A storage system, method and hoist

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS) technology, providing a storage system, method, and elevator. Applied to an AS / RS system, each storage location can store multiple vertically stacked boxes. The system includes: at least one shuttle car, used in response to a target box's outbound instruction to move the stacked boxes from the target storage location to a buffer area; the target storage location is the location where the target box is located; and an elevator, used in response to a target box picking instruction to pick the target box from the stacked boxes and transport it to the outbound conveyor line. This invention improves overall inbound and outbound efficiency by moving the unpacking process forward, allowing the elevator to directly pick the target box and transport it to the outbound conveyor line.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automated storage technology, and particularly relates to a storage system, method and hoist. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] To achieve more efficient utilization of automated warehousing space, multiple boxes can be stored in a single location. To facilitate the inbound and outbound operations of this storage method, patent document CN115063082A provides a cargo conveying system and warehouse management system. A stacking machine is installed on the inbound conveyor line at the front end of the elevator to stack the boxes to be stored. The elevator and shuttle work together to store the stacked boxes on the shelves. During outbound operations, the elevator and shuttle work together to transport the stacked boxes, including the target box, to the outbound conveyor line. The unpacking machine on the conveyor line unpacks the boxes and transports the target box to the picking station. The remaining boxes are then transferred to the inbound conveyor line. Although this conveying system enables the inbound and outbound of multi-layered boxes, the overall inbound and outbound efficiency is affected because each outbound operation requires the simultaneous removal and transfer of multiple stacked boxes to the outbound conveyor line. After unpacking, non-target boxes also need to be transferred to the inbound conveyor line, where they are stacked together with newly arrived boxes by a stacking machine before being conveyed and stored. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides a warehousing system, method, and elevator. By moving the unpacking process forward, the elevator directly picks out the target boxes and transports them to the outbound conveyor line, thus improving the overall inbound and outbound efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] A warehousing system for outbound operations, wherein each storage location of the warehousing system is capable of storing multiple vertically stacked bins, comprising:

[0007] At least one shuttle is used to move stacked boxes on a target storage location to a buffer area in response to an outbound instruction for a target box; the target storage location is the storage location where the target box is located.

[0008] An elevator is used to pick the target bin from the stacked bins in response to a picking instruction for the target bin and transport it to the outbound conveyor line.

[0009] As a further implementation, the shuttle is specifically used to respond to the outbound command of the target bin, move the stacked bins on the target location and place them in the buffer area.

[0010] The elevator is specifically used to pick the target bin from the stacked bins on the buffer area in response to a picking instruction for the target bin.

[0011] As a further implementation, the buffer area is a transition platform set at the end of the rack; the picking direction of the elevator is parallel to the extension direction of the rack aisle.

[0012] As a further implementation, the shuttle is specifically used to respond to the outbound instruction of the target bin and carry the stacked bins on the target storage location to the buffer area.

[0013] The elevator is specifically used for picking target boxes from the hopper of the shuttle car.

[0014] As a further implementation, the buffer area extends outward along the shuttle's running track, the lifting machine's picking direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the rack aisle, and a rotating mechanism is provided below the loading platform.

[0015] As a further implementation, the hoist includes a loading platform, the loading platform includes a bottom platform, and two support frames are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the bottom platform; at least one pair of telescopic forks are provided on the two support frames.

[0016] As a further implementation, the at least one pair of telescopic forks can be raised and lowered synchronously along the support frame.

[0017] As a further implementation, the two support frames are provided with a pair of telescopic forks and a pair of lifting mechanisms from bottom to top, and the lifting mechanisms can move up and down synchronously along the support frames.

[0018] As a further implementation, the bottom platform of the elevator is provided with two storage positions in sequence along the picking direction of the elevator.

[0019] As a further implementation, at least one of the two support frames is movable along the bottom platform, making the distance between the two support frames adjustable.

[0020] As a further implementation, the system also includes an outbound conveyor line for transferring the target bin to the picking station in response to a conveying instruction for the target bin.

[0021] As a further implementation, the bottom platform is equipped with a conveying mechanism for conveying the target bin to the outbound conveyor line.

[0022] One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a warehousing system for inbound storage, connected to a warehousing system for outbound storage, comprising:

[0023] The elevator is used to respond to a bin stacking command to stack bins to be put into storage to a set number of layers and then transport them to a target shelf layer, or to transport bins to be put into storage to their respective target shelf layers and stack bins to be put into storage on the same target shelf layer; the bin stacking command includes the number of stacking layers and target shelf layer information;

[0024] At least one shuttle is used to move all stacked bins to a target storage location in response to a bin receiving instruction; the bin receiving instruction includes target storage location information.

[0025] As a further implementation, the system also includes an inbound conveyor line for receiving and transporting boxes to be stored. The inbound conveyor line is equipped with a barcode scanner for scanning the codes on the boxes to be stored and obtaining information about the goods inside the boxes.

[0026] One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a warehousing method applied to a host computer, the host computer being connected to the warehousing system, comprising the following steps:

[0027] Obtain order information, and based on the order information, determine the name and quantity of the goods to be shipped.

[0028] Based on the name and quantity of the goods, locate the target bin that stores the goods and meets the quantity requirements, and obtain the location information of the target bin; the location information of the target bin includes the location information of the target storage location where the target bin is located, and the location information of the target bin within the target storage location;

[0029] An outbound instruction is generated based on the location information of the target storage location and sent to the shuttle in the outbound system to control the shuttle to move the stacked boxes on the target storage location to the buffer area.

[0030] Based on the location information of the target bin in the target storage location, a picking instruction is generated and sent to the elevator in the outbound system to control the elevator to pick the target bin from the stacked bins and transport the target bin to the outbound transmission line.

[0031] As a further implementation, the method further includes: after controlling the elevator to pick out the target box from the stacked boxes, controlling the elevator to return the other boxes in the stacked boxes to the buffer area, and then transporting the target box to the outbound conveyor line.

[0032] As a further implementation, the method also includes: controlling the shuttle to move the other bins back to their original positions.

[0033] One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a hoist for use in the aforementioned warehousing system. The hoist includes a loading platform, the loading platform includes a bottom platform, and two support frames are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the bottom platform. At least one pair of telescopic forks are provided on the two support frames.

[0034] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0035] In the outbound system of this invention, the target box is directly picked out by the elevator when the shuttle car hands over the box to the elevator. This means that only the target box is transported to the outbound conveyor line during outbound, eliminating the need for a box unpacking machine in the outbound process and eliminating the need for non-target boxes to be re-entered into the inbound conveyor line. This improves the transmission efficiency for both outbound and inbound processes.

[0036] This invention provides various forms of buffer areas required for the handover between shuttle cars and elevators, which can be applied to a variety of warehousing systems with and without handover platforms. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an outbound system in one or more embodiments of the present invention, in which a transition station is used as a buffer area.

[0039] Figure 2 This is a top view of a warehousing system including a transition platform in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the hoist in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a loading platform in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another structure of the loading platform in one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an outbound system in one or more embodiments of the present invention, in which the extension of the shuttle aisle to the outside of the shelf serves as a buffer area.

[0044] Figure 7This is a top view of a warehousing system in one or more embodiments of the present invention, in which the extension of the shuttle aisle to the outside of the rack serves as a buffer area.

[0045] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing a rotating mechanism located below the loading platform in one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0046] The components include: 1. Shelf; 2. Elevator; 3. Loading platform; 4. Transition platform; 5. Shuttle; 6. Rotating mechanism; 7. Outbound conveyor line; 8. Material box; 2-1. Frame; 2-2. Lifting device; 3-1. Bottom platform; 3-2. Support frame; 3-3. Telescopic fork; 3-4. Conveying mechanism; 3-5. Lifting mechanism; 3-6. Box retrieval clamp. Detailed Implementation

[0047] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further illustration of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0048] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0049] Where there is no conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0050] The automated storage and retrieval system described in one or more embodiments of the present invention includes racks, shuttle cars, elevators, conveying systems, and a host computer.

[0051] The shelf is used to place goods bins. The shelf has multiple layers, each layer has multiple storage locations, and each storage location can store multiple vertically stacked bins for storing goods.

[0052] The elevator is used to stack multiple boxes during the warehousing stage and to unstack and remove the target box during the outbound stage.

[0053] The shuttle car can be a regular shuttle car, an automatic layer-changing shuttle car, a mother-daughter shuttle car, a four-way shuttle car, etc., and is not limited here. If a regular shuttle car is used, the automated storage and retrieval system is also equipped with a layer-changing elevator to realize the vertical layer changing of the shuttle car. The rack is equipped with a track device for the shuttle car to move and pick up the material box before reaching the designated storage location.

[0054] The host computer is connected to the conveying system, the elevator, and the shuttle car, respectively, and is used to execute the inbound and outbound control methods, as well as manage inventory information.

[0055] As described in the background section, the existing method of setting up stacking and unpacking machines on the conveyor line has a certain impact on the overall inbound and outbound efficiency. In order to improve the inbound and outbound efficiency and reduce unnecessary transmission processes, in one or more embodiments of the present invention, the outbound process uses a shuttle car to transport multiple stacked boxes to the transition area, and then uses an elevator to directly pick out the target box. This ensures that only the target box is transported to the outbound conveyor line during outbound, eliminating the need to set up unpacking machines on the outbound conveyor line and eliminating the need for non-target boxes to re-enter the inbound conveyor line. This improves the transmission efficiency for both outbound and inbound processes.

[0056] Example 1

[0057] This embodiment provides a warehousing system for outbound operations. Each storage location in the warehousing system can store multiple vertically stacked bins, including:

[0058] At least one shuttle 5 is used to move stacked boxes on the target storage location to a buffer area in response to an outbound instruction for the target box; the target storage location is the storage location where the target box is located;

[0059] Elevator 2, used in response to a picking instruction for a target bin, to pick the target bin from the stacked bins and transport it to the outbound conveyor line; and

[0060] Outbound conveyor line 7 is used to transport the target bin to the picking station in response to the conveying instruction of the target bin.

[0061] Specifically, the buffer area is a designated location on this shelf level near the elevator 2, where the shuttle car can transfer the material boxes to the elevator. In this embodiment, the shuttle car 5 transports the stacked material boxes to the buffer area in two ways:

[0062] (1) The shuttle 5 transports the stacked boxes and places them in the buffer area, and the elevator 2 picks the target boxes from the buffer area. The buffer area can be a transition station 4, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the transition platform 4 is located at the end of the shelving unit, and the lifting direction of the elevator is parallel to the direction of the aisle extension. In this way, the shuttle 5 can place the stacked boxes it is transporting on the transition platform 4, and then the elevator 2 can pick the stacked boxes from the transition platform 4. Those skilled in the art will understand that the transition platform can be a non-powered transition platform or a powered transition platform.

[0063] (2) The shuttle 5 carries stacked boxes to the buffer area, and the elevator 2 picks the target boxes from the hopper of the shuttle 5. The buffer area can be an area extending outward along the running track of the shuttle 5, such as... Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, a running track extends outward from the end of the shelf, allowing the shuttle 5 to travel out of the shelf storage area and reach the elevator 2 to dock with it.

[0064] Of course, the buffer zone can take other forms, and this application does not limit it.

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, the hoist 2 includes a frame 2-1, a loading platform 3, a lifting device 2-2, and a lifting drive mechanism. The frame 2-1 includes a base, a three-dimensional column, and a top frame from bottom to top. The lifting device 2-2 includes a track longitudinally arranged on the frame 2-1 and a sliding mechanism located on one side of the loading platform 3. Driven by the lifting drive mechanism, the loading platform 3 can slide up and down along the frame 2-1.

[0066] The loading platform 3 includes a bottom platform 3-1, on which two support frames 3-2 are arranged opposite each other. At least one pair of telescopic forks 3-3 are mounted on each support frame 3-2. A conveying mechanism 3-4 is provided on the bottom platform 3-1, and the conveying mechanism 3-4 is connected to a conveying drive mechanism. Those skilled in the art will understand that the pair of telescopic forks 3-3 are arranged opposite each other on the two supports and are at the same height.

[0067] As one possible implementation, the support frame 3-2 is equipped with a pair of telescopic forks 3-3, which are capable of synchronously raising and lowering relative to the support frame 3-2. The method for picking target bins based on this lifting mechanism includes the following steps:

[0068] (1) Control the elevator to reach the shelf level where the target bin is located and dock with the buffer area;

[0069] (2) Control the telescopic fork to reach the height of the target bin. If the target bin is on the top layer, control the telescopic fork to grab the target bin from the buffer area and place it on the bottom platform, and directly execute step (4); if the target bin is not on the top layer, control the telescopic fork to grab the target bin and the bins above it from the buffer area and place them on the bottom platform, and execute step (3).

[0070] (3) Control the telescopic forks to grab other bins above the target bin and put them back into the buffer area;

[0071] (4) Control the elevator to descend and connect with the outbound conveyor line. Then control the conveying mechanism on the bottom platform to transfer the target material box to the outbound conveyor line.

[0072] As a second possible implementation, the support frame 3-2 is equipped with two pairs of telescopic forks 3-3, and both pairs of telescopic forks 3-3 are capable of synchronously raising and lowering relative to the support frame 3-2. The method for picking target bins based on this lifting mechanism includes the following steps:

[0073] (1) Control the elevator to reach the shelf level where the target bin is located and dock with the buffer area;

[0074] (2) If the target bin is on the top layer of the stacked bins, control the telescopic forks above to reach the height of the target bin, grab the target bin, and directly execute step (3).

[0075] If the target bin is not on the top layer of the stacked bins, control the upper telescopic fork to reach the height of the bin above the target bin, grab and lift the target bin and the bins above it; control the lower telescopic fork to reach the height of the target bin, grab the target bin and place it on the bottom platform, and execute step (3).

[0076] (3) Control the elevator 2 to descend and connect with the outbound conveyor line. Then control the conveyor mechanism 3-4 on the bottom platform 3-1 to transfer the target material box to the outbound conveyor line.

[0077] As a third possible implementation, such as Figure 4 As shown, a pair of telescopic forks 3-3 and a pair of lifting mechanisms 3-5 are sequentially arranged from bottom to top on the support frame 3-2. The telescopic forks 3-3 are fixedly mounted on the bottom of the support frame 3-2, and the lifting mechanisms 3-5 can move up and down synchronously along the support frame. Furthermore, two storage positions are sequentially arranged on the bottom platform of the elevator along the elevator's picking direction.

[0078] Methods for picking target bins based on this type of elevator include:

[0079] (1) Control the elevator 2 to reach the shelf level where the target material box is located and dock with the buffer area;

[0080] (2) Control the telescopic forks 3-3 to grab the stacked boxes from the buffer area and place them on the storage position near the shelf on the bottom platform 3-1;

[0081] (3) If the target bin is at the bottom of the stack of bins, proceed directly to step (4);

[0082] If the target bin is on the top of the stacked bins, control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to reach the height of the target bin and lift the target bin; control the telescopic forks 3-3 to put the remaining bins on the bottom platform 3-1 back into the buffer area, control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to put the target bin back into the storage position of the bottom platform 3-1 near the shelf; directly execute step (6);

[0083] If the target bin is in the middle layer of the stacked bins, control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to reach the height of the target bin and lift the target bin and the bins above it; control the telescopic fork 3-3 to put the remaining bins on the bottom platform 3-1 back into the buffer area, control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to put the target bin and the bins above it back onto the bottom platform 3-1, and execute step (4).

[0084] (4) Control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to lift other boxes above the target box, and control the conveying mechanism 3-4 on the bottom platform 3-1 to transfer the target box to a storage location away from the shelf;

[0085] (5) Control the telescopic fork 3-3 to grab the box that was put back in step (3) from the buffer area and place it on the storage position near the shelf on the bottom platform 3-1. Control the lifting mechanism 3-5 to lower the lifted box. In this way, after the target box is picked, the vertical position of the other boxes remains unchanged. Finally, control the telescopic fork 3-3 to put the other boxes back into the buffer area.

[0086] (6) Control the elevator 2 to descend and connect with the outbound conveyor line. Then control the conveyor mechanism 3-4 on the bottom platform 3-1 to transfer the target material box to the outbound conveyor line.

[0087] As a fourth possible implementation, such as Figure 5 As shown, the support frame 3-2 is equipped with two pairs of telescopic forks 3-3. One pair of telescopic forks 3-3 is fixed to the bottom of the support frame 3-2, while the other pair of telescopic forks 3-3 can move up and down synchronously along the support frame 3-2. The method for picking target bins based on this elevator 2 includes:

[0088] (1) Control the elevator 2 to reach the shelf layer where the target material box is located and dock with the buffer area;

[0089] (2) Control the telescopic forks 3-3 at the bottom to grab the stacked boxes in the buffer area and place them on the bottom platform 3-1;

[0090] (3) If the target bin is at the bottom of the stack of bins, proceed directly to step (4);

[0091] If the target bin is on the top of the stacked bins, control the telescopic fork 3-3 to reach the height of the target bin and lift it up; control the telescopic fork 3-3 at the bottom to put the remaining bins on the bottom platform 3-1 back into the buffer area, and control the telescopic fork to put the target bin back onto the bottom platform 3-1; directly execute step (5).

[0092] If the target bin is in the middle layer of the stacked bins, control the telescopic fork 3-3 to reach the height of the target bin and lift the target bin and the bins above it; control the telescopic fork 3-3 at the bottom to put the remaining bins on the bottom platform 3-1 back into the buffer area, control the telescopic fork 3-3 to put the target bin and the bins above it back onto the bottom platform 3-1, and execute step (4).

[0093] (4) Control the telescopic forks 3-3 to lift other boxes above the target box and put them back into the buffer area. If there are boxes in the buffer area, stack them directly on top of the boxes in the buffer area so that the order of the upper and lower positions of the other boxes remains unchanged after the target box is removed.

[0094] (5) Control the elevator 2 to descend and connect with the outbound conveyor line. Then control the conveyor mechanism 3-4 on the bottom platform 3-1 to transfer the target material box to the outbound conveyor line.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will understand that, based on the third possible implementation, more liftable telescopic forks 3-3 can be added, which has higher efficiency for cases with a high number of stacked layers.

[0096] In some embodiments, to accommodate different hopper sizes, at least one of the two supports is movable along the bottom platform 3-1, making the distance between the two supports adjustable. As a specific implementation, one of the two supports is a movable support, and the bottom platform 3-1 is provided with a sliding mechanism, allowing the movable support to move closer to or further away from the other support along the sliding mechanism.

[0097] In some embodiments, the telescopic fork 3-3 includes at least two stages of fork arms, which extend and retract to grip and move the hopper.

[0098] In one possible implementation, the telescopic fork 3-3 includes multiple fork arms. The fork arm connected to the support rod is the first-stage fork arm, and the fork arm furthest from the fork carriage is the final-stage fork arm. This embodiment uses a two-stage fork arm as an example, namely a first-stage fork arm and a second-stage fork arm. The first-stage fork arm slides against the inner wall of the fork carriage, and the second-stage fork arm slides against the first-stage fork arm. The first-stage and second-stage fork arms are connected to a telescopic drive mechanism, which enables simultaneous telescopic extension and retraction of the first-stage and second-stage fork arms. In this embodiment, the telescopic drive mechanism includes, but is not limited to, a motor + synchronous belt mechanism and a motor + rack and pinion mechanism.

[0099] To ensure effective clamping of the hopper, the secondary fork arm is equipped with a hopper-retrieving clamp 3-6, which can be either a telescopic hopper or a swing hopper. When the hopper-retrieving clamp 3-6 is a telescopic hopper, it is a component with telescopic functionality, such as an electromagnetic telescopic rod or an electric push rod. The telescopic direction of the hopper is perpendicular to the telescopic direction of the telescopic forks 3-3. The hopper extends when it reaches the hopper's hopper-retrieving position and retracts when it reaches the hopper-releasing position. This telescopic hopper ensures effective clamping of the hopper by the forks and improves the stability of the forks when retrieving the hopper. When the hopper-retrieving clamp 3-6 is a swing hopper, it is rotatably connected to the secondary fork arm. The swing hopper is driven by a motor and gears, or other rotary drive methods.

[0100] In the prior art, after the two fork arms extend forward, they need to make a lateral relative displacement to grip the hopper. However, the telescopic fork 3-3 with claws mentioned above only needs to extend and retract forward and backward, which simplifies the control process and can adapt to hoppers of various sizes.

[0101] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 3-5 includes a crossbar on the bracket, which can clamp the upper material box and separate it from the lower material box by means of a pair of crossbars on the support frame 3-2.

[0102] To accommodate bins of various sizes and enable separation between bins of different sizes, one or more retractable support members are arranged horizontally on the crossbar, with the support members extending towards the loading position.

[0103] In some embodiments, the conveying mechanism 3-4 is a roller conveying mechanism 3-4.

[0104] Depending on the relative positions of the elevator 2 and the rack 1, the retractable forks 3-3 of the elevator 2 may not be aligned with the buffer area in the picking direction. For example, if the automated storage and retrieval system does not have a transition platform 4, and a location near the elevator 2 is used as the buffer area, such as the area extending outward from the aisle of the shuttle 5, the cargo compartment of the shuttle 5 may be directly opposite the support on the loading platform 3, making it impossible to pick up goods. To solve the above problem, in some embodiments, a rotating mechanism 6 is provided below the loading platform 3, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the elevator 2 is controlled to lift the loading platform 3 to the storage layer where the target material box is located, and the shuttle car 5 is controlled to carry the material box to the buffer area. Then, the loading platform 3 is first controlled to rotate so that the elevator 2 can grab and place the material box from the hopper on the shuttle car 5.

[0105] The aforementioned outbound system can be designed in conjunction with existing inbound systems, as long as the inbound bins can be stacked in multiple layers; the inbound elevator does not need modification. For example, a stacking machine can be installed on the inbound conveyor line. In some cases, it can also be designed in conjunction with an inbound system that includes the aforementioned elevator, as detailed in Embodiment 2.

[0106] Example 2

[0107] This embodiment provides a warehousing system that works in conjunction with the aforementioned warehousing system applied to outbound shipments, including:

[0108] The inbound conveyor line is used to receive and transport the boxes of materials to be stored in the warehouse.

[0109] The elevator is configured to, in response to a bin stacking instruction, stack bins to be stored to a set number of layers and transport them to a target shelf layer, or transport bins to be stored to their respective target shelf layers and stack bins to be stored on the same target shelf layer; the bin stacking instruction includes the number of stacking layers and target shelf layer information;

[0110] At least one shuttle is used to move all stacked bins to a target storage location in response to a bin receiving instruction; the bin receiving instruction includes target storage location information.

[0111] Utilizing the stacking function of the elevator, the elevator can stack boxes to be received before transporting them to the target shelf level, that is, stacking multiple consecutive boxes on the receiving conveyor line and storing them in the same storage location. Of course, multiple consecutive boxes on the receiving conveyor line may need to be transported to different storage locations. In this scenario, the elevator can transport the boxes to be received to the buffer area of ​​the corresponding target shelf level. If there are already boxes in the buffer area, they are stacked on top of the existing boxes, achieving continuous stacking on the same shelf level.

[0112] To ensure orderly stacking of the bins, a barcode scanner is installed on the inbound conveyor line to read the information on the bins and send it to the host computer to record the goods' entry information. Correspondingly, the bins are affixed with barcodes, QR codes, or other codes, which record the bin's identification information, the type, name, quantity, and dimensions of the goods inside.

[0113] In the first implementation of the elevator described in Embodiment 1: a pair of telescopic forks 3-3 are provided on the support frame 3-2, and the pair of telescopic forks 3-3 can be raised and lowered synchronously relative to the support frame 3-2. The control method for stacking material boxes based on this elevator includes: controlling the telescopic forks to sequentially grab the material boxes to be stored and stack them on the loading platform; or stacking the material boxes to be stored on the storage conveyor line using the liftable telescopic forks 3-3, and then transporting them to the loading platform after stacking.

[0114] In the second implementation of the elevator described in Embodiment 1, the support frame 3-2 is equipped with two pairs of telescopic forks 3-3, and both pairs of telescopic forks 3-3 can be raised and lowered synchronously relative to the support frame 3-2. The control method for stacking material boxes based on this elevator includes: controlling the lower telescopic fork to grab the first material box and place it on the loading platform; controlling the upper telescopic fork 5 to lift the material box on the loading platform; then controlling the lower telescopic fork to grab the next material box and place it on the loading platform, and so on, so that the first arriving material box is on top and the later arriving material box is on the bottom. Similarly, the elevator can also stack the material boxes to be stored on the inbound conveyor line before transporting them to the loading platform; the specific process will not be described in detail here.

[0115] In the third implementation of the elevator described in Embodiment 1: a pair of telescopic forks 3-3 are provided on the support frame 3-2 and fixedly mounted at the bottom of the support frame 3-2. In addition, a pair of lifting mechanisms 3-5 are also provided on the support frame 3-2, which can synchronously rise and fall along the support frame 3-2. The control method for stacking material boxes based on this elevator includes: controlling the telescopic forks 3-3 to grab the first material box and place it on the loading platform 3; controlling the lifting mechanisms 3-5 to lift the material box on the loading platform 3; then controlling the telescopic forks 3-3 to grab the next material box and place it on the loading platform 3, and so on, so that the first arriving material box is on top and the last arriving material box is on the bottom.

[0116] For the fourth implementation of the elevator described in Embodiment 1: Two pairs of telescopic forks 3-3 are provided on the support frame 3-2, one pair of telescopic forks 3-3 being fixedly mounted at the bottom of the support frame 3-2, and the other pair of telescopic forks 3-3 being able to move up and down synchronously along the support frame 3-2. The control method for stacking material boxes based on this elevator includes: controlling the telescopic forks 3-3 at the bottom to grab the first material box and place it on the loading platform 3; controlling the telescopic forks 3-3, which can be raised and lowered, to sequentially grab the material boxes to be stored and stack them on top of the existing material boxes on the loading platform 3.

[0117] Based on the above-mentioned warehousing system, the number of stacked bins can be flexibly controlled, so that bins of different sizes can be stacked to adapt to the height of the storage location on the shelf.

[0118] Example 3

[0119] Based on the warehousing system provided in Embodiment 1, this embodiment also provides a warehousing method applied to a host computer.

[0120] The host computer stores current inventory information, including the information of the inventory bins, their location in the storage location, and their position within the storage location. The bin information includes the bin's identification information and the information about the goods inside. The goods information includes the type, name, quantity, and bin dimensions. As an example, storage locations can be uniquely identified using the row, column, and layer of a shelf, along with a number. The bin's position within its storage location is determined by adding location information to the location identification information. This location information can be represented using relative positions such as top, middle, and bottom, or by using Arabic numerals to indicate the bin's layer number within the corresponding storage location.

[0121] The warehousing method is applied to outbound control and includes the following steps:

[0122] Step 1: Obtain order information, and based on the order information, obtain the name and quantity of the goods to be shipped.

[0123] Step 2: Based on the name and quantity of the goods, locate the target bin that stores the goods and meets the quantity requirements, and obtain the location information of the target bin; the location information of the target bin includes the location information of the target storage location where the target bin is located, and the location information of the target bin within the target storage location.

[0124] Step 3: Generate an outbound instruction based on the location information of the target storage location and send it to the shuttle in the outbound system to control the shuttle to move the stacked boxes on the target storage location to the buffer area; generate a picking instruction based on the location information of the target box in the target storage location and send it to the elevator in the outbound system to control the elevator to pick the target box from the stacked boxes and transport the target box to the outbound transmission line.

[0125] For the first, third, and fourth implementations of the elevator described in Embodiment 1, after controlling the elevator to pick out the target box from the stacked boxes, the elevator is also controlled to return the other boxes in the stacked boxes to the buffer area, and then transport the target box to the outbound conveyor line. Simultaneously, the shuttle car is controlled to transport the other boxes back to their original positions.

[0126] In the second implementation of the elevator described in Embodiment 1, after controlling the elevator to pick out the target box from the stacked boxes, the elevator is also controlled to transport the target box to the outbound conveyor line. Simultaneously, the shuttle car is controlled to transport the other boxes back to their original positions.

[0127] Step 4: Control the outbound conveyor line to transport the target bin to the picking station.

[0128] Step 5: Update the inventory information, and at the same time, update the location information of other bins in the target storage location.

[0129] It should be noted that step 5 can be executed after step 2, and there are no restrictions on the order of execution.

[0130] Example 4

[0131] Based on the warehousing system provided in Embodiment 2, this embodiment provides a warehousing method applied to a host computer. The warehousing method is applied to inbound control and includes the following steps:

[0132] Step 1: Receive the material box information obtained by the barcode scanner on the inbound conveyor line from scanning the inbound material boxes, and count the material boxes that have been scanned by the barcode scanner; the material box information includes material box identification information and the goods information inside the material box, the goods information includes the name and quantity of the goods.

[0133] Step 2: When the number of scanned bins reaches the set stacking layer, these bins are marked as bins to be stacked. Available storage spaces are allocated to these bins, and the position of each bin within the stack is determined according to the stacking rules of the elevator. The number of bins scanned by the barcode scanner is then recounted. The set stacking layer is the maximum number of bins that a storage space can accommodate.

[0134] Step 3: Based on the number of stacking layers and the target shelf layer where the vacant storage location is located, generate a bin stacking instruction and send it to the elevator in the inbound system to control the elevator to stack the bins to be stacked to the set number of layers and transport them to the target shelf layer; based on the position of the vacant storage location in the target shelf layer, generate a bin inbound instruction and send it to the shuttle in the inbound system to move all the stacked bins to the vacant storage location.

[0135] The information of each bin, its location in the storage location, and its position within the storage location are stored together and associated.

[0136] The warehousing method described allows users to flexibly set the number of stacked boxes on the storage location according to the space of the storage location and the size of the boxes. It is applicable to situations where the shelf height is the same but there are boxes of different sizes that need to be stored, or where the shelf height is different.

[0137] As can be seen, the above warehousing method generates stacking and storage instructions based on the number of inbound boxes reaching a set stacking layer, stacking multiple consecutive boxes and storing them in the same storage location. However, in some application scenarios, to achieve classified storage, consecutive boxes on the inbound conveyor line may correspond to different shelf layers. In this scenario, the method includes the following steps:

[0138] Step 1: Receive the barcode scanner on the inbound conveyor line from the information obtained by scanning the inbound bins. The bin information includes bin identification information and information about the goods inside the bin, including the name and quantity of the goods. Based on the goods information, assign a storage location to the bin to obtain the target shelf level and target storage location information.

[0139] Step 2: Based on the number of stacking layers and the target shelf layer where the free storage location is located, generate a bin stacking instruction and send it to the elevator in the inbound system to control the elevator to transport the bins to be stored sequentially to the buffer area of ​​the corresponding target shelf layer. If there are already bins in the buffer area, they are stacked on top of the existing bins, thus realizing bin stacking on the same shelf layer and in the same storage location. When the number of stacked bins meets the set number of stacking layers, generate a bin storage instruction based on the target storage location information and send it to the shuttle in the inbound system to transport all the stacked bins to the target storage location.

[0140] The information of each bin, its location in the storage location, and its position within the storage location are stored together and associated.

[0141] While the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A warehousing system for outbound operations, wherein each storage location of the warehousing system is capable of storing multiple vertically stacked bins, characterized in that, include: At least one shuttle is used to move stacked boxes on the target storage location to a buffer area in response to an outbound command for the target box. The buffer area is a transition station located at the end of each shelf or extends outward along the shuttle's running track on each shelf. The target storage location is the storage location where the target box is located. An elevator is used to pick up the target bin from the stacked bins on the buffer area in response to the picking instruction of the target bin and transport it to the outbound conveyor line; The hoist includes a loading platform, which includes a bottom platform. Two support frames are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the bottom platform. At least one pair of telescopic forks are provided on the two support frames. The two support frames are provided with a pair of telescopic forks and a pair of lifting mechanisms from bottom to top. The lifting mechanisms can move up and down synchronously along the support frames.

2. The warehousing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shuttle is specifically used to respond to the outbound command of the target bins, move the stacked bins on the target location and place them in the buffer area.

3. The warehousing system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The buffer area is a transition platform set at the end of the rack; the lifting direction of the elevator is parallel to the extension direction of the rack aisle.

4. The warehousing system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shuttle is specifically used to respond to the outbound instruction of the target bin and carry the stacked bins on the target storage location to the buffer area. The elevator is specifically used to pick the target bins from the hopper of the shuttle car.

5. The warehousing system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The buffer area extends outward along the shuttle's running track, and the lifting machine's picking direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the rack aisle; the lifting machine includes a loading platform, and a rotating mechanism is provided below the loading platform.

6. The warehousing system as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The at least one pair of telescopic forks can be raised and lowered synchronously along the support frame.

7. The warehousing system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, On the bottom platform of the elevator, two storage positions are arranged sequentially along the picking direction of the elevator.

8. The warehousing system as described in any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, At least one of the two support frames is movable along the bottom platform, making the distance between the two support frames adjustable.

9. The warehousing system as described in any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The system also includes an outbound conveyor line for transporting the target bin to the picking station in response to a conveying instruction for the target bin.

10. The warehousing system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The bottom platform is equipped with a conveying mechanism for conveying the target material box to the outbound conveying line.

11. A warehousing system for inbound storage, characterized in that, Connected to a warehousing system for outbound operations as described in any one of claims 1-10, comprising: The elevator is used to respond to a bin stacking command to stack bins to be put into storage to a set number of layers and then transport them to a target shelf layer, or to transport bins to be put into storage to their respective target shelf layers and stack bins to be put into storage on the same target shelf layer; the bin stacking command includes the number of stacking layers and target shelf layer information; At least one shuttle is used to move all stacked bins to a target storage location in response to a bin receiving instruction; the bin receiving instruction includes target storage location information.

12. The warehousing system as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The system also includes an inbound conveyor line for receiving and transporting boxes to be stored. The inbound conveyor line is equipped with a barcode scanner for scanning the codes on the boxes to obtain information about the goods inside.

13. A warehousing method applied to a host computer, wherein the host computer is connected to a warehousing system as described in any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Obtain order information, and based on the order information, determine the name and quantity of the goods to be shipped. Based on the name and quantity of the goods, locate the target bin that stores the goods and meets the quantity requirements, and obtain the location information of the target bin; the location information of the target bin includes the location information of the target storage location where the target bin is located, and the location information of the target bin within the target storage location; An outbound instruction is generated based on the location information of the target storage location and sent to the shuttle in the warehousing system to control the shuttle to move the stacked boxes on the target storage location to the buffer area. Based on the location information of the target bin in the target storage location, a picking instruction is generated and sent to the elevator in the warehousing system to control the elevator to pick the target bin from the stacked bins and transport the target bin to the outbound transmission line.

14. The warehousing method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: after controlling the elevator to pick out the target box from the stacked boxes, controlling the elevator to return the other boxes in the stacked boxes to the buffer area, and then transporting the target box to the outbound conveyor line.

15. The warehousing method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes controlling the shuttle to move the other bins back to their original positions.

16. A hoist, applied to a storage system as described in any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The hoist includes a loading platform, which includes a bottom platform. Two support frames are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the bottom platform. At least one pair of telescopic forks are provided on the two support frames.

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