and roll in cooperation with the vehicle during movement.

[0025] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the support assembly further includes a motion mechanism configured to move the support portion between a first position and a second position; the motion mechanism includes a motor mounted on a base and a transmission mechanism driven by the motor, the support portion being guided and fitted on the base and configured to be connected to the transmission mechanism via a connecting portion; the transmission mechanism is configured to move the support portion between the first position and the second position.

[0026] In one embodiment of this disclosure, two support components are provided, which are configured to extend outward in a way that is far apart from each other, so as to abut against the vehicles on opposite sides of the roadway respectively; the two support components are independently controlled and are configured to be symmetrically distributed on the base.

[0027] In one embodiment of this disclosure, at least two support components are provided, respectively denoted as a first support component extending in a first direction and a second support component extending in the opposite direction; the transport robot is configured to control the first support component and the second support component to extend the same or different displacements to opposite sides based on the detected distance between itself and the carrier in the first direction and the width of the aisle.

[0028] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the transport robot is configured to compensate for the displacement of the first support component and the second support component based on the difference between the detected distance between itself and the carrier in a first direction and the threshold.

[0029] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a warehousing system is also provided, comprising:

[0030] The storage area is equipped with multiple vehicles, and two adjacent vehicles form a passageway.

[0031] The transport robot according to the first aspect of this disclosure.

[0032] One beneficial effect of this disclosure is that by providing a support component on the base and enabling the support component to extend to a position abutting against the carrier, the handling robot is supported during the retrieval and return of containers, thereby enhancing the stability of the robot in retrieving and returning containers. Furthermore, the support component of this disclosure is configured to always abut against and move in cooperation with the carrier as the retrieval and placement components rise or fall along the gantry assembly. This ensures that the support component provides support throughout the lifting and lowering process of the retrieval and placement components without scratching the surface of the carrier's crossbeam.

[0033] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the handling robot and vehicle disclosed herein;

[0036] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A magnified view of the location of the component in the center;

[0037] Figure 3 This is the front view of the disclosed transport robot and vehicle;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the pick-and-place component and support component disclosed herein;

[0039] Figure 5 This is the front view of the pick-and-place component and support component disclosed herein;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the supporting components disclosed herein;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of the supporting component from another angle;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the support component in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure;

[0043] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support component in Embodiment 3 of this disclosure;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the support component in another embodiment of the present disclosure, which is a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 1 to 10 The one-to-one correspondence between the component names and the reference numerals in the figures is as follows:

[0045] 1. Chassis assembly; 2. Gantry assembly; 21. Temporary storage tray; 3. Pick-up and place assembly; 31. Base; 311. Lifting mechanism; 32. Pick-up and place mechanism; 321. Bearing part; 322. Clearance structure; 323. Pick-up and place component; 4. Support assembly; 401. First support assembly; 402. Second support assembly; 41. Support part; 42. Abutment part; 421. Slide rod; 422. Slider; 423. Bracket; 424. Rolling part; 425. Fixed seat; 426. Moving rod; 43. Motion mechanism; 431. Motor; 432. Transmission belt; 433. Connecting part; 5. Carrier; 51. First deep position; 52. Second deep position. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0047] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use.

[0048] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0049] 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 discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0050] In this article, terms such as "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate the relative positional relationship between related parts, rather than to define the absolute position of these related parts.

[0051] In this article, "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish one another, and not to indicate degree of importance, order, or prerequisite for each other.

[0052] In this document, terms such as “equal” and “same” are not strict mathematical and / or geometric limitations, but also include errors that are understandable to those skilled in the art and permissible in manufacturing or use.

[0053] This disclosure provides a handling robot, which can be used in the warehousing field. This robot can transfer target containers within a storage area, such as between different carriers, between different storage locations within the same carrier, or between a carrier and other locations. Of course, the handling robot of this disclosure can also be used in other application scenarios, such as shopping malls, hotels, workshops, and other scenarios familiar to those skilled in the art that require handling and transfer; these will not be specifically described herein.

[0054] The disclosed transport robot includes a chassis assembly, a gantry assembly, a pick-and-place assembly, and a support assembly. The chassis assembly supports the other components of the transport robot, enabling it to move on the ground. The gantry assembly is mounted on the chassis assembly; specifically, the gantry assembly is configured to extend upwards from the chassis assembly. The gantry assembly may consist of a single-stage gantry or have a multi-stage gantry structure, with a movable gantry slidably connected to a fixed gantry to transport the pick-and-place assembly to a higher height.

[0055] The pick-and-place assembly includes a base and a pick-and-place mechanism rotatably connected to the base. The base is configured to move the pick-and-place mechanism up or down along the gantry assembly. The base can move along the gantry assembly in the height direction, thereby moving the pick-and-place mechanism to different target heights and picking up or placing different target containers. The pick-and-place mechanism can rotate relative to the base to different angles to pick up or place target containers in different directions.

[0056] A support component is mounted on a base and configured to move between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the support component extends to abut against the carrier; in the second position, the support component retracts relative to the carrier. Initially, the support component is in the second position, where it does not provide support. When support is required, the support component is configured to extend relative to the handling robot until it abuts against the carrier located on one side of the handling robot; this is the first position. This helps to maintain a stable relative position between the pick-and-place component and the carrier, thereby improving the success rate of the pick-and-place component in picking up and placing the target container.

[0057] Furthermore, the pick-and-place assembly is configured to move to different height positions along the vertical direction during the pick-and-place process of a single container, and the support assembly is configured to abut and engage with the carrier as the pick-and-place assembly rises or falls along the gantry assembly. This engagement can be a sliding engagement, a rolling engagement, or other low-friction engagement methods. This ensures that the support assembly provides continuous support during the lifting and lowering of the pick-and-place assembly, enhancing the stability of the handling robot. Moreover, the sliding or rolling engagement between the support assembly and the carrier prevents scratching the surface of the carrier's crossbeam.

[0058] This disclosure enhances the stability of the handling robot during container retrieval and return by providing a support component on the base and extending it to abut against the carrier. Furthermore, the support component is configured to engage and move with the carrier as the retrieval and placement components rise or fall along the gantry assembly. This ensures that the support component provides continuous support during the lifting and lowering of the retrieval and placement components without scratching the surface of the carrier's crossbeam.

[0059] The specific embodiments of this disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Example 1

[0061] refer to Figure 1This disclosure provides a handling robot. The handling robot is configured to move to a storage area to pick up and place target containers. Specifically, the storage area may include multiple carriers 5 and aisles formed by adjacent carriers 5. Target containers are stored on the carriers 5. The target containers can be containers used for loading goods in the logistics field, including but not limited to bins, pallets, original boxes, packaging boxes, cargo boxes, storage boxes, etc., which are not limited herein.

[0062] The disclosed transport robot includes: a chassis assembly 1, a gantry assembly 2, a pick-and-place assembly 3, and a support assembly 4. The chassis assembly 1 is configured to support the transport robot on a working surface, which may include the aisles between carriers 5 and the ground outside the storage area. The chassis assembly 1 may be equipped with drive wheels and / or casters that cooperate with the drive wheels. The drive wheels and / or casters cooperate to drive the transport robot to move and turn on the working surface, facilitating subsequent pick-and-place operations of the transport robot on target objects.

[0063] The chassis assembly 1 is also configured to support other components of the handling robot, such as the gantry assembly 2, the pick-and-place assembly 3, and the support assembly 4. The gantry assembly 2 is mounted on the chassis assembly 1 and is configured to extend upward from the chassis assembly 1. Typically, the extension height of the gantry assembly 2 is the same as or exceeds the height of the carrier 5, which facilitates the handling robot in accessing and retrieving target objects located at different positions on the carrier 5.

[0064] In one embodiment of this disclosure, since the height of the handling robot needs to be adjusted according to the height of the carrier, and the gantry assembly 2, which has a non-adjustable height, is set too high, it will not only affect the handling robot's entry and exit from the warehouse, but also its stability during movement. Therefore, in this embodiment, the gantry assembly 2 also includes a fixed gantry and a movable gantry that moves along the height direction of the fixed gantry. The pick-and-place assembly 3 is configured to move along the movable gantry in the height direction to pick up and place the target container. In a specific embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place assembly 3 can be set on the last-level movable gantry, enabling the pick-and-place assembly 3 to cover the height space of the fixed gantry and the movable gantry. The pick-and-place assembly 3 is configured to move along the gantry assembly 2 in the height direction to pick up and place the target object. Since the gantry assembly 2 has a height adapted to the carrier 5, the pick-and-place assembly 3 can access and retrieve target containers at any position on the carrier 5 without any blind spots.

[0065] During the movement of the transport robot driven by the chassis assembly 1, all movable masts in the gantry assembly 2 can be in a retracted state relative to the fixed masts in the gantry assembly 2. That is, all movable masts are in the lowest engagement position relative to the upper-level mast, and the overall height of the gantry assembly 2 is at its lowest state. In this state, compared to the transport robot with a higher fixed height in the non-adjustable gantry assembly 2, the transport robot of this disclosure can maintain the stability of its movement when the movable masts are in the retracted state. In addition to the scenario of the transport robot picking up and placing target objects on high-level carriers, the transport robot can also pick up and place target containers on low-level carriers 5. Therefore, the transport robot of this disclosure can flexibly adjust the overall height of the gantry assembly 2 to adapt to carriers 5 of different heights, thereby improving the applicability of the transport robot's work.

[0066] When the pick-and-place component 3 is mounted on the final stage movable gantry, it can guide and cooperate with the final stage movable gantry. The movements of the movable gantry and the pick-and-place component 3 are independent of each other; that is, the movements of the movable gantry and the pick-and-place component 3 are not linked, thus improving the flexibility of the pick-and-place component 3's own movement. Of course, for those skilled in the art, the movements of the movable gantry and the pick-and-place component 3 can be synchronous, that is, the movements of the movable gantry and the pick-and-place component 3 can be coupled together. This disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0067] refer to Figure 2 The pick-and-place assembly 3 includes a base 31 and a pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotatably connected to the base 31. The base 31 is configured to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 32 to rise or fall along the gantry assembly 2. The base 31 can move along the gantry assembly 2 in the height direction, thereby driving the pick-and-place mechanism 32 to different target heights and picking up or placing different target containers. The pick-and-place mechanism 32 can rotate relative to the base 31 to different angles to pick up or place target containers in different directions. The pick-and-place mechanism 32 may include a pick-and-place member 323 for picking up and placing containers. The pick-and-place member 323 may be a telescopic fork, a gripping fork, a robotic arm, or other mechanical structure capable of picking up and returning containers. This disclosure does not limit the specific structure of the pick-and-place member 323.

[0068] In one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 2 The base 31, adjacent to the gantry assembly 2, is configured to be connected to the gantry assembly 2 via a lifting mechanism 311. The base 31 can cooperate with the gantry assembly 2 via the lifting mechanism 311, allowing the base 31 and the pick-and-place mechanism 32 located on the base 31 to rise or fall synchronously to the target position under the action of a corresponding drive mechanism. This disclosure does not specifically limit the cooperation method between the lifting mechanism 311 and the gantry assembly 2.

[0069] refer to Figures 1 to 3The support component 4 is mounted on the base, specifically on the side of the base 31 away from the gantry component 2. The support component 4 is configured to move between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the support component 4 extends to abut against the carrier 5; in the second position, the support component 4 retracts relative to the carrier 5. Initially, the support component 4 is in the second position, where it does not provide support. When support is required, the support component 4 is configured to extend relative to the handling robot until it abuts against the carrier 5 located on one side of the handling robot; this is the first position. This helps to maintain a stable relative position between the pick-and-place component 3 and the carrier 5, thereby improving the success rate of the pick-and-place component 3 in picking up and placing the target container.

[0070] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the support component 4 is positioned on the base 31 at a location offset from the axis of the pick-and-place mechanism 32. In the second position, the support component 4 is configured to be located outside the rotation area of ​​the pick-and-place mechanism 32. Specifically, the support component 4 can be located on the side wall of the base 31. When the pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates relative to the base 31, the support component 4 in the second position will not interfere with or collide with the pick-and-place mechanism 32. The support component 4 does not require a structure that needs to be further retracted, thus simplifying its structure. Similarly, when the support component 4 is in the first position, it can also remain in the first position to continue providing support as the pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates, thereby making the rotation of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 more stable.

[0071] The pick-and-place assembly 3 is configured to move to different height positions along the vertical direction during the pick-and-place process of a single container, and the support assembly 4 is configured to abut and engage with the carrier 5 as the pick-and-place assembly 3 rises or falls along the gantry assembly 2. This engagement can be either a sliding engagement or a rolling engagement. This ensures that the support assembly 4 provides support throughout the lifting and lowering process of the pick-and-place assembly 3, enhancing the stability of the handling robot. Furthermore, the engaging mechanism between the support assembly 4 and the carrier 5 prevents scratching the surface of the carrier 5's crossbeams.

[0072] This disclosure provides support to the handling robot during container retrieval and return by providing a support component 4 on the base 31 and extending the support component 4 to abut against the carrier 5. This reduces the impact of containers on the shelf and the robot during container retrieval and return, enhancing the stability of the robot during container retrieval and return. Furthermore, the support component 4 is configured to remain in contact with and move in coordination with the carrier 5 as the retrieval and placement component 3 rises or falls along the gantry assembly. This ensures that the support component 4 provides continuous support during the lifting and lowering of the retrieval and placement component without scratching the surface of the carrier 5's crossbeam.

[0073] In one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 3 and Figure 5 The support component 4 is provided with at least two components, respectively designated as a first support component 401 extending in a first direction and a second support component 402 extending in the opposite direction. (See reference) Figure 3 , Figure 5 In the view orientation, the arrow at the right end of the dashed line points to the first direction, and the arrow at the opposite end points to the second direction. The pick-and-place mechanism 32 is configured to extend in either the first or second direction to pick up or place a container in either direction. The first and second directions in this disclosure are defined for the purpose of clearly illustrating the pick-and-place action of the pick-and-place mechanism 32, and can be two opposing directions. For ease of description, this disclosure defines the support component 4 extending in the first direction as the first support component 401, and the support component 4 extending in the second direction as the second support component 402. The specific structures of the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 are completely identical, differing only in their extension directions.

[0074] The transport robot is configured to control the first support assembly 401 and the second support assembly 402 to extend to opposite sides by the same or different displacements based on the detected distance between itself and the carrier 5 in the first direction and the width of the alley.

[0075] In a specific application scenario of this disclosure, the width of the aisle between the carriers 5 is a fixed value. Distance sensors can be installed on the pick-and-place component 3 or the support component 4. For example, the distance sensor can measure the distance information between itself and the carrier 5 in a first direction and transmit this information to the control server. The control server can calculate the required extension length of the first support component 401 based on preset information (such as the distance data between the distance sensor and the first support component 401 in the first direction). The first support component 401 can extend the corresponding distance under the control of the control server to contact the carrier 5 in the first direction. Simultaneously, the control server can also calculate the required extension length of the second support component 402 based on the aisle width. The second support component 402 can extend the corresponding length under the control of the control server to contact the carrier 5 in the second direction. Besides the aforementioned distance sensors, distance information can also be obtained through other means such as image acquisition devices. This disclosure does not specifically limit the method by which the handling robot obtains distance information.

[0076] In one specific embodiment of this disclosure, the handling robot is configured to compensate for the displacement of the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 based on the difference between the detected distance between itself and the carrier 5 in the first direction being greater than or less than a threshold. In this embodiment, the width of the aisle is a fixed value, and the control server can pre-set the required displacement of the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 according to the width of the aisle. It should be noted that the pre-set displacement may not meet the support requirements of the actual application scenario. Specifically, in an ideal situation, the handling robot can run to the centerline of the aisle, and the pick-and-place component 3 and the support component 4 at the higher position do not tilt or shift. At this time, the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 only need to extend according to the pre-set displacement to achieve support.

[0077] In practical applications, the transport robot may not be centered. To accommodate scenarios where the robot is tilted, this disclosure sets a threshold range. When the distance between the transport robot and the carrier 5 in the first direction is within the threshold range, it indicates that the tilt is not severe, and the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 can continue to extend according to the pre-set displacement. At this time, although the support component 4 cannot perfectly abut against the carrier, the supporting force it provides is sufficient to keep the transport robot stable. When the distance between the transport robot and the carrier 5 in the first direction is greater than or less than the threshold, it indicates that the robot is severely tilted. In this case, the extension distance of the support component 4 needs to be compensated based on the difference between the distance and the threshold. For ease of understanding, the following detailed description of this application scenario using numerical values ​​is provided as an example:

[0078] The control server is pre-set so that, ideally, the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 can extend 80cm to achieve stable support, with a set threshold range of 75-85cm. That is, when the distance between the handling robot and the carrier 5 in the first direction is detected to be within the range of 75-85cm, the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 can still extend 80cm to provide support. However, when the distance between the handling robot and the carrier 5 in the first direction is detected to be 40cm, exceeding the threshold range, the extension distance of the first support component 401 and the second support component 402 needs to be adjusted. For example, the first support component 401 can extend 60cm, and the second support component 402 can extend 100cm. Under the action of the support components 402, the tilt of the handling robot can be corrected to a certain extent, thus meeting the standard for retrieving and returning the box, thereby improving the success rate of box retrieval and return.

[0079] In one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 4The support assembly 4 includes a support portion 41 and an abutment portion 42 connected to the support portion 41. In a first position, the support portion 41 is configured to extend outward relative to the base 31 so that the abutment portion 42 abuts against the carrier 5; in a second position, the support portion 41 is configured to retract so that the abutment portion 42 moves to a position adjacent to the base 31; in the second position, the abutment portion 42 is configured to be located outside the rotational area of ​​the pick-and-place mechanism 32. Figure 4 As shown, the support part 41 can be a slender rod-shaped structure. If the end of the support part 41 directly abuts against the carrier 5, the contact area is too small, and the support effect is poor. Therefore, an abutment part 42 for abutting against the carrier 5 can be provided at the end of the support part 41.

[0080] Specifically, the support portion 41 is configured to be positioned on the base 31 below the pick-and-place mechanism 32, and the abutment portion 42 is configured to extend upward from the support portion 41 to partially overlap with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 in the height direction. When in the first position, the abutment portion 42 extends away from the pick-and-place mechanism, naturally located outside the rotation area of ​​the pick-and-place mechanism 32, and the abutment portion 42 obviously will not obstruct the pick-and-place mechanism 32 from performing the work of picking up and returning the box; however, when in the second position, since the upwardly supported abutment portion 42 partially overlaps with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 in the height direction, and the abutment portion 42 will move to a position adjacent to the base 31 as the support portion 41 retracts, the abutment portion 42 may interfere with the pick-and-place mechanism 32.

[0081] To solve the above problems, the abutment portion 42 can be configured as a foldable structure. The abutment portion 42 is only open in the first supporting position, and folds to be flush with the support portion 41 in the second position, thereby avoiding interference with the pick-and-place mechanism 32. In order to further simplify the structure of the abutment portion 42 and reduce production costs, this disclosure places the support assembly 4 entirely outside the rotation area of ​​the pick-and-place mechanism 32, thereby providing a structure that does not require folding the abutment portion 42 and does not cause interference.

[0082] In one specific embodiment of this disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism 32 includes a support portion 321 for carrying a container, and an abutment portion 42 is configured to extend upward from the support portion 41 to a height higher or lower than the support end face of the support portion 321. A support assembly 4 is disposed on the base 31 at a position corresponding to the outside of the side wall of the support portion 321, and is configured to extend in a first direction. The support portion 321 is configured to be at least rotatable to face the first direction for picking up and placing containers in the first direction. In the first direction, the height of the support end face of the support portion 321 is the height at which the opening of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 is set for picking up and returning containers. By setting the upward extension height of the abutment portion 42 to be lower than the height of the support end face of the support portion 321, it can be ensured that the opening of the container retrieval mechanism is not blocked by the abutment portion 42. When the height of the abutment portion 42 extending upward is higher than the height of the bearing end face of the bearing portion 321, since the support component 4 in this disclosure is located outside the side wall on one side of the base 31, even if the abutment portion 42 is located above the bearing end face, it will not affect the operation of the pick-up and drop-off mechanism 32 to pick up and drop off the container.

[0083] Furthermore, when the opening of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 faces the first direction, the orthographic projections of the abutment portion 42 and the sidewalls of the support portion 321 in the first direction do not overlap or at least partially overlap. If the orthographic projections of the abutment portion 42 and the sidewalls of the support portion 321 in the first direction do not overlap at all, it can be ensured that the abutment portion 42 will not collide with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 during its movement from the first position to the second position. If the orthographic projections of the abutment portion 42 and the sidewalls of the support portion 321 in the first direction at least partially overlap, the abutment portion 42 may collide with the sidewalls of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 during its movement from the first position to the second position.

[0084] To completely avoid collisions, this embodiment also provides a clearance structure 322 on the edge of the bearing portion 321 facing the contact portion 42. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the avoidance structure 322 can be located at the outer corner of the pick-and-place mechanism 32. The outer corner of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 can be a chamfered structure, so that when the abutment part 42 is retracted to the second position, it will not collide with the bearing part 321 of the pick-and-place mechanism 32 at all. The size of the chamfer and the specific arrangement of the avoidance structure 322 can be set according to the actual shape and position of the abutment part 42, and this disclosure does not limit them.

[0085] In one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figures 5 to 7The support assembly 4 also includes a motion mechanism 43, which is configured to move the support portion 41 between a first position and a second position. The motion mechanism 43 includes a motor 431 mounted on the base 31 and a transmission mechanism driven by the motor 431. The support portion 41 is guided and fitted onto the base 31 and is configured to connect to the transmission mechanism via a connecting portion 433. The transmission mechanism is configured to move the support portion 41 between the first and second positions. Figure 6 As shown, a drive wheel can be driven to the output end of the motor 431. The transmission mechanism can be a transmission belt 432, with one end of the transmission belt 432 wound around the drive wheel and the other end wound around the transmission wheel. The transmission wheel and the drive wheel can be constructed to be the same size, and their axes are aligned horizontally. When the motor 431 rotates, the drive wheel rotates accordingly, and the transmission belt 432 is driven to move by the drive wheel. A connecting block 433 is provided on the transmission belt 432, with one end of the connecting block 433 fixed to the transmission belt and the other end fixed to the support part 41. When the transmission belt 432 rotates between the transmission wheel and the drive wheel, the connecting block 433 can move accordingly, thereby driving the support part 41 to move relative to the base 31 between a first position and a second position. There are many other ways to control the movement of the support part 41. This embodiment only provides a specific example. This disclosure does not specifically limit the driving method of the support part 41. In addition to the movement method using the transmission belt 432, the transmission mechanism can also use other transmission methods commonly used in the art, such as chains, lead screws, gears, and racks.

[0086] In one specific embodiment of this disclosure, the first support assembly 401 and the second support assembly 402 are configured to extend outwards in a mutually spaced manner to abut against the vehicles 5 on opposite sides of the tunnel, respectively. The two support assemblies 4 are independently controlled and configured to be symmetrically distributed on the base 31. (See reference...) Figure 6 and Figure 7 Each of the two support components 4 is equipped with a corresponding motion mechanism 43. The two motors 431 can rotate at different angles under the control of the control server, so that the support part 41 of the first support component 401 and the support part 41 of the second support component 402 extend at different displacements, so that the abutting parts 42 of the two support components 4 abut against the carriers 5 on both sides of the tunnel.

[0087] In practical applications, the height of the pick-up and drop-off mechanism 32 may be adjusted during the operation of picking up and dropping off boxes. If the support component 4 is in the first position at this time, the contact part 42 will rub against the crossbeam of the carrier 5 during the up-and-down movement of the pick-up and drop-off mechanism 3. This will damage the crossbeam of the carrier 5, and the contact part 42 will also wear down, resulting in a shortened service life. To solve the above problems, this disclosure provides a further design for the contact part 42.

[0088] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the support assembly 4 is in the first position, and as the pick-and-place assembly 3 rises or falls along the gantry assembly 2, the abutment portion 42 in the support assembly 4 is configured to slide or roll in contact with the carrier 5. For example, the portion of the abutment portion 42 that contacts the carrier 5 is configured to use a self-lubricating material. Changing the coefficient of friction of the portion of the abutment portion 42 that contacts the carrier 5 will not affect the support function of the support assembly 4. The self-lubricating material has a low coefficient of friction and strong wear resistance, which can effectively reduce the frictional force in the vertical direction at the abutment position.

[0089] Specifically, self-lubricating materials may include nylon, POM, PA, PBT, PC, carbon fiber, PTFE, PPS, graphite, silicone, etc. The contact surface of the abutment part 42 with the carrier 5 or the body of the abutment part 42 may be made of any of the above materials, or other self-lubricating materials with low coefficient of friction and high wear resistance may be selected. This disclosure does not specifically limit the selection of self-lubricating materials.

[0090] To improve the working efficiency of the handling robot, in one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to... Figure 1 and Figure 3 The gantry assembly 2 may be provided with a temporary storage tray 21 for temporarily storing containers. At least one temporary storage tray 21 is provided on the side of the gantry assembly 2 opposite to the pick-and-place assembly 3. Containers taken out by the pick-and-place mechanism 32 can be temporarily stored on the temporary storage tray 21, and then the pick-and-place assembly 3 can continue to pick up and place containers.

[0091] For example, refer to Figure 1 Eight temporary storage trays 21 are arranged vertically and sequentially at intervals on one side of the gantry assembly 2. Each temporary storage tray 21 can be constructed as a rectangle with a certain length and width to support containers. Containers retrieved by the pick-and-place mechanism 32 from the carrier 5 in the first or second direction can be temporarily stored on the temporary storage trays 21. After retrieving a container from the first or second direction, the pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates to face any one of the temporary storage trays 21 and places the container on it, thereby transferring the container to the temporary storage tray 21. The pick-and-place mechanism 32 can then perform other operations. Alternatively, the pick-and-place mechanism 32 can rotate to face the temporary storage tray 21 corresponding to the container, retrieve the container from the temporary storage tray 21, and then rotate to the first or second direction to transfer the container to the corresponding position in the first or second direction, thus transferring the container from the temporary storage tray 21.

[0092] In actual container retrieval scenarios, the handling robot can pick up containers from carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21. To prevent containers from getting stuck on the edge of the pick-and-place mechanism 32, thus causing retrieval failure, carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21 is usually positioned a certain distance higher than the pick-and-place mechanism 32. Since the containers and their contents are relatively heavy, the combination of gravity and height difference causes significant impact on the pick-and-place mechanism 32 and the handling robot. This can easily damage carrier 5 and the handling robot, and also cause significant impact and vibration. Other containers stored on the same carrier 5 may become misaligned due to the vibration of carrier 5, or even protrude from carrier 5 or penetrate deep into it, resulting in disordered container arrangement and increasing the likelihood of retrieval failure.

[0093] To avoid the above situation, the box-picking method of the handling robot needs to be further designed.

[0094] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the handling robot is configured to, when picking up a container, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move in the height direction to a first height position where the supporting portion 321 is lower than the supporting surface where the container is placed; and after the pick-and-place component 323 picks up the container on the supporting surface to a first predetermined position, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move upward to a second height position so that the pick-and-place component 323 completely picks up the container to the supporting portion 321. Wherein, when the pick-and-place component 3 moves between the first height position and the second height position, the support component 4 is configured to remain in the first position. Further, the pick-and-place component 3 is configured to simultaneously pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the supporting portion 321 during the process of rising from the first height position to the second height position; or, the pick-and-place component 3 is configured to pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the supporting portion 321 after rising from the first height position to the second height position.

[0095] It should be noted that the bearing surface where the container is stored can be the storage support surface of the container on the carrier 5, or the temporary storage disk 21 on the gantry assembly 2 of the handling robot that buffers the container. For ease of description, the plane used to support the container is referred to as the bearing surface in this disclosure.

[0096] When the handling robot performs the task of retrieving a box, it first needs to control the pick-and-place component 3 to move to a first height position below the surface where the container is located. After the control server issues the box retrieval command, the handling robot can obtain the position information of the target container to be retrieved. The control server stores the preset height information of each position in the warehousing system, and the pick-and-place component 3 can be raised and lowered to the preset height position where the target container is located.

[0097] The preset height information may deviate slightly from the actual height. An image acquisition device can be installed on the pick-and-place component 3. This image acquisition device can acquire the specific location information of the target container and, based on this, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move to a first height position where the supporting part 321 is slightly lower than the surface containing the container. After reaching the first height position, the control server can manipulate the pick-and-place component 323 to extend and begin picking up the container.

[0098] The control server can control the extension of the pick-and-place component 323 and move the container from the storage position or temporary storage tray 21 of the carrier 5 towards the bearing part 321. During the movement, the handling robot can use its own installed image acquisition device to acquire images of the container, and determine the position of the container during the movement based on the image acquisition results, thereby obtaining the container's displacement data. In addition to obtaining container displacement data through image acquisition results, other detection methods can also be adopted. For example, container displacement data can be obtained by detecting the position of the pick-and-place component 323, or it can be obtained based on the rotation angle of the drive motor corresponding to the pick-and-place component 323. After confirming that the pick-and-place component 323 has picked up the container on the bearing surface to the first predetermined position based on the container displacement data, it is necessary to control the pick-and-place component 323 to move upward to the second height position.

[0099] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located at a first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place component 3 is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the support portion 321. During the retrieval operation, as the container moves closer to the support portion 321, it will at some point move to the first predetermined position. Specifically, when the container is located at the first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place component 3 is configured not to fall on the support portion 321, or the edge of the container away from the pick-and-place component 3 is configured not to fall on the support portion 321.

[0100] In other words, the container at the first predetermined position has not yet been fully transferred to the support part 321. When the support part 321 is at a first height position below the support surface, if the container is fully transferred to the support part 321, it will cause the support part 321 to be subjected to a large gravitational impact. Therefore, when the container has not been fully transferred to the support part 321, that is, when it has moved to the first predetermined position, it is necessary to raise the pick-and-place component 3 to the second position height to avoid the aforementioned gravitational impact. The container at the first predetermined position has already passed the edge of the support part 321, so raising the pick-and-place component 3 at this time will not cause the container to be stuck by the edge of the pick-and-place mechanism 32, thus preventing the container retrieval from failing.

[0101] In one embodiment of this disclosure, at the second height position, the supporting part 321 is lower than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part 321 and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part 321 and the supporting surface at the first height position; or, at the second height position, the supporting part 321 is flush with or higher than the supporting surface. After the container is transported to the first predetermined position by the pick-and-place component 323, the pick-and-place component 3 can rise to the second height position. The supporting part 321 at the second height position can still be lower than the supporting surface, but compared with the supporting part 321 at the first height position, the second height position is closer to the supporting surface, thereby reducing the impact of the container on the supporting part 321. The supporting part 321 at the second height position can also be flush with or higher than the supporting surface, thus eliminating the gravitational impact of the container on the supporting part 321. It should be noted that the second height position cannot be too much higher than the supporting surface, but only slightly higher. If it is too much higher than the supporting surface, the side of the container away from the pick-and-place component 3 may not receive any support, resulting in the container falling and failure to retrieve the container.

[0102] When the pick-and-place component 3 moves between the first height position and the second height position, the support component 4 is configured to remain in the first position. The abutment portion 42 of the support component 4 can move and engage with the carrier 5, so it can remain in the first position to provide support even when the pick-and-place component 3 is raised or lowered. This ensures that the pick-and-place component 3 receives stable support when moving between the first height position and the second height position, thereby improving the stability of the handling robot.

[0103] The support component 4 can extend to the first position to provide support after the pick-and-place component 3 has moved to the first height position, or it can extend to provide support after the pick-and-place component 3 has been raised or lowered to the preset height position. During the process of fine-tuning the pick-and-place component 3 from the preset height position to the first height position, the support component 4 can remain in the first position to provide stable support for the handling robot. During the height adjustment of the pick-and-place component, the abutment part 42 slides with the carrier 5, preventing the support component 4 from scratching the surface of the carrier and preventing wear on the abutment part 42.

[0104] In actual container return scenarios, that is, when transporting containers from the carrier 321 to the carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21, to prevent the containers from getting stuck on the edges of the carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21 and causing return failure, the pick-up and drop-off mechanism 32 is usually positioned a certain distance higher than the carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21. Specifically, when the container is completely detached from the pick-up and drop-off mechanism 32, that is, when it is in full contact with the carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21, due to the weight of the container and its contents, the container will exert a relatively large gravitational impact on the carrier 5 or temporary storage tray 21 under the combined effect of its weight and height difference, which can easily damage the carrier 5 shelf and the handling robot. Other containers stored on the same carrier 5 shelf, as well as containers stored on other temporary storage trays 21, will become misaligned due to the vibration of the carrier 5 shelf, causing container arrangement disorder and making pick-up and drop-off more prone to failure.

[0105] To avoid the above situation, the return method of the handling robot needs to be further designed.

[0106] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the handling robot is configured to, when returning a container, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move in the height direction to a third height position where the carrying portion 321 is higher than the target carrying surface; and after the pick-and-place component 323 picks up the container on the carrying portion 321 to a second predetermined position, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move downward to a fourth height position so that the pick-and-place component 323 completely returns the container to the carrying surface. Wherein, when the pick-and-place component 3 moves between the third and fourth height positions, the support component 4 is configured to remain in a first position. Further, the pick-and-place component 3 is configured to simultaneously return the container from the second predetermined position to the carrying surface during the descent from the third height position to the fourth height position; or, the pick-and-place component 3 is configured to return the container from the second predetermined position to the carrying surface after descending from the third height position to the fourth height position.

[0107] Consistent with the description in the box retrieval scenario, the bearing surface where the container is stored can be the storage support surface of the container on the carrier 5, or the temporary storage disk 21 on the gantry assembly 2 of the handling robot that caches the container. For ease of description, this disclosure refers to the plane used to support the container as the bearing surface.

[0108] When the handling robot performs the task of returning the container, it first needs to control the pick-and-place component 3 to move to a third height position above the target bearing surface in the vertical direction. After the control server issues the return command, the handling robot can obtain the position information of the target container to be picked up. The control server stores the preset height information of each position in the warehousing system, and the pick-and-place component 3 can be raised and lowered to the preset height position where the target container is located.

[0109] The image acquisition device installed on the pick-and-place component 3 can acquire the specific location information of the target container, and based on this, control the pick-and-place component 3 to move to a third height position where the supporting part 321 is slightly higher than the supporting surface where the container is stored. After moving to the third height position, the control server can operate the pick-and-place component 323 to start returning the container.

[0110] The control server can control the extension of the pick-and-place component 323 and transport the container from the support unit 321 to the storage position or temporary storage tray 21 of the carrier 5. During the movement, the handling robot can obtain the displacement data of the container by acquiring container image information, detecting the position of the pick-and-place component 323, and detecting the rotation angle of the motor of the pick-and-place component 323. After confirming that the pick-and-place component 323 has transported the container on the support unit 321 to the second predetermined position based on the container displacement data, it is necessary to control the pick-and-place component 323 to move downward to the fourth height position.

[0111] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the container is located in the second predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the bearing surface. During the return operation, as the container moves closer to the bearing surface of the carrier 5 or the temporary storage tray 21, it will at some point move to the second predetermined position. Specifically, when the container is located in the second predetermined position, either the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured not to rest on the bearing surface, or the edge of the container away from the bearing surface is configured not to rest on the bearing surface.

[0112] In other words, the container at the second predetermined position has not yet been fully moved onto the bearing surface of the carrier 5 or the temporary storage tray 21. When the bearing part 321 is at the third height position above the bearing surface, if the container is fully moved onto the bearing surface, the bearing surface will be subjected to a large gravitational impact. Therefore, when the container has not been fully moved onto the bearing surface, that is, when it has moved to the second predetermined position, the pick-and-place component 3 needs to be lowered to the fourth position height to avoid the aforementioned gravitational impact. The container at the second predetermined position has already crossed the edge of the bearing surface, so appropriately lowering the pick-and-place component 3 at this time will not cause the container to fail to be picked up due to being stuck by the edge of the carrier 5 or the temporary storage tray 21.

[0113] In one embodiment of this disclosure, at the fourth height position, the supporting part 321 is higher than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part 321 and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part 321 and the supporting surface at the third height position; or, at the fourth height position, the supporting part 321 is flush with or lower than the supporting surface. After the container is transported to the second predetermined position by the pick-and-place component 323, the pick-and-place component 3 can be lowered to the fourth height position. The supporting part 321 at the fourth height position can still be higher than the supporting surface, but compared with the supporting part 321 at the third height position, the fourth height position is closer to the supporting surface, thereby reducing the impact of the container on the supporting surface. The supporting part 321 at the fourth height position can also be flush with or lower than the supporting surface, thus eliminating the gravitational impact of the container on the supporting surface. It should be noted that the fourth height position cannot be too lower than the supporting surface, but only slightly lower. If it is too lower than the supporting surface, it may cause the container to tip over and fall, resulting in failure to return the container.

[0114] When the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves between the third and fourth height positions, the support assembly 4 is configured to remain in the first position. The abutment portion 42 of the support assembly 4 can move and engage with the carrier 5, thus maintaining support in the first position even when the pick-and-place assembly 3 is raised or lowered. This ensures stable support for the pick-and-place assembly 3 during its movement between the third and fourth height positions, thereby improving the stability of the handling robot.

[0115] The support component 4 can extend to the first position to provide support after the pick-and-place component 3 has moved to the third height position, or it can extend to provide support after the pick-and-place component 3 has been raised or lowered to the preset height position. During the process of fine-tuning the pick-and-place component 3 from the preset height position to the third height position, the support component 4 can remain in the first position to provide stable support for the handling robot. During the height adjustment of the pick-and-place component, the abutment part 42 slides with the carrier 5, preventing the support component 4 from scratching the carrier surface and preventing wear on the abutment part 42.

[0116] In one embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 3 The carrier 5 may have a first deep position 51 and a second deep position 32. The first deep position 51 is the storage position closer to the aisle, and the second deep position 32 is the storage position further away from the aisle. The transport robot located in the aisle can pick up and place containers located in the first deep position 51 and the second deep position 52 in both the first and second directions. For the transport robot, the container in the first deep position 51 is the outer box, and the container in the second deep position 52 is the inner box. The pick-and-place component 323 can extend to the position of the second deep position 52 to retrieve and return the inner box. When retrieving and returning the inner box, there may be an obstacle from the outer box. In this case, the corresponding outer box needs to be moved to the temporary storage tray 21 for temporary storage. After the inner box is retrieved, the outer box is moved back to its original position.

[0117] Specifically, when the handling robot receives an instruction to remove an inner box that is covered by an outer box, the handling process can be divided into six handling steps:

[0118] 1) Take out the outer box: The pick-and-place assembly 3 moves to a first height position slightly lower than the first depth position 51 bearing surface of the carrier 5. After the pick-and-place member 323 moves the outer box to the bearing part 321 in the direction of the first predetermined position, the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves upward to the second height position so that the pick-and-place member 323 completely picks up the outer box to the bearing part 321.

[0119] 2) Temporary storage outer box: The pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates relative to the base so that the pick-and-place component 323 is aligned with the direction of the temporary storage tray 21; the pick-and-place component 3 moves to a third height position slightly higher than the bearing surface of a certain empty temporary storage tray 21, and after the pick-and-place component 323 moves the outer box to the direction of the temporary storage tray 21 to a second predetermined position, the pick-and-place component 3 moves downward to a fourth height position so that the pick-and-place component 323 completely moves the outer box to the temporary storage tray 21.

[0120] 3) Take out the inner box: The pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates relative to the base so that the pick-and-place member 323 is aligned with the target vehicle 5; the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves again to a first height position slightly lower than the first depth position 51 bearing surface of the vehicle 5. After the pick-and-place member 323 moves the inner box to the bearing part 321 in the direction of the first predetermined position, the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves upward to the second height position so that the pick-and-place member 323 completely picks up the inner box to the bearing part 321.

[0121] 4) Temporary storage inner box: The pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates relative to the base so that the pick-and-place member 323 is aligned with the direction of the temporary storage tray 21; the pick-and-place member 3 moves to the fifth height position slightly higher than the bearing surface of the other empty temporary storage tray 21, and after the pick-and-place member 323 moves the inner box to the direction of the temporary storage tray 21 to the second predetermined position, the pick-and-place member 3 moves down to the sixth height position so that the pick-and-place member 323 completely moves the inner box to the temporary storage tray 21.

[0122] 5) Retrieve the outer box: When the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves to the third height position, which is slightly lower than the bearing surface of the temporary storage tray 21 where the outer box is temporarily stored, the pick-and-place member 323 moves the outer box to the bearing part 321 to the first predetermined position. Then, the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves upward to the fourth height position so that the pick-and-place member 323 completely moves the outer box to the bearing part 321.

[0123] 6) Returning the outer box: The pick-and-place mechanism 32 rotates relative to the base so that the pick-and-place component 323 is aligned with the target vehicle 5; the pick-and-place component 3 moves to the seventh height position slightly higher than the bearing surface of the first depth position 51 of the outer box corresponding to the vehicle 5, and after the pick-and-place component 323 moves the outer box to the second predetermined position in the direction of the first depth position 51, the pick-and-place component 3 moves down to the eighth height position so that the pick-and-place component 323 places the outer box on the bearing surface of the second depth position 52.

[0124] After the above six container retrieval and return operations, the inner box located in the second deep position 52 can be retrieved even when the outer box is obstructing it. To return the box to the second deep position 52 when the outer box is obstructing the first deep position 51, a similar process is required, involving six sequential operations: retrieving the outer box, temporarily storing the outer box, retrieving the inner box from the temporary storage tray 21, storing the inner box in the second deep position 52, retrieving the outer box, and storing the outer box in the first deep position 51. The specific storage and retrieval methods will not be elaborated upon here.

[0125] During the process of accessing and storing the inner box, the height of the pick-and-place component 3 changes multiple times. If only minor height adjustments are involved, the support component 4 can remain in the first position for support. If significant height changes are involved, the support component 4 needs to be retracted from the first position to the second position before adjusting the height. Specifically, minor height adjustments refer to adjustments made to the height during a single transport operation, or when a temporary storage tray 21 is at the same height as the bearing surface of the carrier 5. Significant height changes refer to the pick-and-place component 3 needing to move to another temporary storage tray 21 at a different height than the bearing surface of the carrier 5. The abutment portion 42 of the support component 4 is actually constructed to support the crossbeam of the carrier 5. When a significant height change occurs in the pick-and-place component 3, the abutment portion 42 moves to a position where it is no longer supported. Therefore, when making significant height adjustments, the support component 4 needs to be retracted to the second position first. For minor height adjustments, the support component 4 can remain in the first position to provide stable support for the transport robot.

[0126] Example 2

[0127] Compared with Embodiment 1, the main difference in Embodiment 2 lies in the different sliding engagement method between the support component abutment part 42 and the carrier 5. To keep the text concise, this difference will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The other structures and movement methods of the handling robot are exactly the same as those provided in Embodiment 1, and will not be described further here.

[0128] In Embodiment 1, the sliding engagement between the abutment portion 42 and the carrier 5 is achieved by constructing the portion of the abutment portion 42 that contacts the carrier 5 using a self-lubricating material. This embodiment does not impose limitations on the material of the abutment portion 42, but rather provides a novel abutment portion 42 structure to achieve the aforementioned sliding engagement.

[0129] refer to Figure 8 The contact portion 42 includes a fixed portion and a sliding portion, the sliding portion being configured to slidably connect to the fixed portion. In the first position, the sliding portion abuts against the carrier 5; when the pick-up and drop assembly 3 drives the support assembly 4 to rise or fall along the gantry assembly 2, the sliding portion is configured to slide relative to the fixed portion.

[0130] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the sliding part may be a slider 422, and the fixed part may be a slide rod 421. The abutment part 42 includes a slide rod 421 and a slider 422, with the slider 422 configured to slidably connect to the slide rod 421. In the first position, the slider 422 abuts against the carrier 5. When the pick-and-place assembly 3 drives the support assembly 4 to rise or fall along the gantry assembly 2, the slider 422 is configured to slide relative to the slide rod 421. The slide rod 421 may be configured to extend upward from the support part 41 to a position that partially overlaps with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 in the height direction, and the slider 422 may be sleeved on the slide rod 421.

[0131] The slider 422 and the slide rod 421 are configured for a sliding fit. To ensure smooth sliding, materials with excessively rough surfaces or high coefficients of friction cannot be used to construct the inner walls of the slide rod 421 and the contact area between the slider 422 and the slide rod 421. Common smooth materials such as metal, resin, and plastic can be used to make the slide rod 421 and the slider 422.

[0132] In another embodiment of this disclosure, reference is made to Figure 10 The sliding part can also be a movable rod 426, and the fixed part can also be a fixed seat 425. The abutment part 42 includes a fixed seat 425 and a movable rod 426, with the movable rod 426 configured to slide on the fixed seat 425. In the first position, the protruding part of the side wall of the movable rod 426 abuts against the carrier 5. When the pick-and-place assembly 3 drives the support assembly 4 to rise or fall along the gantry assembly 2, the movable rod 426 is configured to slide relative to the fixed seat 425. The movable rod 426 can be configured to extend upward from the support part 41 to a position that partially overlaps with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 in the height direction. The fixed seat 425 can also extend upward from the support part 41, wherein the length of the movable rod 426 is longer than that of the fixed seat 425. A fixed rod can be provided on the fixed seat 425, such as... Figure 10 As shown, this embodiment includes two fixed rods; two oblong holes corresponding to the fixed rods can be provided on the movable rod 426. The two oblong holes are movably fitted onto the fixed rods, thereby allowing the movable rod 426 to slide on the fixed base 425.

[0133] The movable rod 426 and the fixed seat 425 are configured for a sliding fit. To ensure smooth sliding, materials with excessively rough surfaces or high coefficients of friction cannot be used to construct the fixing rod of the fixed seat 425 or the inner wall of the oblong hole of the movable rod 426. Common smooth materials such as metal, resin, and plastic can be used to make the movable rod 426 and the fixed seat 425.

[0134] In this embodiment, the sliding fit structure of the abutment part 42, which consists of a fixed part and a sliding part, does not affect the supporting function of the support component 4. The structure of the fixed part and the sliding part can effectively reduce the friction in the vertical direction. When the pick-and-place component 3 drives the support component 4 to rise or fall along the gantry component 2, the abutment part 42 located in the first position can remain relatively stationary with respect to the surface of the carrier 5, and no friction will occur between the abutment part 42 and the carrier 5. This can protect the surface of the carrier 5 from scratches and also reduce the resistance of the pick-and-place component 3 in raising and lowering.

[0135] Example 3

[0136] Compared with Embodiments 1 and 2, the main difference in Embodiment 3 lies in the different sliding engagement method between the support component abutment part 42 and the carrier 5. To keep the text concise, this difference will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The other structures and movement methods of the handling robot are exactly the same as those provided in Embodiment 1, and will not be described further here.

[0137] refer to Figure 9 The abutment portion 42 includes a bracket 423 and a rolling portion 424 rotatably connected to the bracket 423. When in the first position, the rolling portion 424 is configured to abut against the carrier 5 and roll in cooperation with the carrier 5 during movement. The bracket 423 can be configured to extend upward from the support portion 41 to a position that partially overlaps with the pick-and-place mechanism 32 in the height direction, and the rolling portion 424 can be rotatably connected to the free end of the bracket 423.

[0138] When in the first position, the rolling part 424 can abut against the surface of the carrier 5. The rolling engagement structure of the abutment part 42 with the bracket 423 and the rolling part 424 does not affect the support function of the support assembly 4. The structural arrangement of the bracket 423 and the rolling part 424 effectively reduces vertical friction. When the pick-and-place assembly 3 moves the support assembly 4 up or down along the gantry assembly 2, the abutment part 42 in the first position can roll against the surface of the carrier 5, and the friction between the rolling part 424 on the abutment part 42 and the carrier 5 is very small. This protects the surface of the carrier 5 from scratches and also reduces the resistance of the pick-and-place assembly 3 during lifting and lowering.

[0139] Example 4

[0140] This embodiment provides a warehousing system, including a storage area and a handling robot. The storage area has multiple carriers 5, with adjacent carriers 5 forming a passageway. The handling robot is the same as the handling robot provided in the three embodiments described above.

[0141] In this embodiment, the handling robot's support component 4 is configured to remain in contact with and slide against the carrier 5 as the pick-and-place component 3 rises or falls along the gantry component 2. This allows the pick-and-place component 3 to remain in the support position without needing to be retracted when adjusting its height, thus providing support and improving stability during height adjustment. During height adjustment, the friction between the support component 4 and the carrier 5 is minimal, protecting the carrier 5 from scratches and reducing resistance during lifting and lowering of the pick-and-place component 3.

[0142] In this embodiment, the specific structure and movement of the chassis assembly 1, gantry assembly 2, pick-and-place assembly 3, and support assembly 4 of the handling robot are exactly the same as those of the handling robot disclosed in Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the support assembly 4 can abut against and slide with the carrier 5. This sliding engagement structure can be any of the sliding engagement methods in the above three embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0143] The various embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, and are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or technical improvements to the embodiments in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A transport robot, characterized in that, include: Chassis components (1); A gantry assembly (2) is disposed on the chassis assembly (1) and is configured to extend upward from the chassis assembly (1); The pick-and-place assembly (3) includes a base (31) and a pick-and-place mechanism (32). The base (31) is configured to drive the pick-and-place mechanism (32) to rise or fall along the gantry assembly (2). The pick-and-place mechanism (32) includes a support part (321) for carrying a container and a pick-and-place member (323) for picking up and placing the container. A support assembly (4) is disposed on the base (31) and configured to move between a first position and a second position; when in the first position, the support assembly (4) extends to abut against the carrier (5); when in the second position, the support assembly (4) retracts relative to the carrier (5); the pick-and-place assembly (3) is configured to move along the height direction to different height positions during the pick-and-place of a single container, and the support assembly (4) is configured to abut against and move in cooperation with the carrier (5) as the pick-and-place assembly (3) rises or falls along the gantry assembly (2); The transport robot is configured to, when picking up a container, control the pick-and-place component (3) to move in the height direction to a first height position where the bearing part (321) is lower than the bearing surface where the container is placed; and after the pick-and-place component (323) picks up the container on the bearing surface to a first predetermined position, control the pick-and-place component (3) to move upward to a second height position so that the pick-and-place component (323) completely picks up the container to the bearing part (321).

2. The transport robot of claim 1, wherein, The pick-and-place component (3) is configured to pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the carrier (321) while rising from the first height position to the second height position; or, the pick-and-place component (3) is configured to pick up the container from the first predetermined position to the carrier (321) after rising from the first height position to the second height position.

3. The handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, At the second height position, the supporting part (321) is lower than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part (321) and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part (321) and the supporting surface at the first height position; or, at the second height position, the supporting part (321) is flush with or higher than the supporting surface.

4. The handling robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, When the container is in a first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place assembly (3) is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the support portion (321).

5. The handling robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the container is in the first predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the pick-and-place component (3) is configured not to fall on the support portion (321), or the edge of the container away from the pick-and-place component (3) is configured not to fall on the support portion (321).

6. The handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pick-and-place mechanism (32) includes a carrier (321) for carrying a container and a pick-and-place member (323) for picking up and placing the container. The handling robot is configured to control the pick-and-place member (3) to move in the height direction to a third height position so that the carrier (321) is higher than the target carrier surface when returning the container; and to control the pick-and-place member (323) to move downward to a fourth height position after the pick-and-place member (323) places the container on the carrier (321) to a second predetermined position so that the pick-and-place member (323) completely returns the container to the carrier surface.

7. The handling robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, The pick-and-place component (3) is configured to simultaneously return the container from the second predetermined position to the bearing surface during the process of descending from the third height position to the fourth height position; or, the pick-and-place component (3) is configured to return the container from the second predetermined position to the bearing surface after descending from the third height position to the fourth height position.

8. The handling robot according to claim 6, characterized in that, At the fourth height position, the supporting part (321) is higher than the supporting surface, and the height difference between the supporting part (321) and the supporting surface is less than the height difference between the supporting part (321) and the supporting surface at the third height position; or, at the fourth height position, the supporting part (321) is flush with or lower than the supporting surface.

9. The handling robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the container is in the second predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured to extend at least a predetermined distance beyond the edge of the bearing surface.

10. The handling robot according to claim 9, characterized in that, When the container is in the second predetermined position, the edge of the container adjacent to the bearing surface is configured not to fall on the bearing surface, or the edge of the container away from the bearing surface is configured not to fall on the bearing surface.

11. The handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support assembly (4) includes a support portion (41) and an abutment portion (42) connected to the support portion (41); in a first position, the support portion (41) is configured to extend outward relative to the base (31) so that the abutment portion (42) abuts against the carrier (5); in a second position, the support portion (41) is configured to retract so that the abutment portion (42) moves to a position adjacent to the base (31).

12. The handling robot according to claim 11, characterized in that, The portion of the contact part (42) that contacts the carrier (5) is constructed to use a self-lubricating material.

13. The handling robot according to claim 12, characterized in that, The self-lubricating material includes any one of nylon, POM, PA, PBT, PC, carbon fiber, PTFE, PPS, graphite, and organosilicon.

14. The handling robot according to claim 11, characterized in that, The abutting part (42) includes a fixed part and a sliding part. The sliding part is configured to slide on the fixed part. When in the first position, the sliding part abuts against the carrier (5). When the pick-up and put-down assembly (3) drives the support assembly (4) to rise or fall along the gantry assembly (2), the sliding part is configured to slide relative to the fixed part.

15. The handling robot according to claim 11, characterized in that, The abutting part (42) includes a bracket (423) and a rolling part (424) rotatably connected to the bracket (423). When in the first position, the rolling part (424) is configured to abut against the carrier (5) and roll in cooperation with the carrier (5) during movement.

16. The handling robot according to claim 11, characterized in that, The support assembly (4) further includes a motion mechanism (43) configured to drive the support portion (41) to move between a first position and a second position; the motion mechanism (43) includes a motor (431) mounted on a base (31) and a transmission mechanism driven by the motor (431); the support portion (41) is guided and fitted on the base (31) and configured to be connected to the transmission mechanism via a connecting portion (433); the transmission mechanism is configured to drive the support portion (41) to move between a first position and a second position.

17. The handling robot according to claim 16, characterized in that, There are two support components (4), which are configured to extend outward in a way that is far apart from each other, so as to abut against the vehicles (5) on opposite sides of the roadway respectively; the two support components (4) are independently controlled and are configured to be symmetrically distributed on the base (31).

18. The handling robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support component (4) is provided with at least two, respectively referred to as a first support component (401) for extending in a first direction and a second support component (402) for extending in the opposite direction; the transport robot is configured to control the first support component (401) and the second support component (402) to extend the same or different displacements to opposite sides based on the detected distance between it and the carrier (5) in the first direction and the width of the alley.

19. The handling robot according to claim 18, characterized in that, The transport robot is configured to compensate for the displacement of the first support component (401) and the second support component (402) based on the difference between the detected distance between itself and the carrier (5) in the first direction being greater than or less than a threshold.

20. A warehousing system, characterized in that, include: The storage area is equipped with multiple vehicles (5), and two adjacent vehicles (5) form a lane. The handling robot according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

Images