Automatic container system and shipping method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of automatic vending, and provides an automatic container system and a delivery method.The automatic container system comprises a delivery container and a delivery robot, and the delivery method of the automatic container system comprises the steps that the delivery container and the delivery robot obtain order information; the distribution robot moves to a preset goods taking position in front of the delivery cabinet according to the order information, so that a goods taking bin of the distribution robot is aligned with a goods taking door of the delivery cabinet to wait for receiving the goods; the goods delivery cabinet pushes out the goods in the goods storage bin according to the order information, so that the goods fall onto a connection table of the goods delivery cabinet through a goods delivery hopper; the connection table extends out of a goods taking door of the goods outlet cabinet so as to extend into the goods taking bin. The commodities on the connection table are delivered into a commodity taking bin; and the delivery robot leaves the delivery cabinet and delivers the commodities. After the connection table extends into the goods taking bin of the delivery robot located at the preset goods taking position, the goods are delivered into the goods taking bin of the delivery robot, and the goods are effectively prevented from falling out of the goods taking bin of the delivery robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of automatic vending technology, and more specifically, relates to an automatic vending container system and a shipping method. Background Art

[0002] As a convenient retail method, automatic delivery cabinets not only bring convenience and fast shopping experience to consumers, but also reduce operating costs and improve sales efficiency for merchants. In some places, delivery cabinets are also used in conjunction with delivery robots. For example, in hotels, delivery robots deliver the goods ordered by consumers to the rooms where the consumers are.

[0003] When existing shipping containers deliver goods to delivery robots, the way in which the goods fall into the delivery robot's pickup bin is prone to poor arrival rates, and there is a risk of goods falling outside the delivery robot's pickup bin or the goods being stolen. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide an automatic container system and a shipping method to solve the technical problem in the prior art that when the shipping container ships the goods to the delivery robot, there is a risk of goods falling out of the pickup warehouse or being stolen.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present application is: to provide an automatic container system including a shipping container and a delivery robot, and the automatic container system shipping method includes:

[0006] The shipping cabinet and the delivery robot respectively obtain order information;

[0007] The delivery robot moves to a preset pickup position in front of the shipping container according to the order information, aligns the pickup bin of the delivery robot with the pickup door of the shipping container, and waits to receive the goods;

[0008] The shipping container pushes out the goods in the inventory warehouse according to the order information, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform of the shipping container through the shipping funnel;

[0009] The docking station extends from the cargo pickup door of the shipping container to extend into the cargo pickup bin;

[0010] The goods on the docking station are shipped to the pickup warehouse;

[0011] The delivery robot leaves the shipping container and delivers the goods.

[0012] Optionally, before “the shipping container and the delivery robot respectively obtain the order information”, the method further includes:

[0013] The number of waybills is determined based on the capacity of the delivery robot's pickup bin, the number of goods and the volume of a single good, and order information is generated, wherein one order information includes one or more waybills and one waybills includes one or more goods.

[0014] Optionally, after “the docking station extends from the pickup door of the shipping container and extends into the pickup bin of the delivery robot to deliver the goods to the pickup bin of the delivery robot”, it also includes;

[0015] The docking station exits the pickup bin of the delivery robot;

[0016] The first sensor on the shipping container detects whether the docking station has successfully shipped;

[0017] If not, then execute "the docking platform extends from the pickup door of the shipping container to extend into the pickup bin; the goods on the docking platform are shipped to the pickup bin";

[0018] If so, the docking station waits for the next shipment.

[0019] Optionally, when the delivery robot moves to a preset pickup position in front of the shipping container, a positioning sensor on the delivery robot recognizes characteristic information of a positioning marker on the shipping container.

[0020] Optionally, the vertical height between the docking station on the shipping container and the picking bin of the delivery robot is 20 mm ± 10 mm.

[0021] Optionally, when the delivery robot moves to a preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet, the distance between the pickup bin and the pickup door is 150mm-180mm, and the length of the docking station extending from the pickup door during shipping is 200mm-250mm.

[0022] Optionally, the goods on the docking station are shipped to the pickup warehouse, including:

[0023] The conveyor belt of the docking station is driven to transport the goods on the conveyor belt to the pickup warehouse.

[0024] Optionally, before “after the delivery robot receives all the commodities in the order information, it leaves the shipping container for delivery”, it also includes:

[0025] The shipping container closes the pickup door, and at the same time, a second sensor provided at the pickup door detects obstacles. If the second sensor detects obstacle information, the shipping container opens the pickup door again. After a preset time, the shipping container closes the pickup door again.

[0026] The present application also provides an automatic container system, comprising:

[0027] A shipping cabinet, the shipping cabinet comprising a cabinet body and a shipping mechanism, the cabinet body being provided with a storage bin, a shipping hopper located below the storage bin, a shipping channel located below the shipping hopper, and a pickup door located at one end of the shipping channel; the shipping mechanism being arranged in the shipping channel; the shipping mechanism comprising a docking station and a first driving component for driving the docking station to extend or retract from the pickup door, the docking station comprising a conveyor belt and a second driving component for driving the conveyor belt to transmit; and

[0028] A delivery robot, which can move to a preset pickup position in front of the cabinet according to order information and receive the goods conveyed by the conveyor belt.

[0029] Optionally, at least one cargo aisle is provided in the inventory warehouse, and the delivery funnel is provided with an inclined plate opening corresponding to the cargo aisle, and the area of ​​the inclined plate opening is greater than or equal to the projection area of ​​the cargo aisle on the delivery funnel;

[0030] The docking station also includes a frame arranged around the conveyor belt, and the frame is arranged around the conveyor belt to limit the position of the goods on the conveyor belt. The frame is provided with a delivery port at one end close to the pickup door, and a drop port is provided on the side of the frame facing the delivery funnel, and the drop port includes a first area arranged close to the delivery port and a second area arranged away from the delivery port. The area of ​​the first area is not less than the bottom outlet area of ​​the delivery funnel, and the second area can be connected with the bottom outlet of the delivery funnel accordingly, so that when the second area moves to the bottom outlet position of the delivery funnel, the goods reach the upper surface of the conveyor belt from the second area; the first area is provided with a cover plate, and the cover plate is a mesh plate or a transparent plate. The length range of the cover plate is 210mm-270mm, and the diameter range of the bottom outlet of the delivery funnel is 200mm-260mm.

[0031] The beneficial effect of the automatic container system and the shipping method provided by the present application is that: when it is necessary to ship the goods ordered by the consumer to the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot, the delivery robot moves to the preset pickup position in front of the delivery cabinet according to the order information, so that the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot is aligned with the pickup door of the delivery cabinet, and the salesperson pushes out the goods ordered by the consumer in the storage warehouse, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform through the shipping funnel, and then the docking platform extends from the pickup door and extends into the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot, and finally delivers the goods to the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot, and the delivery robot leaves the delivery cabinet for delivery. In this way, after the docking platform extends into the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot at the preset pickup position, the goods are delivered to the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot, effectively preventing the goods from falling outside the pickup warehouse of the delivery robot, and effectively reducing the risk of the goods being stolen during the shipping process. In addition, the goods in the storage warehouse can accurately fall onto the docking platform through the shipping funnel, which is conducive to improving the success rate of goods shipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the automatic container system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 A flowchart of the automatic container system shipping method provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a partial three-dimensional structure of a shipping container provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0036] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a shipping container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a partial three-dimensional structure of a shipping container provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the docking station provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0040] 100. Shipping container;

[0041] 200, delivery robot; 201, pickup warehouse;

[0042] 10. Cabinet; 11. Inventory bin; 12. Shipping hopper; 13. Inclined plate opening; 14. Shipping channel; 15. Pick-up door; 16. Positioning mark; 17. Display screen; 18. Roller;

[0043] 20. Shipping mechanism; 21. Docking station; 22. First drive assembly; 23. Frame; 231. Shipping port; 232. Drop port; 233. First area; 234. Second area; 24. Conveyor belt; 241. Friction ribs; 25. Cover plate; 26. Second drive assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0045] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0046] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to 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.

[0047] 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. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0048] Please also read Figures 1 to 6 , the automatic container system shipping method provided in the embodiment of the present application is now described.

[0049] See also Figures 1 to 3The automatic container system includes a shipping container 100 and a delivery robot 200. The automatic container system shipping method includes the following steps:

[0050] S10: The shipping container 100 and the delivery robot 200 respectively obtain order information;

[0051] S20: The delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100 according to the order information, aligns the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 with the pickup door 15 of the shipping container 100, and waits to receive the goods;

[0052] S30: The shipping container 100 pushes out the goods in the storage warehouse 11 according to the order information, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform 21 of the shipping container 100 through the shipping funnel 12;

[0053] S40: The docking station 21 extends from the cargo receiving door 15 of the shipping container 100 to extend into the cargo receiving bin 201;

[0054] S50: The goods on the docking station 21 are shipped to the pickup warehouse 201;

[0055] S60: The delivery robot 200 leaves the shipping container 100 and delivers the goods.

[0056] The automatic container system is suitable for hotels, office buildings, dormitories, hospitals and other places. The background sends corresponding shipping instructions to the shipping container, and the background sends corresponding pickup instructions to the delivery robot. The shipping container uploads the arrival instruction to the background. The background issues the next action instruction according to the arrival instruction to realize the shipping process of the whole system. When the automatic container system is applied to a hotel, consumers can purchase goods in the room through a mobile phone app (Application), WeChat applet or by scanning a code. After the delivery robot 200 obtains the order information, it moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet 100. After the shipping cabinet 100 obtains the order information, it pushes the goods ordered by the user from the inventory warehouse 11, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform 21 of the shipping cabinet 100 through the shipping funnel 12. The docking platform 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the shipping cabinet 100 to extend into the pickup warehouse 201, and then delivers the goods to the pickup warehouse 201. After receiving all the goods for a single delivery, the delivery robot 200 leaves the shipping cabinet 100 and delivers the goods to the door of the consumer's room.

[0057] Compared with the prior art, the automatic container system shipping method provided by the present application is different from that of the prior art. When it is necessary to ship the goods ordered by consumers to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet 100 according to the order information, so that the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200 is aligned with the pickup door 15 of the shipping cabinet 100, and the salesperson pushes out the goods ordered by consumers in the inventory warehouse 11, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform 21 through the shipping funnel 12, and then the docking platform 21 extends from the pickup door 15 and extends into the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, and finally delivers the goods to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, and the delivery robot 200 leaves the shipping cabinet 100 for delivery. In this way, after the docking platform 21 extends into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 located at the preset pickup position, the goods are delivered to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, which effectively prevents the goods from falling outside the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 and effectively reduces the risk of the goods being stolen during the shipment process. In addition, the goods in the inventory bin 11 can be accurately dropped onto the docking platform 21 through the shipping funnel 12, which is beneficial to improving the success rate of goods shipment.

[0058] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , before the step “the shipping container 100 and the delivery robot 200 respectively obtain order information”, that is, before step S10, the following steps are also included:

[0059] According to the capacity of the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, the number of goods and the volume of a single commodity, the number of waybills is determined and order information is generated, wherein one order information includes one or more waybills and one waybills includes one or more commodities.

[0060] Among them, the waybill refers to the number of goods delivered by the delivery robot 200 in a single delivery. Specifically, the volume of the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, the number of goods ordered by the consumer and the volume of a single product are obtained, the total volume of all goods is calculated, the total volume of all goods is compared with the volume of the pickup warehouse 201, and the number of deliveries is calculated. It can be understood that, with the permission of the pickup warehouse 201 volume of the distribution delivery robot 200, the distribution delivery robot 200 can deliver multiple goods at the same time, which is conducive to improving the delivery efficiency. Optionally, after the deployment of the automatic container system, the background confirms the distribution robot model and the shipping container model corresponding to the distribution robot model. Different models of distribution robots correspond to different cabin structures, so the shipping port and cabin structure position and structure of the shipping container match each other; wherein, confirming the distribution robot model includes the pickup warehouse volume information, and the commodity information is confirmed in the mall background according to the merchant or user's selling products. The maximum upper limit of each type of commodity can be determined according to the pickup warehouse volume information. In this way, when a consumer places an order, the number of goods can be greater than 1. When a consumer places an order, the background will split the order according to the order product information and the delivery robot information. If the order goods are greater than the maximum upper limit, the order will be split into at least 2 waybills, each waybill includes at least one item, and the delivery robot will deliver each waybill. Optionally, when the number of ordered goods is greater than 1, one piece is shipped to the robot warehouse each time. When placing an order, the volume of the goods and the volume in the robot warehouse will be evaluated to confirm the order quantity. The robot will deliver multiple items in one trip, and multiple trips will be made until the entire order is delivered.

[0061] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , after the step of “the docking station 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the shipping container 100 and extends into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 to deliver the goods to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200”, the step further includes:

[0062] The docking station 21 exits the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200;

[0063] The first sensor on the shipping container 100 detects whether the docking station 21 has shipped successfully;

[0064] If not, then execute “the docking station 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the shipping container 100 to extend into the pickup bin 201; the goods on the docking station 21 are shipped to the pickup bin 201”;

[0065] If yes, the docking station 21 waits for the next shipment.

[0066] The above technical solution detects whether there are goods on the docking platform 21 through the first sensor to determine whether the docking platform 21 has been shipped successfully. Specifically, if the first sensor detects that there are goods on the docking platform 21, the docking platform 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the shipping cabinet 100 again and extends into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, and then delivers the goods to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200. By performing the secondary shipping action, it is helpful to improve the success rate of shipping the goods on the docking platform 21 to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200. Of course, three, four or more shipping actions can also be performed until the goods on the docking platform 21 are successfully shipped to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200.

[0067] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 When the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100 , the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 recognizes the characteristic information of the positioning mark 16 on the shipping container 100 .

[0068] Specifically, when the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 recognizes the characteristic information of the positioning mark 16 on the shipping container 100, it indicates that the delivery robot 200 has moved to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100, and the delivery robot 200 stops moving at this time. It can be understood that when the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 senses the positioning mark 16 on the shipping container 100 and detects that the distance between the delivery robot 200 and the shipping container 100 meets the preset value, the delivery robot 200 stops moving. In this way, the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 senses the positioning mark 16 on the shipping container 100 to determine whether the delivery robot 200 has reached the preset pickup position, thereby achieving accurate positioning of the delivery robot 200. Optionally, when the delivery robot reaches the preset pickup position, the hub motor of the delivery robot outputs a speed signal of 0m / s, causing the robot to lock and prevent the robot from being pushed. In addition, the confirmation of the preset pick-up location can be achieved by recording the positioning mark and the preset features through the delivery robot algorithm board. The relative distance is determined after the delivery robot recognizes the preset features. The distance between the delivery robot and the positioning mark and the robot posture are adjusted to determine that the delivery robot has arrived at the pick-up location.

[0069] Optionally, the vertical height of the docking station on the shipping container 100 and the pickup bin of the delivery robot 200 is 20mm±10mm. The vertical height of the docking station must be greater than the height of the pickup bin to avoid interference when the docking station is extended. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the docking station is 20mm away from the storage surface of the pickup bin, and this distance satisfies both the accessibility of the docking station and the space for transferring items. Optionally, the distance h1 between the bottom surface of the positioning mark 16 on the shipping container 100 and the bottom of the pickup door 15 on the shipping container 100 is greater than the distance h2 between the top of the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 and the bottom of the pickup bin 201 on the delivery robot 200, wherein the range of h1 is 450mm-550mm, and the range of h2 is 320mm-420mm. In order to ensure the safety of shipment and the delivery arrival rate, the automatic container system of this embodiment adopts a gull-wing double-door structure for the delivery robot, which can ensure the volume of the cabin without blocking the outside. The height of the pickup door corresponds to the cabin door of the delivery robot. Optionally, h1 is set to 500mm and h2 is set to 355mm to ensure the recognition area of ​​the positioning marker and the distance height of the docking station.

[0070] Among them, the positioning mark 16 and the pickup door 15 are arranged on the same side of the shipping container 100, and the positioning mark 16 is located directly below the pickup door 15. The positioning sensor and the pickup bin 201 are arranged on the same side of the delivery robot 200, and the positioning sensor is located directly below the pickup bin 201. When the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 senses the positioning mark 16 on the cabinet 10 and detects that the distance between the delivery robot 200 and the shipping container 100 meets the preset value, it means that the delivery robot 200 has moved to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100, and the delivery robot 200 stops moving. At this time, the height position of the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 and the height of the pickup door 15 of the cabinet 10 reach the set area, so that the docking station 21 can be accurately extended into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 after extending from the pickup door 15, which is conducive to improving the success rate of the shipping container 100 delivering goods to the delivery robot 200.

[0071] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 When the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100, the distance between the pickup bin 201 and the pickup door 15 is 150mm-180mm, and the length of the docking station 21 extending from the pickup door 15 during shipment is 200mm-250mm.

[0072] Optionally, when the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100, the horizontal distance between the pickup bin 201 and the pickup port can be 150mm, 160mm, 170mm or 180mm, etc., and the length of the docking station 21 extending from the pickup door 15 when shipping is 200mm, 210mm, 220mm, 230mm, 240mm or 250mm, etc.

[0073] When the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet 100, by setting the distance between the pickup bin 201 and the pickup door 15 to 150mm-180mm, and setting the length range of the docking station 21 extending from the pickup door 15 when delivering goods to 200mm-250mm, when the docking station 21 delivers goods to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, it can be ensured that the front end of the docking station 21 extends into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, effectively ensuring that the docking station 21 can smoothly deliver the goods to the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200.

[0074] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 Step S50: the goods on the docking station 21 are shipped to the pickup warehouse 201, which specifically includes the following steps:

[0075] The conveyor belt 24 of the docking station 21 is driven to transport the commodities on the conveyor belt 24 to the pickup warehouse 201 .

[0076] Specifically, the goods in the storage warehouse 11 fall onto the upper surface of the conveyor belt 24 of the docking platform 21 through the delivery funnel 12. After the docking platform 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the delivery cabinet 100 to extend into the pickup warehouse 201, the goods are transmitted through the conveyor belt 24 to be transported to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200. The goods are not easily damaged when the goods are transmitted through the conveyor belt 24 to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200.

[0077] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , before the step “the docking station 21 extends from the pickup door 15 of the shipping container 100 to extend into the pickup bin 201;”, that is, before step S40, the following steps are also included:

[0078] The shipping container 100 opens the pickup door 15; after the backend confirms the hatch opening instruction of the delivery robot, it controls the shipping container to open the pickup door. Optionally, the pickup door adopts a sinking door opening structure.

[0079] Before the step “after the delivery robot 200 receives all the commodities in the order information, it leaves the shipping container 100 for delivery”, that is, before step S60, the following steps are also included:

[0080] The shipping container 100 closes the pickup door 15. At the same time, the second sensor provided at the pickup door 15 detects obstacles. If the second sensor detects obstacle information, the shipping container 100 opens the pickup door 15 again. After a preset time, the shipping container 100 closes the pickup door 15 again.

[0081] During the closing process of the pickup door 15, the second sensor is used to detect whether there is any obstacle information, which is beneficial to improve safety. Specifically, if the second sensor detects obstacle information, such as a hand reaching in, the delivery cabinet 100 opens the pickup door 15 again, and after a preset time, the delivery cabinet 100 closes the pickup door 15 again, effectively preventing the pickup door 15 from being closed tightly or pinching the hand during the closing process, which is beneficial to protect the safety of consumers. In addition, the second sensor can also be used in conjunction with an alarm. For example, if the second sensor detects obstacle information, the alarm sounds to provide a prompt. If the alarm sounds for a long time, such as 3 minutes, the alarm feeds back information to the background to remind the staff to intervene manually.

[0082] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 1 After the step "the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping container 100 according to the order information, aligns the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200 with the pickup door 15 of the shipping container 100, and waits for receiving the goods", that is, after step S20, the following steps are also included:

[0083] The delivery robot 200 opens the door of the pickup bin 201 so that the docking station 21 of the shipping container 100 can be inserted into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200. Optionally, after the delivery robot reaches the preset pickup location, it opens the robot's door according to the background instruction. After the door is opened, the corresponding robot door opening completion instruction is fed back to the background, and the background continues to execute the docking station movement process steps according to the instruction.

[0084] Before the step “the delivery robot 200 leaves the shipping container 100 and delivers the goods”, that is, before step S60, the following steps are also included:

[0085] The delivery robot 200 closes the door of the pickup bin 201 to prevent the goods in the pickup bin 201 from falling out.

[0086] See also Figure 1 , Figures 3 to 6The embodiment of the present application also provides an automatic container system, including a shipping container 100 and a delivery robot 200. The shipping container 100 includes a cabinet 10 and a delivery mechanism 20. The cabinet 10 is provided with a storage bin 11, a delivery hopper 12 located below the storage bin 11, a delivery channel 14 located below the delivery hopper 12, and a pickup door 15 located at one end of the delivery channel 14. The delivery mechanism 20 is arranged in the delivery channel 14. The delivery mechanism 20 includes a docking station 21 and a first driving component 22 for driving the docking station 21 to extend or retract from the pickup door 15. The docking station 21 includes a conveyor belt 24 and a second driving component for driving the conveyor belt 24 to transmit. The delivery robot 200 can move to a preset pickup position in front of the cabinet 10 according to the order information and receive the goods conveyed by the conveyor belt 24.

[0087] Compared with the prior art, the automatic container system provided by the present application is that when the shipping container 100 needs to ship the goods ordered by the consumer to the picking warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, the picking warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset picking position in front of the shipping container 100, so that the picking warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200 is aligned with the picking door 15 of the shipping container 100, and the goods in the inventory warehouse 11 fall onto the docking platform 21 located in the shipping channel 14 through the shipping funnel 12. The picking door 15 opens, and the first drive component 22 drives the docking platform 21 to extend from the picking door 15 and extend into the picking warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, and then the second drive component drives the conveyor belt 24 to transmit, and the conveyor belt 24 transports the goods to the picking warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200. After receiving the goods, the delivery robot 200 leaves the shipping container 100 for delivery. In this way, after the docking station 21 extends into the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, the conveyor belt 24 is used to transmit the goods to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, and the delivery robot 200 equipment is used to deliver the goods, effectively preventing the goods from falling outside the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200, and effectively reducing the risk of the goods being stolen during the delivery process. In addition, by setting a number of friction ribs 241 on the side of the conveyor belt 24 facing the delivery funnel 12, the friction between the goods and the conveyor belt 24 is increased, so that the conveyor belt 24 can also smoothly transport lighter and thinner goods, which is conducive to improving the success rate of goods delivery. The goods in the storage warehouse 11 can accurately fall onto the docking station 21 through the delivery funnel 12, which is conducive to improving the success rate of goods delivery.

[0088] It should be noted that the shipping cabinet 100 may not be used in conjunction with the delivery robot 200. For example, consumers may also pick up goods on site at the shipping cabinet 100. Specifically, in front of the shipping cabinet 100, consumers can purchase goods placed in the inventory warehouse 11 by scanning a code. When the docking station 21 carrying goods extends from the pickup door 15 under the drive of the first drive component 22, and the conveyor belt 24 conveys the goods to the preset position under the drive of the second drive component, the consumer directly takes the goods from the conveyor belt 24. Alternatively, the docking station 21 does not extend, and the conveyor belt 24 conveys the goods to the position of the pickup door 15 under the drive of the second drive component, the consumer directly takes the goods from the conveyor belt 24 through the pickup door 15. It can be understood that the shipping cabinet 100 of the present application can be used in conjunction with a robot, and can also support local sales, effectively reducing repetitive work and saving service personnel's physical strength and labor costs.

[0089] See also Figure 3 and Figure 5 The delivery funnel 12 is used to guide the goods falling from the storage bin 11 so that the goods can accurately fall onto the docking platform 21 below. Specifically, after the goods in the storage bin 11 fall into the delivery funnel 12 below, the goods fall from the bottom outlet of the delivery funnel 12 onto the docking platform 21 located in the delivery channel 14.

[0090] Among them, the first driving component 22 can be set on the cabinet 10, the first driving component 22 drives the docking platform 21 to extend from the pickup door 15, and the goods fall onto the docking platform 21 located in the delivery channel 14 through the delivery funnel 12, and the second driving component drives the conveyor belt 24 to transmit the goods and deliver the goods to the pickup warehouse 201 of the delivery robot 200.

[0091] A plurality of friction ribs 241 are arranged at intervals along the transmission direction of the conveyor belt 24. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The spacing distance between adjacent friction ribs 241 ranges from 100mm to 200mm, and the length range of the friction ribs 241 is from 3mm to 7mm. The length direction is along the transmission direction. For example, adjacent friction ribs 241 are arranged at a spacing of 155mm, and the length of the friction ribs 241 is 5mm, which effectively increases the friction between the conveyor belt 24 and the goods.

[0092] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 3 and Figure 5 At least one cargo aisle is provided in the storage warehouse 11 , and the shipping funnel 12 is provided with an inclined plate opening 13 corresponding to the cargo aisle, and the area of ​​the inclined plate opening 13 is greater than or equal to the projection area of ​​the cargo aisle on the shipping funnel 12 .

[0093] Among them, the cargo aisle is used to place goods, and the inclined plate opening 13 of the shipping funnel 12 is located below the cargo aisle. By setting the area of ​​the inclined plate opening 13 to be greater than or equal to the projection area of ​​the cargo aisle on the shipping funnel 12, the goods on the cargo aisle can accurately fall into the inclined plate opening 13 of the shipping funnel 12, and then fall from the bottom exit of the shipping funnel 12 to the docking platform 21.

[0094] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 The docking station 21 further includes a frame 23 disposed around the conveyor belt 24, and the frame 23 is disposed around the conveyor belt 24 to limit the position of the goods on the conveyor belt 24. It can be understood that, in this way, the frame 23 is disposed around the conveyor belt 24 to limit the position of the goods on the conveyor belt 24, so as to prevent the goods on the conveyor belt 24 from falling from a position other than the delivery port 231.

[0095] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 A delivery port 231 is provided at one end of the enclosure 23 close to the pickup door 15, and a drop port 232 is provided on the side of the enclosure 23 facing the delivery hopper 12. The drop port 232 includes a first area 233 arranged close to the delivery port 231 and a second area 234 arranged away from the delivery port 231. The area of ​​the first area 233 is not less than the bottom outlet area of ​​the delivery hopper 12, and the second area 234 can be connected with the bottom outlet of the delivery hopper 12, so that when the second area 234 moves to the bottom outlet position of the delivery hopper 12, the goods reach the upper surface of the conveyor belt 24 from the second area 234; the first area 233 is provided with a cover plate 25, the cover plate 25 is a mesh plate or a transparent plate, the length range of the cover plate 25 is 210mm-270mm, and the bottom outlet diameter range of the delivery funnel 12 is 200mm-260mm.

[0096] Among them, the second driving component is arranged on the frame 23, and when the docking platform 21 is completely located in the shipping channel 14, the first area 233 is located directly below the bottom outlet of the shipping funnel 12, and in the process of the docking platform 21 extending from the pickup door 15, when the first area 233 extends out of the cabinet 10, the second area 234 moves to be directly below the bottom of the shipping funnel 12.

[0097] Specifically, during the shipping process, the goods that fall from the inventory warehouse 11 first fall onto the cover 25 of the first area 233 through the shipping funnel 12, and the docking platform 21 extends from the pickup door 15 driven by the first driving component 22, and the cover 25 slides relative to the goods. When the first area 233 of the drop port 232 extends out of the cabinet 10 and the second area 234 of the drop port 232 reaches directly below the bottom outlet of the shipping funnel 12, the goods slide relatively to the second area 234 of the drop port 232, and fall from the second area 234 of the drop port 232 onto the conveyor belt 24.

[0098] The cover plate 25 covers the first area 233 of the drop opening 232, preventing the goods from falling onto the conveyor belt 24 from the first area 233 of the drop opening 232, so that the goods can only fall onto the conveyor belt 24 from the second area 234 of the drop opening 232, increasing the distance between the position where the goods fall onto the conveyor belt 24 and the delivery opening 231, and preventing the goods with good rolling properties, such as cylindrical goods, from falling from the first area 233 and rolling directly onto the ground from the delivery opening 231 before the docking station 21 extends into the pickup bin 201 of the delivery robot 200, or preventing other people from stealing the goods directly from the delivery opening 231. In addition, the cover plate 25 covers the first area 233 of the drop opening 232, and when the first area 233 of the drop opening 232 extends out of the cabinet 10, it effectively prevents other people from directly taking the goods from the conveyor belt 24.

[0099] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the cover plate 25 is a mesh plate or a transparent plate. By using the cover plate 25 as a mesh plate or a transparent plate, when the first area 233 of the drop opening 232 extends out of the cabinet 10, the cover plate and the docking platform are relatively fixed and moved out of the cabinet, so that the goods on the conveyor belt 24 can be visualized. In this way, when consumers pick up goods on the delivery cabinet 100, they can visually observe the goods on the conveyor belt 24 through the cover plate 25, which is convenient for consumers to pick up goods in time.

[0100] Optionally, the length of the cover plate 25 ranges from 210mm to 270mm, and the bottom outlet diameter of the delivery funnel 12 ranges from 200mm to 260mm. For example, the length of the cover plate 25 is set to 240mm, and the bottom outlet diameter of the delivery funnel 12 is set to 234mm. The outlet diameter can be the width of the inclined plate of the delivery funnel 12, so that the movement of the cover plate 25 can change the position of the goods.

[0101] Optionally, the delivery mechanism 20 further includes a baffle unit fixedly arranged on the cabinet 10 and corresponding to the delivery channel 14, the baffle unit is less than 10 mm away from the docking platform 21, and the baffle unit includes a baffle and a mounting member, and the baffle is fixedly mounted on the cabinet 10 by the mounting member. During the movement of the cover plate 25, the baffle pushes the goods on the cover plate 25 onto the conveyor belt 24, wherein the baffle of the baffle unit is fixedly mounted on the cabinet 10 by the mounting member, so as to facilitate the assembly and adjustment of the height of the baffle.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 1 and Figure 4 The shipping cabinet 100 also includes a positioning marker 16, which is arranged on the cabinet body 10. The positioning marker 16 is a V-shaped sheet metal part. The positioning marker 16 and the pickup door 15 are arranged on the same side of the cabinet body 10 and are located below the pickup door 15. The distance h1 between the bottom of the positioning marker 16 and the bottom of the pickup door 15 is greater than the distance h2 between the top of the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 and the bottom of the pickup bin 201 on the delivery robot 200, wherein the range of h1 is 450mm-550mm, and the range of h2 is 320mm-420mm. When the positioning sensor on the delivery robot 200 senses the positioning marker 16 on the cabinet body 10 and detects that the distance meets the preset value, the delivery robot 200 stops moving.

[0103] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 3 The shipping cabinet 100 also includes a controller for controlling the goods on the aisle to fall and the docking platform 21 to extend to the preset shipping position outside the cabinet 10. When the delivery robot 200 moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet 100, the horizontal distance between the pickup bin 201 and the pickup door 15 is 150mm-180mm, and the distance between the preset shipping position and the cabinet 10 is 200mm-250mm. When shipping, the controller controls the goods ordered by the consumer to fall from the aisle. When the goods fall to the docking platform 21, the controller controls the first drive component 22 to drive the docking platform 21 to extend from the pickup door 15, so that the docking platform 21 carrying the goods extends to the preset shipping position outside the cabinet 10.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present application, see Figure 4 and Figure 5 The shipping mechanism 20 also includes a first sensor, which is used to detect whether there are goods on the conveyor belt 24. If the first sensor detects that there are goods on the conveyor belt 24, the controller controls the first driving component 22 to drive the docking platform 21 to extend again, and the second driving component drives the conveyor belt 24 to transmit.

[0105] The first sensor may be disposed on the surrounding frame 23 or on the cabinet 10 .

[0106] Optionally, the first sensor may be, but is not limited to, a grating, a radar, or a camera.

[0107] The shipping cabinet 100 also includes a third driving component and a second sensor. The third driving component is used to drive the pickup door 15 to open and close. The third driving component drives the pickup door 15 to open under the control of the controller. When the docking platform 21 retracts into the shipping channel 14, the third driving component drives the pickup door 15 to close under the control of the controller. The second sensor is arranged at the pickup door 15. The second sensor is used to detect obstacles. If the second sensor detects obstacle information, the second sensor feeds back a signal to the controller. The controller controls the third driving component to drive the pickup door 15 to open again. After a preset time, the third driving component drives the pickup door 15 to close again.

[0108] Optionally, the second sensor is at least one of an infrared sensor, a light curtain sensor, a contact sensor or an ultrasonic sensor.

[0109] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 1 and Figure 4 The outer shell of the cabinet 10 is an integrally formed foam structure. By integrally forming the outer shell of the cabinet 10 with a foam material, a better heat preservation effect is achieved.

[0110] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 4 The width of the pickup door 15 is 300mm-350mm, and the length of the pickup door 15 is 400mm-450mm. In this way, goods with a size range of 30mm-3000mm and a weight range of 50g-1.5kg can be shipped from the pickup door 15, such as slippers, toothbrushes or beverages.

[0111] In one embodiment of the present application, the shipping cabinet 100 further includes a photographing mechanism, which is disposed on the cabinet body 10 and is used to photograph the shipping process of the goods. By photographing the shipping process of the goods through the photographing mechanism, it is convenient to supervise the shipping process of the goods.

[0112] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 4 The shipping cabinet 100 further includes a display screen 17, which is disposed on the cabinet body 10. The display screen 17 can be used to display pictures or play videos, etc. For example, when the shipping cabinet 100 is used in a hotel, the display screen 17 can display information about goods sold on the cabinet body 10 and play promotional videos of the hotel, photos of specialty products, or promotional videos of local tourist attractions, etc., and can also be connected to external advertising services to increase revenue for the hotel.

[0113] In one embodiment of the present application, see Figure 4, rollers 18 are provided at the bottom of the cabinet 10. By arranging the rollers 18 at the bottom of the cabinet 10, it is convenient to move the cabinet 10 to adjust the placement position of the cabinet 10.

[0114] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for shipping by an automatic container system, the automatic container system comprising a shipping container and a delivery robot, characterized in that: The automatic container system shipping method comprises: The shipping cabinet and the delivery robot respectively obtain order information; The delivery robot moves to a preset pickup position in front of the shipping container according to the order information, aligns the pickup bin of the delivery robot with the pickup door of the shipping container, and waits to receive the goods; The shipping container pushes out the goods in the inventory warehouse according to the order information, so that the goods fall onto the docking platform of the shipping container through the shipping funnel; The docking station extends from the cargo pickup door of the shipping container to extend into the cargo pickup bin; The goods on the docking station are shipped to the pickup warehouse; The delivery robot leaves the shipping container and delivers the goods.

2. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Before "the shipping container and the delivery robot respectively obtain the order information", it also includes: The number of waybills is determined based on the capacity of the delivery robot's pickup bin, the number of goods and the volume of a single good, and order information is generated, wherein one order information includes one or more waybills and one waybills includes one or more goods.

3. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: After "the docking station extends from the pickup door of the shipping container and extends into the pickup bin of the delivery robot to deliver the goods to the pickup bin of the delivery robot", it also includes; The docking station exits the pickup bin of the delivery robot; The first sensor on the shipping container detects whether the docking station has successfully shipped; If not, then execute "the docking platform extends from the pickup door of the shipping container to extend into the pickup warehouse; the goods on the docking platform are shipped to the pickup warehouse"; If so, the docking station waits for the next shipment.

4. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: When the delivery robot moves to a preset pickup position in front of the shipping container, the positioning sensor on the delivery robot recognizes characteristic information of the positioning mark on the shipping container.

5. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical height between the docking station on the shipping container and the cargo pickup bin of the delivery robot is 20 mm ± 10 mm.

6. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: When the delivery robot moves to the preset pickup position in front of the shipping cabinet, the distance between the pickup bin and the pickup door is 150mm-180mm, and the length of the docking station extending from the pickup door when shipping is 200mm-250mm.

7. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The goods on the docking station are shipped to the pickup warehouse, including: The conveyor belt of the docking station is driven to transport the goods on the conveyor belt to the pickup warehouse.

8. The method for shipping from an automatic container system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Before "after the delivery robot receives all the goods in the order information, it leaves the shipping container for delivery", it also includes: The shipping container closes the pickup door, and at the same time, a second sensor provided at the pickup door detects obstacles. If the second sensor detects obstacle information, the shipping container opens the pickup door again. After a preset time, the shipping container closes the pickup door again.

9. An automatic container system, characterized in that: include: A shipping cabinet, the shipping cabinet comprising a cabinet body and a shipping mechanism, the cabinet body being provided with a storage bin, a shipping hopper located below the storage bin, a shipping channel located below the shipping hopper, and a pickup door located at one end of the shipping channel; the shipping mechanism being arranged in the shipping channel; the shipping mechanism comprising a docking station and a first driving component for driving the docking station to extend or retract from the pickup door, the docking station comprising a conveyor belt and a second driving component for driving the conveyor belt to transmit; and A delivery robot, which can move to a preset pickup position in front of the cabinet according to order information and receive the goods conveyed by the conveyor belt.

10. The automatic container system according to claim 9, characterized in that: At least one cargo aisle is provided in the storage warehouse, and the delivery funnel is provided with an inclined plate opening corresponding to the cargo aisle, and the area of ​​the inclined plate opening is greater than or equal to the projection area of ​​the cargo aisle on the delivery funnel; The docking station also includes a frame arranged around the conveyor belt, and the frame is arranged around the conveyor belt to limit the position of the goods on the conveyor belt. The frame is provided with a delivery port at one end close to the pickup door, and a drop port is provided on the side of the frame facing the delivery funnel, and the drop port includes a first area arranged close to the delivery port and a second area arranged away from the delivery port. The area of ​​the first area is not less than the bottom outlet area of ​​the delivery funnel, and the second area can be connected with the bottom outlet of the delivery funnel accordingly, so that when the second area moves to the bottom outlet position of the delivery funnel, the goods reach the upper surface of the conveyor belt from the second area; the first area is provided with a cover plate, and the cover plate is a mesh plate or a transparent plate. The length range of the cover plate is 210mm-270mm, and the diameter range of the bottom outlet of the delivery funnel is 200mm-260mm.

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