Storage bin, storage shelf and storage system

Abstract

The invention provides a storage bin, a storage shelf and a storage system. The storage bin comprises a bottom plate, a storage rack and a storage rack, the two side plates are arranged on the two opposite sides of the bottom plate in the first direction, and a containing groove is defined by the two side plates and the bottom plate; the two stopping units form a first opening in the first end of the containing groove in the second direction, the two stopping units are symmetrically arranged in the first direction, and the two stopping units can be close to or away from each other in the width direction of the first opening so as to adjust the width of the first opening; when the materials are pushed into the containing groove from the first end, the two stopping units move under pushing of the materials, the width of the first opening is adjusted to be larger than or equal to the first size of the materials, so that the materials can be pushed into the containing groove, and the first size is the size of the materials in the first direction; after the materials are pushed into the containing groove, the two stopping units are reset, so that the width of the first opening is smaller than the first size, and the materials in the containing groove are prevented from sliding out of the first opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robotics technology, and more specifically, to a storage bin, storage shelves and a storage system. Background Art

[0002] In production and life, automated production plays an increasingly important role, and robotics technology has gradually entered people's daily lives to assist or replace manual operations. For example, in warehouse scenarios, robots can be used to pick up and place goods on shelves to achieve automatic sorting and other purposes; in hospitals or pharmacies, robots can also be used to take medicines to achieve the purpose of automatic dispensing.

[0003] In the above scenarios, materials need to be stored in storage silos. After completing the grabbing of the front row of materials, a specially designed driving component is required to push the other materials forward as a whole to facilitate subsequent grabbing operations. The above-mentioned discharge silo with a driving component also becomes a powered storage silo. Although the corresponding functions can be achieved by setting a driving component, it also brings some disadvantages: the driving component will occupy the space at the rear of the storage silo, resulting in a lower volume ratio; in addition, the above-mentioned driving component has a complex structure, resulting in a higher overall cost of the storage silo and increased storage costs. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a material storage bin, a storage shelf and a storage system. The following introduces various aspects involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0005] In a first aspect, a material storage bin is provided, comprising: a bottom plate; two side plates, which are arranged on opposite sides of the bottom plate along a first direction and enclosed with the bottom plate to form a receiving groove; two stop units, which form a first opening at the first end of the receiving groove along a second direction, and the two stop units are symmetrically arranged along the first direction, and the two stop units are configured to be able to approach or move away from each other along the width direction of the first opening to adjust the width of the first opening; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the second direction is consistent with the extension direction of the receiving groove; when the material is pushed into the receiving groove from the first end, the two stop units move under the push of the material, and adjust the width of the first opening to be greater than or equal to the first size of the material, so that the material can be pushed into the receiving groove, wherein the first size is the size of the material along the first direction; after the material is pushed into the receiving groove, the two stop units are reset to make the width of the first opening smaller than the first size, so as to prevent the material in the receiving groove from sliding out of the first opening.

[0006] According to the above-mentioned technical means, by setting two stop units at the first end of the receiving groove, utilizing its one-way entry and exit characteristics, it automatically closes after the material enters the receiving groove to close the limited warehouse passage and prevent the material from slipping out of the feeding port; this technical solution realizes a magazine-type storage bin and solves the problem of difficult material removal and placement.

[0007] In some embodiments, the stop unit includes: at least one bearing and at least one first elastic member, the bearing is connected to the side plate through the first elastic member; when the material is pushed from the first end into the receiving groove, the bearing in the stop unit swings outward under the thrust of the material, and the first elastic member deforms and stores elastic potential energy; after the material is pushed into the receiving groove, the first elastic member releases the elastic potential energy, and the bearings in the two stop units move toward each other.

[0008] According to the above technical means, a bearing is used as a stopper component, so that the contact between the material and the stopper during the material pressing process is rolling contact, which can better protect the material to be stored.

[0009] In some embodiments, each of the stop units includes at least two bearings, and the at least two bearings are spaced apart along a height direction of the accommodating groove.

[0010] According to the above technical solution, by setting at least two bearings in the stop unit, during the process of pushing materials at different heights, it is ensured that they can contact at least two bearings on the same side at the same time during the pushing process, thereby improving the stability of the material pushing process and better adapting to materials of different shapes and sizes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the stop unit includes a baffle and a second elastic member; the baffle extends along the height direction of the receiving groove and is hinged at the first end of the side plate; the second elastic member is arranged between the baffle and the side plate; when the material is pushed into the receiving groove from the first end, the material pushes the baffle to swing outward, and the second elastic member is deformed and stores elastic potential energy; after the material is pushed into the receiving groove, the second elastic member releases the elastic potential energy to make the two baffles swing inward to an initial state.

[0012] According to the above technical means, a stop unit is formed by using a baffle extending in the height direction, so that the storage bin can be compatible with a variety of materials with different height sizes, has better compatibility, and improves the application range of the storage bin.

[0013] In some embodiments, the storage bin also includes a pushing portion arranged in the receiving groove; the pushing portion is used to: when the material in the receiving groove close to the two stop units is removed, provide a thrust along the length direction for the remaining material in the receiving groove, so that the remaining material can be against the two stop units.

[0014] According to the above technical means, when grabbing materials, the materials close to the two stop units are taken out along the height direction of the receiving slot according to the arrangement order of the materials. After the material is taken out, the next material is pushed to the front by the pushing part, which can avoid loose accumulation or misalignment of the materials in the receiving slot, thereby facilitating the next material storage and retrieval operation.

[0015] In some embodiments, along the length direction, the height of the front side of the bottom plate is lower than the height of the rear side.

[0016] According to the above technical means, by setting the bottom plate as an inclined plane, the pushing part can move freely on the inclined plane without the action of external force, so that the pushing part can push the material to the front of the two stop units and ensure that the material in the containing groove has a tendency to move forward when the material enters and exits, thereby improving the efficiency and success rate of automatic grasping.

[0017] In some embodiments, the pushing portion includes a counterweight and a roller disposed between the counterweight and the bottom plate.

[0018] According to the above technical means, the pushing part is set as a counterweight trolley that can slide flexibly on the bottom plate, which has a simple structure and is easy to adjust.

[0019] In some embodiments, the material storage bin further includes: a material guiding portion, including two material guiding units respectively arranged at the first ends of the two side plates; the two material guiding units form a second opening at the first end of the receiving groove, and the width of the second opening close to one end of the receiving groove is smaller than the width of the end away from the receiving groove.

[0020] According to the above technical means, the material guide portion arranged at the first end of the receiving groove can provide a guiding effect for the material when the material is pushed into the receiving groove, correct the posture of the material so that it can be pushed in smoothly, and improve the efficiency of discharging the material.

[0021] In a second aspect, a storage shelf is provided, comprising a shelf body, wherein the shelf body comprises a plurality of compartments arranged at intervals along a height direction, each compartment being provided with a plurality of storage bins arranged at intervals along a width direction, and the storage bins are the storage bins as described in the first aspect.

[0022] In a third aspect, a storage system is provided, comprising a storage shelf and a robot; the storage shelf comprises a shelf body, the shelf body comprises a plurality of compartments arranged at intervals along a height direction, each compartment is provided with a plurality of storage bins arranged at intervals along a width direction, the storage bins comprise the storage bins described in the first aspect; the robot is used to take materials from the storage bins or place the materials to be stored into a target storage bin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a storage bin provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 In the initial state Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the stop unit in FIG.

[0025] Figure 3 In the process of pushing materials Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the stop unit in FIG.

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a storage bin provided in another embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 In the initial state Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the stop unit in FIG.

[0028] Figure 6 In the process of pushing materials Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the stop unit in FIG.

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 1 CC section view;

[0030] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a storage shelf provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Among them, 100-storage bin; 110-bottom plate; 120-side plate; 130-stop unit; 140-pushing part; 150-material guiding part; 131-bearing; 132-first elastic member; 133-blocking plate; 134-second elastic member; 141-counterweight member; 142-roller; 151-material guiding unit; 1411-counterweight trolley; 1412-counterweight block; 800-storage shelf; 810-shelf body; 820-storage bin; 811-partition; 812-column. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The embodiments of the present application provide a storage bin, storage shelves and storage system. The technical solution of the present application is further specifically described below through the embodiments and in combination with the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same or similar figure numbers indicate the same or similar parts. The following description of the implementation mode of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall concept of the present application and should not be construed as a limitation on the present application.

[0033] At present, automated production plays an increasingly important role in production and life, and robotics technology has gradually entered people's daily lives to assist or replace manual operations. For example, in warehouse scenarios, robots can be used to pick up and put goods on shelves to achieve automatic sorting and other purposes; in hospitals or pharmacies, robots can also be used to take medicines to achieve the purpose of automatic dispensing.

[0034] In the different scenarios described above, in order to achieve the corresponding functions, in addition to the requirements for the functions and performance of the robot itself, higher requirements are also put forward for the storage system. More specifically, taking the picking of medicines as an example, the same medicines can usually be placed in the same storage bin. When the robot is picking up, it first finds a target storage bin from multiple storage bins, and then uses the end actuator such as a gripper or a suction cup to pick up the medicines placed in the front row of the storage bin; after the medicines in the front row are taken, if the remaining medicines in the storage bin are still in the original position, it will affect the subsequent picking process. Therefore, after completing the grabbing of the front row of medicines, it is necessary to move the remaining medicines in the storage bin forward as a whole; the above process is usually achieved by the driving component set in the storage bin, and this storage bin with a driving component is also called a powered storage bin. The above driving component can be, for example, a linear driving component composed of a motor and a screw. After the medicines in the front row are taken away, the motor drives the screw to rotate, thereby driving the slider to move, thereby pushing the remaining medicines in the storage bin forward.

[0035] In the above example, although the corresponding functions can be achieved by setting up a driving component, it also brings some disadvantages: the driving component will occupy the space at the rear of the storage bin, resulting in a reduction in the volume ratio; in addition, the above-mentioned driving component has a complex structure, resulting in a higher overall cost of the storage bin and an increase in storage costs.

[0036] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a material storage bin that is simple in structure, low in cost, and can be flexibly picked up and placed by a robot.

[0037] In view of the above problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a material storage bin, a storage shelf and a storage system. The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Figure 1It is a schematic structural diagram of a storage bin provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The storage bin 100 in includes a bottom plate 110, two side plates 120, and two stop units 130.

[0039] The bottom plate 110 is the basic support component of the storage bin 100, providing a stable bottom support for the entire storage bin 100. In the embodiment of the present application, the bottom plate 110 is usually arranged in a rectangular shape. The two side plates 120 are arranged on both sides of the bottom plate 110 along the first direction and enclose with the bottom plate 110 to form a receiving groove for storing materials. The aforementioned first direction can also be understood as the width direction of the bottom plate 110. The specific size and shape of the receiving groove can be designed according to the type and quantity of the materials actually stored.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present application, the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120 can be made of metal plates with relatively high strength, such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy, etc. Among them, stainless steel has good corrosion resistance and strength and is suitable for storage applications in various environments; aluminum alloy is relatively light, facilitating handling and installation, and also has certain strength and corrosion resistance; or, as an implementation method, the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120 can also be made of metal profiles. For example, in Figure 1 the example of , the side plate 120 is a hollow rectangular tubular profile. Or, the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120 can also be made by means such as 3D printing, which can flexibly customize the structure of the storage bin 100.

[0041] There are many connection methods between the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations in this regard. As an example, threaded connectors can be provided between the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120 to form a detachable connection between the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120; as another example, the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 120 can also be connected by means such as welding, bonding, and riveting.

[0042] Or, in some implementation methods, the above-mentioned bottom plate 110 and side plates 120 can also be integrally formed. For example, the above-mentioned receiving groove structure can be obtained by cutting a profile with a "C" - shaped cross - section. This manufacturing method has a simple process and can determine the size of the receiving groove according to the different sizes and types of materials, so as to select a matching profile.

[0043] The two stop units 130 are arranged at the first end of the receiving groove along the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the aforementioned first direction, and the second direction is consistent with the extension direction of the aforementioned receiving groove and the length direction of the bottom plate 110. The two stop units 130 are symmetrically arranged along the first direction to form a first opening, and the two stop units 130 are configured to be able to approach or move away from each other along the width direction of the first opening to adjust the width of the first opening.

[0044] When the material is pushed into the receiving groove from the first end, the material will first contact the two stop units 130. The two stop units 130 move under the push of the material to adjust the width of the first opening to be greater than or equal to the width of the material, so that the material can be pushed into the receiving groove through the first opening.

[0045] When the material is pushed into the receiving groove, the two stopper units 130 will automatically reset to their initial state. At this time, the width of the first opening will be smaller than the width of the material, thus effectively preventing the material in the receiving groove from sliding out of the first opening.

[0046] According to the above-mentioned technical means, by setting two stop units 130 at the first end of the receiving groove, utilizing its one-way entry and exit characteristics, it automatically closes after the material enters the receiving groove to close the limited warehouse passage and prevent the material from slipping out of the feeding port; this technical solution realizes a magazine-type storage bin 100, solving the problem of difficult material removal and placement.

[0047] It should be noted that in the technical solution of the present application, the above-mentioned two stop units are used to provide a one-way channel for the material, and the material can enter the receiving tank through the first opening. When the material in the receiving tank needs to be taken out, the end effector of the robot can be used to clamp the material in the receiving tank close to the first opening, and then lift it upward in the vertical direction to take out the material.

[0048] The specific implementation of the stop unit 130 is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a storage bin 100 provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 and Figure 3 for Figure 1 AA cross-sectional view, which respectively shows the initial state of the two stop units 130 and the state of the two stop units 130 when the material is pushed into the receiving groove.

[0050] Figure 1 The stopper unit 130 includes at least one bearing 131 and at least one first elastic member 132. The bearing 131 is connected to the side plate 120 through the first elastic member 132.

[0051] As an implementation method, the first elastic member 132 is a compression spring, one end of which is fixedly connected to the side plate 120 , and the other end is fixed to the inner ring of the bearing 131 , thereby ensuring that the outer ring of the bearing 131 can rotate freely while swinging relative to the side plate 120 .

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, the axial direction of the bearing 131 is consistent with the height direction of the receiving groove. In other words, the tangential direction of the bearing 131 when rotating is consistent with the pushing direction of the material, so that during the pushing process of the material, the friction between the outer ring of the bearing 131 and the outer surface of the material is rolling friction, thereby avoiding scratches on the outer surface of the material.

[0053] When the first elastic member is in a free state, the two stopper units 130 are in a state as shown in FIG. Figure 2 In the initial state shown, the shortest distance D2 between the outer rings of the two bearings 131 (ie, the width of the first opening) is smaller than the width D1 of the material.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the material is pushed into the receiving groove from the outside of the receiving groove along the length direction, the material first contacts the bearing 131 and applies a thrust toward the outside to the bearing 131. Under the action of this thrust, the bearing 131 swings toward the outside, driving the first elastic member to deform, and the first elastic member 132 stores elastic potential energy. When the material is completely pushed into the receiving groove, the elastic potential energy of the first elastic member is released, so that the bearings 131 in the two stopper units 130 move toward each other until Figure 2 In the initial state shown, in this way, the feeding channel of the receiving groove can also be closed, thereby successfully preventing the material from slipping out of the first opening.

[0055] According to the above technical means, bearings 131 are used as two stopper units 130, so that the contact with the stopper during the material pressing process is rolling contact, which can better protect the material to be stored.

[0056] In some embodiments, each stopper unit 130 includes at least two bearings 131, and the at least two bearings 131 are spaced apart along the height direction of the receiving groove. Figure 1 In the technical solution shown, each stop unit 130 includes two bearings 131 arranged at an interval.

[0057] The present application is an embodiment and does not limit the number of the at least two bearings 131 . The number of the bearings 131 in each stop unit 130 may be, for example, two, three or more.

[0058] When the number of the at least two bearings 131 is three or more, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the arrangement thereof, and three or more bearings 131 may be arranged at equal intervals; or, the height of each bearing 131 may be adjusted according to the height of the material.

[0059] According to the above technical solution, by setting at least two bearings 131 in the stop unit 130, during the process of pushing materials at different heights, it is ensured that they can contact at least two bearings 131 on the same side at the same time during the pushing process, thereby improving the stability of the material pushing process and better adapting to materials of different shapes and sizes.

[0060] Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows an implementation of two stopper units 130 provided in the present application, which is Figure 1 The difference between the storage bin 100 and the storage bin 100 is only the difference in the specific structure of the two stop units 130. Figure 5 and Figure 6 yes Figure 1 BB cross-sectional view. Among them, Figure 5 The structure of the two stopper units 130 in the initial state is shown. Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows the structure of two stopper units 130 during the process of material being pushed in. FIG.

[0061] It should be noted that the following will mainly focus on Figure 4 and Figure 1 The differences in the technical solutions are described in detail, and the same parts can be found in the previous description, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] See also Figures 4 to 6 In some embodiments, the stopping unit 130 includes a blocking piece 133 and a second elastic member 134 .

[0063] The blocking piece 133 extends along the height direction of the receiving groove and is hinged to the first end of the side plate 120 . This hinged manner enables the blocking piece 133 to swing within a certain range.

[0064] The second elastic member 134 is disposed between the blocking piece 133 and the side plate 120 , and its function is to provide a restoring force for the blocking piece 133 .

[0065] As a possible implementation manner, the second elastic member 134 may be a spring, one end of which is fixed to the blocking piece 133 , and the other end of which is fixed to the side plate 120 .

[0066] As another possible implementation, the second elastic member 134 may also be a torsion spring, which may be coaxially arranged with the rotation axis of the blocking piece 133 , so as to reduce the volume of the stopping unit 130 and make its structure more compact.

[0067] When the second elastic member 134 is in a free state, Figure 5 As shown, the plane where the baffle 133 is located is consistent with the width direction of the receiving groove. At this time, the width D3 of the first opening between the baffles 133 on both sides is smaller than the width D1 of the material, and the material in the receiving groove will not slide out from the first opening.

[0068] like Figure 6 As shown in the figure, in the process of pushing the material from the outside of the receiving groove into the receiving groove along the length direction, the material will first contact the baffle 133 and push the baffle 133 to swing outward, the width of the first opening is expanded, and the feeding channel of the receiving groove is opened; in the above process, the swing of the baffle 133 also drives the second elastic member 134 to deform and store elastic potential energy. When the material completely enters the receiving groove, the thrust acting on the baffle 133 disappears, and the second elastic member 134 releases the stored elastic potential energy, causing the two baffles 133 to swing inward to Figure 5 In the initial state shown, the distance between the two blocking pieces 133 becomes smaller than the width of the material, closing the feeding channel of the receiving groove, thereby successfully preventing the material from sliding out of the first opening.

[0069] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of materials pushed in during the same material discharging process, and multiple materials can be pushed in simultaneously during the material discharging process, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of the material discharging.

[0070] The embodiment of the present application does not limit the material of the baffle 133, and the baffle 133 can be made of wear-resistant plastic or metal. The plastic material can be polycarbonate or nylon, which has the advantages of light weight, low cost, good wear resistance and easy processing. At the same time, such materials can avoid scratching the surface of the material during the material advancement process; the metal material can be stainless steel or aluminum alloy, which can provide higher strength.

[0071] According to the above technical means, a stop unit 130 is formed by using a blocking piece 133 extending in the height direction, so that the storage bin 100 can be compatible with a variety of materials with different height sizes, has better compatibility, and improves the application range of the storage bin 100.

[0072] In some embodiments, Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, in order to ensure that the material in the receiving groove can always maintain a suitable position during the removal process, the storage bin 100 is further provided with a pushing part 140. When the material in the receiving groove close to the two stop units 130 is removed, the pushing part 140 provides a thrust along the length direction for the remaining material in the receiving groove, so that the remaining material can be closely against the two stop units 130.

[0073] In the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the two stopper units 130 provide a one-way opening for the receiving slot. When grabbing materials, the materials close to the two stopper units 130 need to be taken out along the height direction of the receiving slot according to the arrangement order of the materials. After the material is taken out, the pusher 140 pushes the next material to the front, which can avoid the loose accumulation or misalignment of the materials in the receiving slot, and facilitate the next material storage and retrieval operation.

[0074] This embodiment does not limit the specific structure of the pushing part 140. For example, the pushing part 140 may be a push plate, and an energy storage component such as a spring is provided at one end of the push plate away from the material. The spring is compressed during the process of pushing the material into the receiving tank, so that the push plate can be pressed against the last material in the receiving tank, providing a thrust to the material in the receiving tank; for another example, the pushing part 140 may be a counterweight block, which can provide a thrust to the material in the receiving tank under the action of its own gravity.

[0075] In some embodiments, Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, along the length direction, the height of the front side of the bottom plate 110 is lower than the height of the rear side, so that the bottom surface of the receiving groove is a slope. This inclined bottom plate 110 design can utilize the gravity of the material itself to make it slide toward the two stop units 130 to a certain extent; at the same time, the pushing part 140 arranged on the slope can also always maintain contact with the material in the receiving groove under the action of its own gravity, and continuously provide thrust for it.

[0076] According to the above technical means, by setting the bottom plate 110 as an inclined plane, the pushing part 140 can move freely on the inclined plane without the action of external force, so that the pushing part 140 can push the material to the front of the two stop units 130, and ensure that the material in the containing groove has a tendency to move forward when the material is in and out, which can improve the efficiency and success rate of automatic grasping.

[0077] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 CC section view of Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the pushing portion 140 includes a counterweight and a roller 142 disposed between the counterweight 141 and the bottom plate 110 .

[0078] The counterweight 141 may include a counterweight trolley 1411 and a counterweight block disposed in the counterweight trolley 1411. By adjusting the number of counterweight blocks 1412 in the counterweight trolley 1411, the weight of the entire counterweight 141 can be adjusted, thereby achieving adjustment of the thrust of the material in the receiving tank. The counterweight block 1412 can be made of a metal material with a relatively high density, such as an iron block or a lead block. The overall shape and size of the counterweight 141 should be designed according to the size of the storage bin 100 and the required thrust, to ensure that it can effectively provide thrust for the material without affecting the overall structure and stability of the storage bin 100.

[0079] The roller 142 may be disposed at the bottom of the counterweight trolley 1411 to reduce the friction between the counterweight trolley 141 and the bottom plate 110 , so that the pushing portion 140 can move more smoothly when providing thrust for the material.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the roller 142 can be made of rubber or polyurethane material, which has good wear resistance and elasticity, can reduce the friction between the roller 142 and the bottom plate 110, and make the pushing part 140 smoother when working.

[0081] According to the above technical means, the pushing part 140 is configured as a counterweight trolley 1411 that can slide flexibly on the bottom plate 110, and its structure is simple and easy to adjust.

[0082] In some embodiments, Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the storage bin 100 also includes a material guiding portion 150, which includes two material guiding units 151 respectively arranged at the first ends of the two side plates 120, and the two material guiding units 151 form a second opening at the first end of the receiving groove, and the width of the second opening close to the end of the receiving groove is smaller than the width of the end away from the receiving groove. This gradually shrinking opening design can play a good guiding role when the material is pushed in, so that the material can enter the receiving groove more accurately and smoothly, reducing the jamming and deviation of the material at the entrance.

[0083] The material guiding unit 151 and the side panel 120 may be two separate parts, which may be connected to each other by, for example, threaded connection or bonding; alternatively, the material guiding unit 151 may be integrally formed with the side panel 120, that is, the material guiding unit 151 is a part of the side panel 120.

[0084] According to the above technical means, the material guide portion 150 arranged at the first end of the receiving groove can provide guidance for the material when the material is pushed into the receiving groove, correct the posture of the material so that it can be pushed in smoothly, and improve the efficiency of material discharge.

[0085] Figure 88 is a schematic structural diagram of a storage shelf provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the storage shelf 800 includes a shelf body 810 and a plurality of storage bins 820. The shelf body 810 includes a plurality of partitions 811 spaced apart in the height direction, and the plurality of partitions 811 are fixedly connected to a column 812; a plurality of storage bins 820 arranged in the width direction are arranged on each partition 811, and the storage bins 820 may be the storage bins 100 described in any of the above embodiments.

[0086] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the number and arrangement of the storage bins on each interlayer. The number on different interlayers can be the same or different. For the same interlayer, the multiple storage bins arranged thereon can be arranged arbitrarily along the width direction. For example, the spacing between adjacent storage bins can be exactly the same, that is, the storage bins on the same interlayer are arranged at equal intervals; for another example, two adjacent storage bins can fit tightly together, thereby improving the space utilization of the storage shelves.

[0087] The embodiment of the present application further provides a storage system, including storage shelves and a robot, wherein each compartment is provided with a plurality of storage bins arranged at intervals along the width direction, and the storage bins may be the storage bins 100 described in any of the embodiments above. The robot is used to take materials from the storage bin or place the materials to be stored into the target storage bin.

[0088] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific type of the above-mentioned robot, and the robot may be, for example, a humanoid robot, a collaborative robot, or an industrial robot, etc. Taking a humanoid robot as an example, an end effector such as a suction cup is usually provided at the end of its arm, which can grasp materials from a storage bin or place external materials into a target storage bin.

[0089] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or component must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0090] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0091] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0092] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being “above”, “above”, and “above” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being “below”, “below”, and “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0093] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0094] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A storage silo, characterized in that: include: Base plate; Two side plates are arranged on opposite sides of the bottom plate along a first direction and are combined with the bottom plate to form a receiving groove; Two stop units are provided along a second direction to form a first opening at a first end of the receiving groove, the two stop units are symmetrically arranged along the first direction, and the two stop units are configured to be able to approach or move away from each other along a width direction of the first opening to adjust the width of the first opening; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the second direction is consistent with an extension direction of the receiving groove; When the material is pushed from the first end into the receiving groove, the two stop units move under the push of the material, and adjust the width of the first opening to be greater than or equal to the first size of the material, so that the material can be pushed into the receiving groove, wherein the first size is the size of the material along the first direction; After the material is pushed into the containing groove, the two stop units are reset to make the width of the first opening smaller than the first size, thereby preventing the material in the containing groove from sliding out of the first opening.

2. The storage bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopper unit comprises: at least one bearing and at least one first elastic member, wherein the bearing is connected to the side plate through the first elastic member; When the material is pushed from the first end into the containing groove, the bearing in the stop unit swings outward under the thrust of the material, and the first elastic member is deformed and stores elastic potential energy; When the material is pushed into the containing groove, the first elastic member releases the elastic potential energy, and the bearings in the two stop units move toward each other.

3. The storage bin according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the stopper units includes at least two bearings, and the at least two bearings are spaced apart along a height direction of the accommodating groove.

4. The storage bin according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stop unit comprises a stopper and a second elastic member; The blocking piece extends along the height direction of the receiving groove and is hinged at the first end of the side plate; The second elastic member is arranged between the blocking piece and the side plate; When the material is pushed from the first end into the containing groove, the material pushes the blocking piece to swing outward, and the second elastic member is deformed and stores elastic potential energy; After the material is pushed into the containing groove, the second elastic member releases the elastic potential energy to make the two blocking pieces swing inward to an initial state.

5. The storage bin according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The storage bin further includes a pushing portion disposed in the containing groove; The pushing portion is used to provide a thrust along the second direction for the remaining material in the receiving groove when the material in the receiving groove close to the two stop units is removed, so that the remaining material can abut against the two stop units.

6. The storage bin according to claim 5, characterized in that: Along the second direction, the height of the front side of the bottom plate is lower than the height of the rear side.

7. The storage bin according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pushing part includes a counterweight and a roller arranged between the counterweight and the bottom plate.

8. The storage silo according to any one of 1 to 4, characterized in that: The storage bin also includes: A material guiding part, comprising two material guiding units respectively arranged at the first ends of the two side plates; The two material guiding units form a second opening at the first end of the containing groove, and the width of the second opening at one end close to the containing groove is smaller than the width at one end away from the containing groove.

9. A storage shelf, characterized in that: It comprises a shelf body, wherein the shelf body comprises a plurality of partitions arranged at intervals along a height direction, and a plurality of storage bins arranged along a width direction are arranged on the partitions, and the storage bins are the storage bins as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A storage system, characterized in that: Including storage racks and robots; The storage shelf comprises a shelf body, the shelf body comprises a plurality of compartments arranged at intervals along a height direction, each compartment is provided with a plurality of storage bins arranged at intervals along a width direction, the storage bins comprise the storage bins according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The robot is used to take materials from the storage bin or place materials to be stored into a target storage bin.

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