Stacker rail transfer system and stacker transportation management method

Abstract

The invention relates to a stacker rail transfer system and a stacker transportation management method, the stacker rail transfer system comprises a main rail, branch rails and a rail transfer mechanism, and the main rail comprises a plurality of segmented rails arranged at intervals; the plurality of branch rails are arranged on one side of the main rail, the plurality of branch rails are correspondingly arranged between two adjacent segmented rails of the main rail, and each branch rail and the segmented rails on the two sides of the branch rail are arranged at intervals; the multiple track transfer mechanisms are correspondingly arranged between the two adjacent segmented tracks and the branch tracks of the main track, each track transfer mechanism comprises a track transfer driving source, a main path splicing track and a branch path splicing track, and the track transfer driving sources drive the main path splicing tracks and the branch path splicing tracks to move synchronously. The communication between the main road splicing track and the two segmented tracks in the main track can be realized, or the communication between the branch road splicing track and one segmented track and the branch track in the main track can be realized. The invention aims to improve the operation efficiency and reliability of the stacking machine in a storage environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of stacker transportation, and in particular to a stacker track changing system and a stacker transportation management method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of modern logistics and warehousing industries, automated warehousing systems have gradually become an important means to improve warehouse operation efficiency and management level. In this context, as one of the key equipment in automated warehousing systems, the role of stackers has become increasingly prominent. Stackers are mainly used to transport and store goods inside warehouses. In order to achieve efficient cargo management, stackers need to be able to move flexibly between different storage areas. Therefore, the design of stacker track change systems has become the focus of research.

[0003] Traditional stacker crane track change systems usually adopt a single main track design supplemented by a few fixed branch tracks. Although this design is simple, it has many limitations in practical applications. For example, when goods need to be moved from one storage area to another, the stacker crane must travel a long distance to complete the task, which not only wastes time but also increases energy consumption. In addition, the single track design makes it easy for multiple stackers to be congested when running on the same track, affecting the overall efficiency of the system.

[0004] In order to overcome the above problems, some improvement measures have been proposed. Some systems introduce more branch tracks so that the stacker can reach the target location faster. For example, Publication No.: CN115072240A, Invention Name: A Chinese Invention Patent of a New Type of Turnout Mechanism for Stacker Track Change Travel, multiple track change mechanisms are set to guide the stacker to move in different storage areas. However, in actual application, these improvement measures still have shortcomings:

[0005] Complex structure: Increasing the number of branch tracks will increase the complexity of the system. When switching tracks, multiple track-changing mechanisms need to operate synchronously to complete the track-changing action;

[0006] Insufficient flexibility: Traditional track change systems cannot flexibly cope with complex layout changes within the warehouse, especially when multiple stacker cranes are running at the same time. Only one track change fulcrum is set at the center, which is prone to path conflicts and congestion.

[0007] Poor scalability: As warehouses expand and business needs change, it is difficult for existing systems to meet new needs through simple expansion, resulting in a short system life cycle. Summary of the invention

[0008] To this end, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the problems of complex structure, insufficient flexibility and poor scalability of the track changing mechanism in the prior art. The present invention provides a stacker track changing system and a stacker transportation management method. The system and method optimize the layout of the main track and the branch track, and design a flexible and efficient track changing mechanism, in order to improve the operating efficiency and reliability of the stacker in a storage environment.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a stacker track changing system, comprising:

[0010] A main track, the main track comprising a plurality of segmented tracks arranged at intervals;

[0011] A plurality of branch tracks, each of which is arranged on one side of the main track, each of which is arranged between two adjacent segmented tracks of the main track, and each of which is spaced apart from the segmented tracks on both sides thereof;

[0012] Multiple track-changing mechanisms are respectively arranged between two adjacent segmented tracks and the branch track of the main track, and each of the track-changing mechanisms includes: a track-changing drive source, a main-road splicing track and a branch-road splicing track. The track-changing drive source drives the main-road splicing track and the branch-road splicing track to move synchronously, so as to realize the connection between the main-road splicing track and two segmented tracks in the main track, or the connection between the branch-road splicing track and a segmented track and the branch track in the main track.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the track-changing mechanism is used to connect the branch splicing track with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that a stacker on any branch track can enter the main track.

[0014] The multiple track-changing mechanisms independently change tracks and operate, so that the stacker on each branch track can operate independently, and the multiple stackers can enter the main track individually or synchronously without interfering with each other.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the track-changing mechanism connects the main splicing track with the two segmented tracks in the main track, and the stacker can move to both sides on the main track;

[0016] When the stacker moves to both sides on the main track, the multiple track-changing mechanisms change tracks synchronously, and the main road splicing track in each track-changing mechanism is connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track, and the stacker on the branch track cannot enter the main track.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the stacker on any branch track can enter other branch tracks through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism;

[0018] First, the branch splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that the stacker on any branch track can enter the main track, and then the main splicing track is connected with two segmented tracks in the main track, so that the stacker can move to both sides on the main track. Finally, the branch splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that the stacker on the main track can enter any branch track.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the branch splicing track is bent, and the branch splicing tracks on two track changing mechanisms located at both ends of the multiple track changing mechanisms are bent inward, so that the branch track is connected to a segmented track located on the inner side, forming at least one loop that can connect multiple branch tracks.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the branch splicing tracks on the multiple track changing mechanisms located in the middle of the multiple track changing mechanisms are arranged to have the same bending direction, so that the multiple branch tracks can be connected to the branch track at one end to form a loop.

[0021] In one embodiment of the present invention, the branch splicing tracks on two adjacent track changing mechanisms among the multiple track changing mechanisms are bent in opposite directions to form multiple groups of loops that can connect two adjacent branch tracks.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, the track change mechanism further includes:

[0023] Base;

[0024] A mounting plate is slidably arranged on the base, the main splicing track and the branch splicing track are both fixed on the mounting plate, the mounting plate is connected to the track change driving source, and the track change driving source drives the mounting plate to slide on the base to realize the track change action of switching the main splicing track and the branch splicing track;

[0025] The limit mechanism includes two limit sensors arranged on the base and a baffle arranged on the mounting plate. The baffle moves under the drive of the track change driving source and can cooperate with the two limit sensors respectively to determine the moving position of the mounting plate.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the track changing mechanism also includes a locking mechanism, which includes: a locking pin arranged on the base and a locking block arranged on the mounting plate, two pin holes are provided on the locking block, and after the mounting plate slides and switches between the two track changing positions, the locking pin can be inserted into the two pins respectively.

[0027] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention also provides a stacker crane transportation management method, which is implemented by applying the above stacker crane track change system, and includes the following steps:

[0028] According to the requirements of the transportation task, the track changing mechanism is selectively controlled to perform the track changing action, so that the main track splicing track is connected with two segmented tracks in the main track, or the branch track splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track;

[0029] When the stacker needs to enter the main track from the branch track, the corresponding track-changing mechanism is controlled to connect the branch track with a segmented track in the main track and the branch track, allowing the stacker to move from the branch track to the main track;

[0030] When the stacker needs to move along the main track, all relevant track-changing mechanisms are controlled to connect the main track splicing track with the two segmented tracks in the main track to ensure that the stacker can move freely on the main track;

[0031] When the stacker needs to move from the main track to another branch track, first control the relevant track-changing mechanism to keep the main track splicing track connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track, so that the stacker can reach the target position, and then control the track-changing mechanism near the target position to connect the branch track splicing track with a segmented track in the main track and the target branch track, so that the stacker can transfer to the target branch track;

[0032] Among them, each track changing mechanism can operate independently, so that multiple stackers can switch between different tracks independently or simultaneously without affecting each other.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the stacker crane track changing system and stacker crane transportation management method of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0034] 1. Multi-track design: The main track is composed of multiple segmented tracks. Multiple branch tracks are set on one side of the main track, and each branch track is set between two adjacent segmented tracks of the main track. This design allows the stacker to switch flexibly between the main track and the branch track without complex cross tracks, making the layout of the entire storage space simple and the stacker operation route clear.

[0035] 2. Independent track change operation: Each track change mechanism can operate independently, which means that the stackers on multiple branch tracks can operate independently without interfering with each other; this design improves the parallel processing capability of the system and reduces waiting time and congestion; when the stacker needs to move to both sides on the main track, multiple track change mechanisms can change tracks synchronously to ensure that the main road splicing track is connected to the two segmented tracks in the main track, thereby ensuring the smooth movement of the stacker, and at the same time preventing the stacker on other branch tracks from entering the main track to prevent the stacker from colliding.

[0036] 3. Multi-mode switching: Through the track-changing action of the track-changing mechanism, the main track splicing track can be connected with two segmented tracks in the main track, or the branch track splicing track can be connected with a segmented track and the branch track in the main track; this multi-mode switching mechanism allows the stacker to flexibly select the path according to the task requirements.

[0037] 4. Easy to expand: The design of a single-sided branch track and a main track makes the system more flexible when expanding; when the warehouse scale expands or business needs change, the system can be expanded by adding new branch tracks and track change mechanisms without large-scale modifications to the existing system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to make the content of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below according to specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0039] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the stacker track changing system of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the stacker of the present invention entering the main track from the branch track;

[0041] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the stacker of the present invention running on the main track;

[0042] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the stacker of the present invention entering from one branch track to another branch track for operation;

[0043] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the track changing mechanism.

[0044] Explanation of the reference numerals in the specification: 1. main track; 2. branch track; 21. first branch track; 22. second branch track; 23. third branch track; 3. track changing mechanism; 31. first track changing mechanism; 32. second track changing mechanism; 33. third track changing mechanism; 311. track changing drive source; 312. main road splicing track; 313. branch road splicing track; 314. base; 315. mounting plate; 316. limiting mechanism; 317. locking mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present invention and implement it, but the embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a stacker track changing system, comprising: a main track 1, a plurality of branch tracks 2 and a plurality of track changing mechanisms 3, wherein: the main track 1 is composed of a plurality of segmented tracks arranged at intervals, the plurality of branch tracks 2 are arranged on one side of the main track 1, the plurality of branch tracks 2 are respectively arranged between two adjacent segmented tracks of the main track 1, each branch track 2 and the segmented tracks on both sides of the branch track 2 are arranged at intervals to form a convergence space, the plurality of track changing mechanisms 3 are respectively arranged in the convergence space between two adjacent segmented tracks of the main track 1 and the branch track 2, and each track changing mechanism 3 comprises : A track-changing driving source 311, a main road splicing track 312 and a branch road splicing track 313, the track-changing driving source 311 drives the main road splicing track 312 and the branch road splicing track 313 to move synchronously, the track-changing driving source 311 can move at two fixed positions, at one of the fixed positions the main road splicing track 312 can be connected with two segmented tracks in the main track 1, and at the other fixed position the branch road splicing track 313 can be connected with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2, the two connection states cannot exist at the same time, and the track-changing driving source 311 is required to control the switching of the connection states.

[0048] Specifically, a stacker is arranged on each of the branch rails 2, and storage bins for storing goods are arranged on both sides of each of the branch rails 2. A plurality of branch rails 2 can be docked with the main rail 1, so that the stacker can flexibly switch between the main rail 1 and the branch rail 2, and can enter the main rail 1 from the branch rail 2, and then enter different branch rails 2 from the main rail 1 respectively. There are no complicated cross rails, which makes the layout of the entire storage space simple and the stacker operation route clear.

[0049] Each stacker can run independently on its own track without interfering with each other, which improves the parallel processing capability of the system and reduces waiting time and congestion.

[0050] Furthermore, when it is necessary to move the stacker to both sides on the main track 1, multiple track changing mechanisms 3 can synchronously change tracks to ensure that the main road splicing track 312 is connected to the two segmented tracks in the main track 1, thereby ensuring the smooth movement of the stacker. At the same time, it can prevent the stacker on other branch tracks 2 from entering the main track 1, preventing the stacker from colliding.

[0051] Specifically, through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism 3, the main road splicing track 312 can be connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1, or the branch road splicing track 313 can be connected with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2; this multi-mode switching mechanism allows the stacker to flexibly select the path according to the task requirements, for example: the stacker is set to run to both sides on the main track 1 and run to different workstations to complete the docking action, or the stacker can be set to run on multiple branch tracks 2 to complete the handling of goods in storage warehouses in multiple branch tracks 2.

[0052] Specifically, in the embodiment, all branch rails 2 are arranged on one side of the main rail 1, and multiple branch rails 2 can be arranged correspondingly along the extension direction of the main rail 1, so that the system is more flexible when expanding; when the warehouse scale expands or business needs change, the system can be expanded by adding new branch rails 2 and track changing mechanisms 3 without the need for large-scale modifications to the existing system.

[0053] Reference Figure 2 to Figure 4 As shown, in the present embodiment, taking the setting of three branch rails 2 and three track changing mechanisms 3 as an example, the stacker track changing system of the present embodiment is further explained: wherein: the three branch rails 2 are respectively the first branch rail 21, the second branch rail 22 and the third branch rail 23, stacker No. 4 runs on the first branch rail 21, stacker No. 5 runs on the second branch rail 22, and stacker No. 6 runs on the third branch rail 23, and correspondingly, a first track changing mechanism 31 is arranged between the first branch rail 21 and the main rail 1, a second track changing mechanism 32 is arranged between the second branch rail 22 and the main rail 1, and a third track changing mechanism 33 is arranged between the third branch rail 23 and the main rail 1.

[0054] There are mainly three working modes corresponding to the above-mentioned track change mechanism 3:

[0055] 1. In normal working mode, the stacker on each branch track 2 operates independently on its own branch track 2;

[0056] 2. In the operation mode of the main track 1, the track changing mechanism 3 is used to connect the branch splicing track 313 with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2, so that the stacker on any branch track 2 can enter the main track 1;

[0057] Specifically, a first workstation and a second workstation are respectively arranged on both sides of the main track 1. The stacker on each branch track 2 needs to go to the first workstation and the second workstation to complete the corresponding maintenance actions. When performing maintenance, the track changing action of the track changing mechanism 3 is used to connect the main road splicing track 312 with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1, and the stacker can move to both sides on the main track 1.

[0058] 3. In the operation mode of multiple branch tracks 2, when the stacker in one of the branch tracks 2 enters the first and second stations of the two layers of the main track 1 for maintenance, or when the stackers on multiple branch tracks 2 need to be moved to other branch tracks 2 to realize the transportation of goods between different branch tracks 2, the stacker on any branch track 2 can enter other branch tracks 2 through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism 3;

[0059] Specifically, the branch splicing rail 313 is first connected with a segmented rail in the main rail 1 and the branch rail 2, so that the stacker on any branch rail 2 can enter the main rail 1, and then the main splicing rail 312 is connected with two segmented rails in the main rail 1, so that the stacker can move to both sides on the main rail 1, and finally, the branch splicing rail 313 is connected with a segmented rail in the main rail 1 and the branch rail 2, so that the stacker in the main rail 1 can enter any branch rail 2.

[0060] Reference Figure 2 As shown, taking stacker No. 4 on the first branch rail 21 as an example, during normal operation, stacker No. 4 can reciprocate on the first branch rail 21. When stacker No. 4 needs to move from the first branch rail 21 to the main rail 1, the branch splicing rail 313 is connected with a segmented rail in the main rail 1 and the branch rail 2 through the rail changing action of the first rail changing mechanism 31, and stacker No. 4 can enter the main rail 1.

[0061] Similarly, stacker No. 5 on the second branch track 22 and stacker No. 6 on the third branch track 23 can also enter the main track 1 through the track changing actions of the second track changing mechanism 32 and the third track changing mechanism 33; multiple track changing mechanisms 3 independently change tracks to operate, so that the stacker on each branch track 2 can operate independently, and multiple stackers can enter the main track 1 individually or synchronously without interfering with each other; in actual operation, if multiple stackers enter the main track 1 at the same time, the multiple stackers are controlled synchronously to prevent multiple stackers from colliding on the main track 1, and, in actual control, when a stacker enters from the branch track 2, its main track 1 is disconnected, and the stacker is not allowed to travel on the main track 1 at this time.

[0062] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, taking stacker No. 4 on the first branch track 21 as an example, after stacker No. 4 moves from the first branch track 21 to the main track 1, the first track changing mechanism 31, the second track changing mechanism 32, and the third track changing mechanism 33 perform synchronous track changing actions to connect the main road splicing track 312 in the first track changing mechanism 31, the second track changing mechanism 32, and the third track changing mechanism 33 with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1, so that all the segmented tracks of the entire main track 1 are connected, and stacker No. 4 can move to both sides on the main track 1 and can enter the first workstation and the second workstation respectively.

[0063] Similarly, the stacker No. 5 on the second branch track 22 and the stacker No. 6 on the third branch track 23 can also enter the main track 1 in the above manner and move on the main track 1.

[0064] Specifically, when stacker No. 4 moves to both sides on the main track 1, multiple track changing mechanisms 3 change tracks synchronously, and the main road splicing track 312 in each track changing mechanism 3 is connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1. The stacker on the branch track 2 cannot enter the main track 1. At this time, the stacker entering the main track 1 will not collide with the stacker running on the main track 1.

[0065] Reference Figure 4As shown, after the stacker No. 5 on the second branch track 22 enters the main track 1 and moves to the first workstation, when the first workstation is undergoing maintenance, if it is necessary to perform stacking tasks in the storage bins on both sides of the second branch track 22, at this time, it is necessary to control the stacker No. 4 on the first branch track 21 to enter the second branch track 22, first connect the branch splicing track 313 of the first track changing mechanism 31 with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2, so that the stacker No. 4 enters the main track 1, and then connect the main splicing tracks 313 of the first track changing mechanism 31 and the second track changing mechanism 32. The connection between the connecting track 312 and the two segmented tracks in the main track 1 enables stacker No. 4 to move on the main track 1. When stacker No. 4 moves to a position where it can enter the second branch track 22, the branch splicing track 313 in the second track changing mechanism 32 is connected with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2, so that stacker No. 4 in the main track 1 enters the second branch track 22; it can not only assist stacker No. 5 to complete the stacking action, but also transport the goods stored in the storage bins on both sides of the first branch track 21 to the storage bins on both sides of the second branch track 22.

[0066] In other embodiments, stacker No. 6 on the third branch track 23 can also be controlled to enter the second branch track 22, and stacker No. 6 can assist stacker No. 5 to complete the stacking action. The goods stored in the storage bins on both sides of the third branch track 23 can also be transported to the storage bins on both sides of the second branch track 22.

[0067] Similarly, after stacker No. 4 on the first branch rail 21 enters the main rail 1 and moves to the first workstation, when the first workstation is undergoing maintenance, stacker No. 5 in the second branch rail 22 or stacker No. 6 on the third branch rail 23 can also be controlled to enter the first branch rail 21; after stacker No. 6 on the third branch rail 23 enters the main rail 1 and moves to the first workstation, when the first workstation is undergoing maintenance, stacker No. 4 in the first branch rail 21 or stacker No. 5 on the second branch rail 22 can also be controlled to enter the third branch rail 23.

[0068] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 4As shown, because the bending directions of the branch joint tracks 313 of the first track-changing mechanism 31 and the second track-changing mechanism 32 are the same, stacker No. 4 cannot directly enter the second branch track 22 from the first branch track 21 through the main track 1. It is necessary to first control the first track-changing mechanism 31 to perform the track-changing action, lead stacker No. 4 from the first branch track 21 to the main track 1, and then control the second track-changing mechanism 32 to perform the track-changing action, move stacker No. 4 on the main track 1 through the second track-changing mechanism 32, and finally control the second track-changing mechanism 32 to perform the track-changing action, move stacker No. 4 from the main track 1 to the second branch track 22;

[0069] It can be seen from the above-mentioned execution actions that in the track changing mechanism 3, the bending and splicing direction of the branch splicing rail 313 will directly affect the execution complexity of the track changing system. For this reason, according to the actual usage situation, it is also necessary to restrict the branch splicing rails 313 in multiple track changing mechanisms 3, so as to optimize the operation strategy of the stacker in the entire track changing system.

[0070] Specifically, in order to achieve rapid connection between the branch rails 2 at the outermost ends and the inner branch rails 2, the branch splicing rails 313 on the two track changing mechanisms 3 at the two ends of the multiple track changing mechanisms 3 are bent inward, that is, the branch splicing rails 313 are bent in multiple directions where the branch rails 2 are present. In the present embodiment, the first branch rail 21 is bent to the right, and the third branch rail 23 is bent to the left. In this way, the branch rail 2 can be connected to a segmented rail located on the inner side to form at least one loop that can connect multiple branch rails 2. In this way, there is at least one route that can achieve the connection between the two branch rails 2 without changing the track, and no matter what the bending direction of the branch splicing rail 313 in the middle track changing mechanism 3 is, it can be connected to the track changing mechanism 3 at both ends.

[0071] For example: in the present embodiment, the branch splicing tracks 313 in the second track changing mechanism 32 and the third track changing mechanism 33 are respectively connected to the main track 1. At this time, the track changing mechanism 3 does not need to perform the track changing action, so that the stacker No. 5 and the stacker No. 6 can be interconnected in the second branch track 22 and the third branch track 23, thereby further improving the flexibility and transportation efficiency of the track changing system.

[0072] Combined with the actual usage, the above track change system is further optimized. There are mainly two situations:

[0073] The first type is that in actual storage stacking, one of the branch tracks 2 is set to correspond to the storage bins set on both sides as the main storage bin, which realizes the interaction between the entire storage system and the outside, and all incoming and outgoing goods need to pass through the main storage bin. In this case, it is necessary to set other branch tracks 2 to form a fast connection with the branch track 2;

[0074] In order to achieve the above-mentioned warehouse management, when setting up the track changing mechanism 3, the bending directions of the branch splicing tracks 313 on the multiple track changing mechanisms 3 located in the middle among the multiple track changing mechanisms 3 can be set to be consistent, so that the multiple branch tracks 2 can be connected to the branch tracks 2 at one end to form a loop.

[0075] For example: in the present embodiment, the branch splicing rails 313 in the first track-changing mechanism 31 and the second track-changing mechanism 32 are both bent toward the direction of the third track-changing mechanism 33, and the branch splicing rails 313 in the third track-changing mechanism 33 are bent toward the direction of the first track-changing mechanism 31 and the second track-changing mechanism 32, and the third branch rail 23 corresponding to the third track-changing mechanism 33 is used as a rail distributed along the main storage bin. In actual use, the branch splicing rails 313 in the second track-changing mechanism 32 and the third track-changing mechanism 33 are respectively connected to the main rail 1, so that the second branch rail 22 and the third branch rail 23 can be directly connected. Similarly, the branch splicing rails 313 in the first track-changing mechanism 31 and the third track-changing mechanism 33 are respectively connected to the main rail 1, and the main road splicing rail 312 in the second track-changing mechanism 32 is connected to the main rail 1, so that the first branch rail 21 and the third branch rail 23 can be directly connected. In this way, different branch rails 2 can be quickly connected with one of the branch rails 2.

[0076] The second type is that in actual warehouse stacking, when the stacker on one of the branch rails 2 enters the first workstation and the second workstation for maintenance, in order to enable the stacker on the adjacent branch rail 2 to move quickly to the branch rail 2, multiple track changing mechanisms 3 are set, and the branch splicing rails 313 on two adjacent track changing mechanisms 3 have opposite bending directions, forming multiple groups of loops that can connect two adjacent branch rails 2.

[0077] For example: in the present embodiment, the branch splicing rails 313 in the second track changing mechanism 32 and the third track changing mechanism 33 are bent in opposite directions, thus forming a set of loops connecting the second branch rail 22 and the third branch rail 23. In this way, when stacker No. 5 in the second track changing mechanism 32 needs maintenance, the branch splicing rails 313 in the second track changing mechanism 32 and the third track changing mechanism 33 are respectively connected to the main rail 1. At this time, the track changing mechanism 3 does not need to perform the track changing action, and the movement of stacker No. 6 in the second branch rail 22 and the third branch rail 23 can be realized, so that stacker No. 6 can quickly perform stacking tasks on the two branch rails 2 respectively.

[0078] In other embodiments, if there are four branch rails 2, the first branch rail 21 and the second branch rail 22 may be arranged to be quickly connected, the third branch rail 23 and the fourth branch rail 2 may be arranged to be quickly connected, and so on. The connection status is determined according to the number of branch rails 2, and examples are not given here one by one.

[0079] Reference Figure 5 As shown, the track-changing mechanism 3 also includes: a base 314, a mounting plate 315 and a limiting mechanism 316, wherein the base 314 is fixed on the ground, a slide groove is provided on the base 314, the mounting plate 315 is slidably arranged in the slide groove of the base 314, the main road splicing track 312 and the branch road splicing track 313 are both fixed on the mounting plate 315, the track-changing driving source 311 is fixed on the base 314, the output end of the track-changing driving source 311 is connected to the mounting plate 315, the track-changing driving source 311 drives the mounting plate 315 to slide on the base 314, so as to realize the switching track-changing action of the main road splicing track 312 and the branch road splicing track 313, through the slide groove, the sliding direction of the mounting plate 315 can be limited, the main road splicing track 312 and the branch road splicing track 313 can be accurately docked with the main track 1 and the branch track 2 respectively, and the accuracy of the moving position is ensured by the limiting mechanism 316;

[0080] Specifically, the limit mechanism 316 includes two limit sensors arranged on the base 314 and a baffle arranged on the mounting plate 315. The limit sensors and the baffle cooperate with each other and adopt the principle of photoelectric limit. The baffle moves under the drive of the track change drive source 311. When the baffle blocks the detection light emitted by the limit sensor, a signal is sent, and the track change drive source 311 stops moving. At this time, it is determined that the mounting plate 315 can be moved to the specified position to ensure that the main road splicing track 312 and the branch road splicing track 313 are accurately docked with the main track 1 and the branch track 2 respectively.

[0081] Specifically, when the stacker moves on the track changing mechanism 3, certain vibrations and impacts may be generated. In order to ensure that the positions of the main road splicing rail 312 and the branch road splicing rail 313 remain unchanged under the influence of the vibrations and impacts, it is necessary to fix the position of the mounting plate 315. Therefore, in this embodiment, a locking mechanism 317 is also provided on the track changing mechanism 3. The locking mechanism 317 includes: a locking pin arranged on the base 314 and a locking block arranged on the mounting plate 315, and two pin holes are provided on the locking block. After the mounting plate 315 slides to switch between the two track changing positions, the locking pin can be respectively inserted into the two pins, and the position of the mounting plate 315 can be fixed through the cooperation of the pin holes to prevent the mounting plate 315 from sliding.

[0082] Example 2

[0083] Based on the above embodiment 1, the present invention further discloses a stacker crane transportation management method, which is implemented by applying the above stacker crane track change system, and includes the following steps:

[0084] According to the requirements of the transportation task, the track changing mechanism 3 is selectively controlled to perform the track changing action, so that the main road splicing track 312 is connected with two segmented tracks in the main track 1, or the branch road splicing track 313 is connected with one segmented track in the main track 1 and one branch track 2;

[0085] When the stacker needs to enter the main track 1 from the branch track 2, the corresponding track change mechanism 3 is controlled to connect the branch splicing track 313 with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the branch track 2, allowing the stacker to move from the branch track 2 to the main track 1;

[0086] When the stacker needs to move along the main track 1, all relevant track-changing mechanisms 3 are controlled to connect the main track splicing track 312 with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1, so as to ensure that the stacker can move freely on the main track 1;

[0087] When the stacker needs to enter another branch track 2 from the main track 1, the relevant track change mechanism 3 is first controlled to keep the main road splicing track 312 connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track 1 so that the stacker can reach the target position, and then the track change mechanism 3 near the target position is controlled to connect the branch road splicing track 313 with a segmented track in the main track 1 and the target branch track 2 so that the stacker can transfer to the target branch track 2;

[0088] Among them, each track-changing mechanism 3 can operate independently, so that multiple stackers can switch between different tracks independently or simultaneously without affecting each other;

[0089] The stacker transport management method described in the present invention can improve the operating efficiency and reliability of the stacker in a storage environment. The execution actions and beneficial effects of this method have been clearly described in the above embodiment 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0090] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely examples for the purpose of clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the implementation methods here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A stacker track changing system, characterized in that: include: A main track, the main track comprising a plurality of segmented tracks arranged at intervals; A plurality of branch tracks, each of which is arranged on one side of the main track, each of which is arranged between two adjacent segmented tracks of the main track, and each of which is spaced apart from the segmented tracks on both sides thereof; Multiple track-changing mechanisms are respectively arranged between two adjacent segmented tracks and the branch track of the main track, and each of the track-changing mechanisms includes: a track-changing drive source, a main-road splicing track and a branch-road splicing track. The track-changing drive source drives the main-road splicing track and the branch-road splicing track to move synchronously, so as to realize the connection between the main-road splicing track and two segmented tracks in the main track, or the connection between the branch-road splicing track and a segmented track and the branch track in the main track.

2. The stacker track changing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism, the branch splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that the stacker on any branch track can enter the main track; The multiple track-changing mechanisms independently change tracks and operate, so that the stacker on each branch track can operate independently, and the multiple stackers can enter the main track individually or synchronously without interfering with each other.

3. The stacker track changing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism, the main road splicing track is connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track, and the stacker can move to both sides on the main track; When the stacker moves to both sides on the main track, the multiple track-changing mechanisms change tracks synchronously, and the main road splicing track in each track-changing mechanism is connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track, and the stacker on the branch track cannot enter the main track.

4. The stacker track changing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through the track changing action of the track changing mechanism, the stacker on any branch track can enter other branch tracks; First, the branch splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that the stacker on any branch track can enter the main track, and then the main splicing track is connected with two segmented tracks in the main track, so that the stacker can move to both sides on the main track. Finally, the branch splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track, so that the stacker on the main track can enter any branch track.

5. The stacker track changing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The branch splicing track is bent, and the branch splicing tracks on two track changing mechanisms at both ends of the multiple track changing mechanisms are bent inward, so that the branch track is connected to a segmented track located on the inside, forming at least one loop that can connect multiple branch tracks.

6. The stacker track changing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bending directions of the branch splicing tracks on the multiple track changing mechanisms located in the middle of the multiple track changing mechanisms are arranged to be consistent, so that the multiple branch tracks can be connected to the branch track at one end to form a loop.

7. The stacker track changing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The branch splicing tracks on two adjacent track changing mechanisms among the multiple track changing mechanisms are bent in opposite directions to form multiple groups of loops that can connect two adjacent branch tracks.

8. The stacker track changing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The track change mechanism also includes: Base; A mounting plate is slidably arranged on the base, the main splicing track and the branch splicing track are both fixed on the mounting plate, the mounting plate is connected to the track change driving source, and the track change driving source drives the mounting plate to slide on the base to realize the track change action of switching the main splicing track and the branch splicing track; The limit mechanism includes two limit sensors arranged on the base and a baffle arranged on the mounting plate. The baffle moves under the drive of the track change driving source and can cooperate with the two limit sensors respectively to determine the moving position of the mounting plate.

9. The stacker track changing system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The track changing mechanism also includes a locking mechanism, which includes: a locking pin arranged on the base and a locking block arranged on the mounting plate, two pin holes are provided on the locking block, and after the mounting plate slides to switch between two track changing positions, the locking pin can be inserted into the two pins respectively.

10. A stacker transport management method, characterized in that: The stacker track changing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used to complete the process, comprising the following steps: According to the requirements of the transportation task, the track changing mechanism is selectively controlled to perform the track changing action, so that the main track splicing track is connected with two segmented tracks in the main track, or the branch track splicing track is connected with a segmented track and a branch track in the main track; When the stacker needs to enter the main track from the branch track, the corresponding track-changing mechanism is controlled to connect the branch track with a segmented track in the main track and the branch track, allowing the stacker to move from the branch track to the main track; When the stacker needs to move along the main track, all relevant track-changing mechanisms are controlled to connect the main track splicing track with the two segmented tracks in the main track to ensure that the stacker can move freely on the main track; When the stacker needs to move from the main track to another branch track, first control the relevant track-changing mechanism to keep the main track splicing track connected with the two segmented tracks in the main track, so that the stacker can reach the target position, and then control the track-changing mechanism near the target position to connect the branch track splicing track with a segmented track in the main track and the target branch track, so that the stacker can transfer to the target branch track; Among them, each track changing mechanism can operate independently, so that multiple stackers can switch between different tracks independently or simultaneously without affecting each other.

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