Sorting and conveying method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of material conveying, in particular to a sorting and conveying method, which comprises the following steps of: monitoring goods conditions on a main converging line and branch converging lines through a monitoring system, and correspondingly controlling the quantity of goods converged into the main converging line by each branch converging line; and then the goods on each converging branch line are converged into the converging section on the converging main line in sequence through the leading-in unit. Compared with the prior art that cargos on a branch line can flow into a main line in an oblique insertion mode under the condition that the cargos meet the confluence condition, the cargo condition is monitored in advance, the cargo condition on the confluence branch line is correspondingly adjusted, the requirement for the confluence condition is lowered, efficient sorting and unmanned operation can be achieved in a limited space, and the working efficiency is improved. And the resource configuration and operation cost is saved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of material conveying, and in particular to a sorting and conveying method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of logistics technology and equipment in my country, the current automatic sorting technology has become relatively mature, and there are corresponding mature products for automatic sorting equipment in various occasions. Compared with traditional logistics sorting, the automated logistics sorting system has the advantages of high sorting efficiency, high sorting accuracy, low breakage rate, and strong production capacity flexibility.

[0003] In recent years, linear automatic sorting equipment has been widely used because of its relatively flexible layout, small footprint, low investment cost, and applicability to packages of various sizes and types (except cylindrical ones that are prone to rolling), while also meeting higher sorting efficiency.

[0004] At present, the commonly used sorting and conveying method is the interlaced type, that is, a certain blank interval is reserved on the main line, and the goods on the branch line are merged into the main line in an oblique manner when the merging conditions are met (the interval length is greater than the goods length, and the branch line goods are ready). This method of merging has high requirements on the spacing between goods and the speed of goods transportation, and consumes a lot of resource allocation and operating costs. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: to provide a sorting and conveying method, comprising the following steps:

[0006] The monitoring system can be used to identify the cargo situation on the main confluence line and each confluence branch line:

[0007] A sensor is set at each converging branch line import unit, and each sensor records the real-time position of the cargo group that the import unit merges into the main line as a1, a2, a3...an, with the starting position of the cargo group that the first converging branch line import unit merges into the main line as the starting point. The real-time position of the cargo group includes the string head value of the cargo group and the string tail value of the cargo group. The string head value is the coordinate value of the front end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point, and the string tail value is the coordinate value of the rear end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point.

[0008] Determine in sequence whether the string head value of each of the cargo groups to be imported is greater than the string tail value of the cargo group located at the end of the transmission direction, and obtain a determination result;

[0009] When the judgment result is yes, driving the corresponding induction unit on the merging branch line to merge the cargo group into the merging main line;

[0010] When the judgment result is no, the quantity of goods that each merging branch line merges into the merging main line is controlled.

[0011] Furthermore, when the judgment result is no, controlling the quantity of goods from each merging branch line to the merging main line includes:

[0012] According to the cargo situation obtained by the monitoring system, the start time of each merging branch line is controlled.

[0013] Furthermore, when the judgment result is no, controlling the quantity of goods that each merging branch line merges into the merging main line includes: controlling the conveying speed of the pulling distance unit of each merging branch line according to the goods situation obtained by the monitoring system.

[0014] Furthermore, the monitoring system controls the speed of the teaming units located on the same merging branch line to be lower than the speed of the distance-pulling units.

[0015] Furthermore, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0016] A sorting device for sorting goods is provided, and the sorting device is connected to the merging main line.

[0017] Furthermore, the merging main line maintains a constant speed, and the transport efficiency of the merging main line is greater than the total transport efficiency of each merging branch line, and the transport efficiency of each merging branch line is different.

[0018] Furthermore, the length of the teaming unit of each merging branch line is different, and the length of the accumulation and release unit of each merging branch line is different.

[0019] Furthermore, the monitoring system includes a main photoelectric sensor and a plurality of branch photoelectric sensors, the main photoelectric sensor monitors the cargo situation on the merging main line, and each of the photoelectric sensors correspondingly monitors the cargo situation on a merging branch line.

[0020] Furthermore, the team formation unit and the pulling unit are both belt conveyors, and the introduction unit and the accumulation unit are both roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention monitors the cargo conditions on the merging main line and the merging branch line through a monitoring system, and controls the amount of cargo from each merging branch line merging into the merging main line accordingly, and then merges the cargo on each merging branch line into the merging section on the merging main line in sequence through the introduction unit. Compared with the prior art in which the cargo on the branch line can only be merged into the main line in an oblique manner when the merging conditions are met, by monitoring the cargo conditions in advance and adjusting the cargo conditions on the merging branch line accordingly, the requirements for the merging conditions are reduced, and high-efficiency sorting and unmanned operation can be achieved in a limited space, saving resource allocation and operating costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] In the figure: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of a sorting and conveying method is provided for the present invention (the direction of the arrow shown in the figure indicates the conveying direction of a cargo group).

[0024] Explanation of the reference numerals: 10, merging main line; 11, side conveyor; 12, merging section; 20, merging branch line; 21, induction unit; 22, team formation unit; 23, pulling distance unit; 24, accumulation unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention clearer, the present invention is now described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. This figure is a simplified schematic diagram, which only illustrates the basics of the present invention in an illustrative manner, so it only shows the composition related to the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a sorting and conveying method, comprising the following steps:

[0027] S1: Identify the cargo conditions on the converging main line 10 and each converging branch line 20 through a monitoring system: a sensor is set at the inlet unit 21 of each converging branch line 20, and each sensor records the real-time position of the cargo group that is converging into the main line by the inlet unit 21 as a1, a2, a3...an, with the starting position of the cargo group that is converging into the main line by the first converging branch line 20 inlet unit 21 as the starting point, and the real-time position of the cargo group includes the string head value of the cargo group and the string tail value of the cargo group, the string head value is the coordinate value of the front end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point, and the string tail value is the coordinate value of the rear end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point;

[0028] The main confluence line 10 maintains a constant speed, and the conveying efficiency of the main confluence line 10 is greater than the total conveying efficiency of each confluence branch line 20, and the conveying efficiency of each confluence branch line 20 is different. The length of the teaming unit 22 of each confluence branch line 20 is different, and the length of the accumulation unit 24 of each confluence branch line 20 is different. The monitoring system controls the speed of the teaming unit 22 located on the same confluence branch line 20 to be lower than the speed of the pulling distance unit 23, so as to realize that the goods are closely lined up on the teaming unit 22.

[0029] The merging main line 10 is arranged at an angle, and each merging branch line 20 is arranged in sequence on one side of the merging main line 10 in the vertical direction. The import unit 21, the team forming unit 22, the pulling distance unit 23 and the accumulation unit 24 are arranged in sequence in the vertical direction, and the goods are merged into the merging section 12 of the merging main line 10 from the import unit 21.

[0030] S2: sequentially determine whether the string head value of each of the cargo groups to be imported is greater than the string tail value of the cargo group at the end of the transmission direction, and obtain a determination result;

[0031] S3: When the judgment result is yes, drive the corresponding import unit 21 on the merge branch line 20 to merge the cargo group into the merge main line 10; when the judgment result is no, control the quantity of cargo merged into the merge main line 10 by each merge branch line 20. Compared with the prior art in which the cargo on the branch line can only be merged into the main line in an oblique manner when the merge conditions are met, by monitoring the cargo conditions in advance and adjusting the cargo conditions on the merge branch line accordingly, the requirements for the merge conditions are reduced, and high-efficiency sorting and unmanned operation can be achieved in a limited space, saving resource allocation and operating costs.

[0032] When the judgment result is no, controlling the quantity of goods from each merging branch line 20 merging into the merging main line 10 includes:

[0033] According to the cargo situation obtained by the monitoring system, the start time of each merging branch line 20 is controlled.

[0034] Specifically, controlling the start time of each merging branch line 20 includes controlling the start time of the introduction unit 21 , the team formation unit 22 , the distance pulling unit 23 and the accumulation unit 24 of each merging branch line 20 .

[0035] In some other embodiments, controlling the transport efficiency of each merging branch line 20 according to the cargo conditions obtained by the monitoring system includes: controlling the transport speed of the pulling unit 23 of each merging branch line 20 according to the cargo conditions obtained by the monitoring system so as to adjust the distance between each cargo.

[0036] A sorting device for sorting goods is disposed at the end of the merging main line 10 , and a side conveyor 11 is disposed at the end of the merging section 12 . After the goods are merged into the merging section 12 , they are conveyed to the next process via the side conveyor 11 .

[0037] More specifically, the sorting equipment is connected to the side conveyor 12 of the merging main line 10, and the sorting equipment can be a cross-belt sorting machine, a landslide sorting machine, or an air cushion sorting machine.

[0038] The side conveyor 11 is a roller conveyor, the inlet section 12 can be a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor. The teaming unit 22 and the pull distance unit 23 are both belt conveyors, and the introduction unit 21 and the accumulation unit 24 can be roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

[0039] The following is a detailed description of the sorting and conveying method provided in the embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with a specific embodiment. Figure 1 , the direction of the arrow in the figure is the transmission direction, and three merging branches 20 are sequentially arranged along the transmission direction on one side of the merging main line 10. Each sensor records the real-time positions of the cargo groups that are merged into the merging main line 10 by the three merging branch lines 20 import units as a1, a2 and a3, and the starting position of the cargo group that is merged into the merging main line 10 by the first merging branch line 20 import unit 21 corresponding to a1 is taken as the starting point, the string head value is the coordinate value of the front end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point, and the string tail value is the coordinate value of the rear end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point;

[0040] Determine in sequence whether the string head value of each of the cargo groups to be imported is greater than the string tail value of the cargo group located at the end of the transmission direction, and obtain a determination result;

[0041] The introduction unit 21 of the first merging branch line 10 corresponding to a1 first merges the cargo group into the merging main line 10, and each sensor records the string end value of the cargo group on the introduction unit 21 of the first merging branch line 20 corresponding to a1 and the string beginning value of the cargo group on the introduction unit 21 of the second merging branch line 20 corresponding to a2. If the string beginning value is greater than the string end value, the introduction unit 21 of the second merging branch line 20 is driven to merge the cargo group into the merging main line 10; if the string beginning value is less than the string end value, the start time of the second merging branch line 20 is modified or the speed of the pulling distance unit 23 of the second merging branch line 20 is reduced, so that the cargo group temporarily delays entering the introduction unit 21 of the second merging branch line 20;

[0042] Each sensor then records the tail value of the cargo group on the introduction unit 21 of the second merging branch line 20 corresponding to a2 and the head value of the cargo group on the introduction unit 21 of the third merging branch line 20 corresponding to a3. If the head value is greater than the tail value, the introduction unit 21 of the third merging branch line 20 is driven to merge the cargo group into the merging main line 10; if the head value is less than the tail value, the start time of the third merging branch line 20 is modified or the speed of the pulling unit 23 of the third merging branch line 20 is reduced, so that the cargo group is temporarily delayed from entering the introduction unit 21 of the third merging branch line 20.

Claims

1. A sorting and conveying method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The monitoring system is used to identify the cargo conditions on the main merging line (10) and each merging branch line (20): A sensor is arranged at each converging branch line (20) introduction unit (21), each sensor records the real-time position of the cargo group that is introduced into the main line by the introduction unit (21) as a1, a2, a3, ... an, with the starting position of the cargo group that is introduced into the main line by the first converging branch line (20) introduction unit (21) as the starting point, the real-time position of the cargo group includes the string head value of the cargo group and the string tail value of the cargo group, the string head value is the coordinate value of the front end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point, and the string tail value is the coordinate value of the rear end point of the cargo group along the transmission direction from the starting point; Determine in sequence whether the string head value of each of the cargo groups to be imported is greater than the string tail value of the cargo group located at the end of the transmission direction, and obtain a determination result; When the judgment result is yes, driving the corresponding introduction unit (21) on the merging branch line (20) to merge the cargo group into the merging main line (10); When the judgment result is no, the quantity of goods that each merging branch line (20) merges into the merging main line (10) is controlled.

2. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the judgment result is no, controlling the quantity of goods from each merging branch line to the merging main line includes: According to the cargo situation obtained by the monitoring system, the start time of each merging branch line (20) is controlled.

3. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the judgment result is no, controlling the quantity of goods that each merging branch line merges into the merging main line includes: controlling the conveying speed of the pulling unit (23) of each merging branch line (20) according to the goods situation obtained by the monitoring system.

4. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring system controls the speed of the teaming units (22) located on the same merging branch line (20) to be lower than the speed of the distance-pulling unit (23).

5. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: A sorting device for sorting goods is provided, and the sorting device is connected to the merging main line (10).

6. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The merging main line (10) maintains a constant speed operation, the conveying efficiency of the merging main line (10) is greater than the total conveying efficiency of each merging branch line (20), and the conveying efficiency of each merging branch line (20) is different.

7. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lengths of the teaming units (22) of each merging branch line (20) are all different, and the lengths of the accumulation and release units (24) of each merging branch line (20) are all different.

8. According to the sorting and conveying method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the monitoring system includes a main photoelectric sensor and a plurality of branch photoelectric sensors, the main photoelectric sensor monitors the cargo status on the merging main line (10), and each of the photoelectric sensors corresponds to monitoring the cargo status on a merging branch line (20).

9. The sorting and conveying method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The team formation unit (22) and the pulling unit (23) are both belt conveyors, and the introduction unit (21) and the accumulation unit (24) are both roller conveyors or belt conveyors.

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