An intelligent loading and unloading method for goods in railway freight transport

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of intelligent logistics loading and unloading sets, and particularly to an intelligent loading and unloading method for railway freight. The specific operation steps are as follows: S1: The central control system is connected to the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and the quantity of goods required for railway freight; S2: The central control system controls the left conveyor line G to run first, transports the warehouse goods in, and the intelligent walking platform is ready for operation; S3: When the goods are about to be transported to the carriage door, the intelligent walking platform accurately identifies the position of the goods through the front vision and front radar, and then clamps the pallet under the goods; S4: The intelligent walking platform lifts the goods; S5: The intelligent walking platform drives into the carriage in a crab-like manner, etc. The present invention formulates corresponding path planning according to different loading and unloading working conditions. By adopting the robot system integration technology, the loading and unloading efficiency and accuracy of railway freight are greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent logistics loading and unloading sets, and particularly to an intelligent loading and unloading method for railway freight. Compared with the traditional mechanized loading and unloading method for railway freight, this method is more intelligent and efficient, and can realize the unmanned and efficient loading and unloading process from the warehouse to the train carriage or from the train carriage to the warehouse. Background Art

[0002] In China's logistics industry, road freight accounts for a large proportion. However, in recent years, China's railway freight has made remarkable progress. In 2023, China's railway freight volume reached 5.01 billion tons, ranking first in the world. Therefore, in the future, the proportion of railway freight in the entire logistics industry is expected to increase. In order to make railway freight have sufficient competitiveness in the logistics industry, it is very crucial to improve its loading and unloading efficiency. At present, most of the loading and unloading links of railway freight adopt mechanized loading and unloading methods. The mechanized methods mainly use equipment such as forklifts, cranes, and conveyor belts. However, these devices are not convenient for loading and unloading operations inside the train carriage, and manual loading and unloading are still required inside the carriage to complete the entire loading and unloading process.

[0003] Therefore, railway freight needs a method that can realize the unmanned loading and unloading process from the warehouse to the train carriage, which can not only reduce labor costs but also significantly improve the loading and unloading efficiency of railway freight. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention relates to an intelligent loading and unloading method for railway freight. This method can be docked with the railway transportation management information system to obtain real-time railway freight plans, and formulate loading and unloading plans for goods according to the railway freight plans; it has the ability of path planning, and adopts robot system integration technology to realize the full automation of the goods loading and unloading process. The above solution greatly improves the loading and unloading efficiency of railway freight.

[0005] The loading and unloading method is based on an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot, which mainly includes an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent walking platform, a towing mechanism, a clamping mechanism, a lifting device, a front vision, a front radar, a rear vision, a rear radar system, an operation platform, a combined conveyor line, and a central control system.

[0006] A further solution is that the towing mechanism consists of a rotating gantry, a loading and unloading bottom plate, telescopic rods, connecting rods, sliding groove rods, a towing plate and a hydraulic cylinder. The towing mechanism is connected to the omnidirectional wheeled intelligent walking platform through the rotating gantry. The loading and unloading bottom plate is fixed at the lower end of the rotating gantry. One end A of the telescopic rod is connected to the sliding groove rod E, the other end B of the telescopic rod is fixed under the rotating gantry through the connecting rod, one end C of the telescopic rod is connected to the sliding groove rod F, and the other end D of the telescopic rod is fixed on the towing plate through the connecting rod. The telescopic rods are connected by a scissor structure. Since the ends A and D can move in the sliding grooves, the telescopic rods can perform reciprocating telescopic movements. A hydraulic cylinder is installed on the connecting rod. When the central control system controls the hydraulic cylinder to move forward, the telescopic rods extend forward, and then drive the towing plate to push the goods out; when the central control system controls the hydraulic cylinder to move backward, the telescopic rods retract backward, and then drive the towing plate to pull the goods back.

[0007] A further solution is that a clamping mechanism is arranged inside the towing plate. The clamping mechanism consists of a cylinder, a sliding cross beam, sliding guide rails and three adjustable clamping jaws. The sliding cross beam is connected to the cylinder and can slide within a certain range in the sliding guide rails. The three adjustable clamping jaws are evenly fixed on the sliding cross beam. When the central control system controls the cylinder to move downward or upward, the three adjustable clamping jaws also move downward or upward accordingly.

[0008] A further solution is that the lifting device consists of a braking mechanism, a lifting platform, a hydraulic cylinder, a lifting plate, a loading and unloading bottom plate, a number of low center-of-gravity casters and a number of rollers; the loading and unloading bottom plate is fixed at the lower end of the gantry of the intelligent walking platform. A number of rollers are arranged under the loading and unloading bottom plate, which can reduce the friction between the loading and unloading floor and the ground during the loading and unloading of goods, facilitating the loading and unloading of goods. A number of low center-of-gravity casters are arranged in the sliding grooves inside the loading and unloading bottom plate, and the low center-of-gravity casters can slide in the sliding grooves. The lifting plate is placed on the number of low center-of-gravity casters, and when the low center-of-gravity casters slide in the sliding grooves, the lifting plate can perform lifting movements. The braking mechanism is arranged at the bottom of the gantry of the intelligent walking platform and can stop the movement of the lifting platform during the loading and unloading of goods. The lifting platform is connected to the lifting plate through double-headed studs.

[0009] The specific implementation steps of this method are as follows.

[0010] S1: The central control system is docked with the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and the quantity of goods required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of loading and unloading goods through the built-in algorithm.

[0011] S2: The central control system controls the left conveyor line G to start running first. The conveyor line G transports the goods in the warehouse intermittently at a corresponding speed. At the place where the warehouse is connected to the conveyor line, there is a QR code scanning sensor. After identifying the QR code on the goods, it sends the information to the central control system, indicating that the goods have been shipped out. The intelligent walking platform quickly drives beside the conveyor line G and prepares for operation.

[0012] S3: When a pallet of goods is about to approach the towing plate of the towing mechanism, the intelligent walking platform accurately identifies the position of the soft pallet of the goods through the front vision front radar. Then, according to the loading program 1 written, the central control system controls the towing mechanism to extend forward to the most front. At this time, the cylinder of the clamping mechanism pushes the three adjustable claws downward to the position where the soft pallet can be clamped, and then the claws clamp the soft pallet.

[0013] S4: The central control system controls the towing mechanism to move back, and then drags the whole pallet of goods onto the loading and unloading bottom plate.

[0014] S5: Subsequently, the central control system controls the bottom steering wheels to rotate 90° synchronously towards the carriage direction, and the front vision front radar also rotates 90° towards the carriage direction to observe the internal environment of the carriage and determine the driving route. Then, the intelligent walking platform crab-walks to the middle carriage Ⅲ.

[0015] S6: The central control system controls the bottom steering wheels to rotate back 90°, and the front vision front radar also rotates back 90° to observe the environment of the left carriage Ⅰ. It identifies the goods stacking position through the front vision front radar. Subsequently, the intelligent walking platform drives to near the goods stacking position. According to the unloading program 1 written, the central control system controls the towing mechanism to slowly extend. After unloading the goods to the stacking position, the claws are loosened, and the cylinder controls the claws to move up to the initial position. At this time, the soft pallet is separated from the adjustable claws, and the loading and unloading of the goods are completed.

[0016] S7: The intelligent walking platform drives back to the middle carriage Ⅲ. The central control system controls the bottom steering wheels to rotate 90° towards the warehouse direction, and the front vision front radar rotates 90° towards the warehouse direction to observe the driving-out direction and determine the driving-out route. It crab-walks out, and then proceeds to load and unload the next pallet of goods.

[0017] S8: Repeat the above loading and unloading steps. The intelligent walking platform continues to load and unload the goods to the left carriage Ⅰ. When the left carriage Ⅰ of the train is full of goods, the central control system sends a signal to stop the left conveyor line G and start the right conveyor line H at the same time.

[0018] S9: The conveyor line H transports the goods at a corresponding speed. When the goods on the right conveyor line H are about to approach the carriage, the intelligent walking platform starts to load and unload the goods. The loading and unloading steps are the same as those in S1 to S7 above until the right carriage Ⅱ is full of goods.

[0019] S10: When the goods in the right carriage Ⅱ of the train are fully loaded, the intelligent walking platform stacks the goods onto the middle carriage Ⅲ.

[0020] S11: When the goods in the middle carriage Ⅲ are fully loaded, the central control system stops the conveyor line H, sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system, and when the next carriage arrives at the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform performs the loading and unloading of the goods in the next carriage.

[0021] A further solution is that the intelligent walking platform can not only load and unload goods carried by soft pallets, but also load and unload goods carried by hard pallets. The specific implementation steps are as follows: The intelligent walking platform quickly drives beside the conveyor line. When the goods are about to approach the lifting device, the front vision front radar accurately identifies the slot position under the hard pallet. According to the loading program 2 written by the central control system, the lifting device extends into the slot under the hard pallet. At this time, the height of the lifting plate is lower than the height of the slot under the hard pallet. According to the preset loading program, the central control system drives the hydraulic cylinder to move backward. When several low-center-of-gravity casters in the sliding groove of the loading and unloading bottom plate slide to the top of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder stops moving, and the lifting plate is at the highest position, lifting the hard pallet and the full-pallet goods off the ground. The intelligent walking platform completes the lifting of the goods. At this time, in order to prevent the goods from slipping back due to their own weight, the central control system controls the braking mechanism to clamp the lifting platform and the lifting plate, which can effectively prevent the goods from slipping back and ensure the safety of the goods loading and unloading process;

[0022] When the intelligent walking platform is ready to unload the goods, the central control system controls the braking mechanism to release, and then according to the unloading program 2 written, drives the hydraulic cylinder to move forward. When several low-center-of-gravity casters slide to the lowest position of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder stops moving, and the lifting plate descends to the lowest position. At this time, the lifting plate is separated from the hard pallet and the full-pallet goods, and the bottom surface of the hard pallet contacts the ground. The intelligent walking platform completes the loading and unloading of the goods and slowly drives out of the carriage. The method for the intelligent walking platform to drive into the carriage and drive out of the carriage is the same as the above process of loading and unloading goods carried by soft pallets.

[0023] A further solution is that the intelligent walking platform can also load and unload the goods in the right carriage Ⅱ first, then load and unload the goods in the left carriage Ⅰ, and finally load and unload the goods in the middle carriage Ⅲ. The specific implementation steps are the same as the above method for loading and unloading soft (hard) pallet goods.

[0024] A further solution is that the all-round wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot can also make the conveyor line G and the conveyor line H run towards the warehouse direction to load and unload the goods in the train carriage into the internal warehouse. The specific implementation steps are as follows.

[0025] S1: The central control system is docked with the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and the quantity of goods required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of the goods through the built-in algorithm.

[0026] S2: The central control system controls the simultaneous operation of conveyor line G and conveyor line H, and the conveyor lines transport towards the warehouse direction at corresponding speeds.

[0027] S3: The intelligent walking platform first drags out the goods in the middle of the carriage and places them on the left conveyor line G, and conveyor line G transports them to the warehouse.

[0028] S4: After the first pallet of goods is loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform drags out the second pallet of goods and places them on the right conveyor line H for transportation, then places the third pallet of goods on the left conveyor line G, and the subsequent loading and unloading steps are carried out alternately left and right as described above, doubling the loading and unloading efficiency. When the goods pass through the warehouse entrance, after the QR code sensor scans the QR code on the goods, it sends the information to the central control system, indicating that the goods have been warehoused;

[0029] S5: When the goods in the middle carriage Ⅲ are loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform then loads and unloads the goods in the left carriage Ⅰ or the right carriage Ⅱ. When the goods in this carriage are loaded and unloaded, the central control system stops the conveyor line and sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system. When the next carriage arrives at the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform performs the loading and unloading of the goods in the next carriage.

[0030] A further solution is that in the loading and unloading method, the central control system includes a central processing unit, a controller, a memory, an integrated circuit, and a human-machine interface, etc. Among them, the central processing unit is responsible for receiving and processing data from the front vision, front radar, rear vision, rear radar system and various sensors, and can send control instructions to each actuator to coordinate the normal operation between each mechanism; the controller is used to connect each actuator, and can program and algorithmize it to achieve automatic control, and the controller can monitor the operating status of each actuator in real time. Once an abnormality is found, it immediately sends a fault signal to the central processing unit to stop the intelligent walking platform and wait for maintenance personnel to repair; the memory stores the settings, configurations, operating programs and algorithms required by the central control system; the integrated circuit can process and convert various signals to ensure that the signals can be correctly transmitted in the central control system. There is a human-machine interface on the side of the main body of the intelligent walking platform, which can display the working status of the intelligent walking platform in real time and can perform simple manual operations.

[0031] A further solution is that in the soft pallet bearing type goods loading and unloading method, the conveyor lines in steps 1 and 8 are located on both sides of the carriage loading port. The conveyor lines are quickly plugged together by multiple detachable belt conveying or roller conveying units. Its total length can be adjusted according to the actual situation, and the placement position can also be flexibly adjusted according to the layout between the warehouse and the train carriage. And each conveying unit is equipped with an independent motor and can operate independently. This method enhances the adaptability of the robot system to different loading and unloading requirements.

[0032] A further solution is that in the soft pallet - carried cargo loading and unloading method, the front vision front radar in steps 2, 4, 5, and 6 is placed on the rotating gantry of the intelligent walking platform. And there is a lighting lamp on the rotating gantry, which illuminates the environment for the front vision in a dark environment. The front vision is a high - definition camera with built - in image - processing algorithms, which can identify soft pallets, hard pallets, the internal environment of the carriage, and various obstacles. The role of the front radar is to detect the distance between the soft pallet, hard pallet, the cargo stacking position and the intelligent walking platform in real time. The front vision front radar and the lighting lamp coordinate with each other and send the collected information to the central control system in real time to achieve precise operation.

[0033] A further solution is that in the soft pallet - carried cargo loading and unloading method, the steering wheels in steps 4, 5, and 6 are composed of a steering mechanism and a walking mechanism, and each steering wheel is independently controlled. The walking mechanism is driven by a walking motor to drive the rubber - coated wheel to rotate, so that the intelligent walking platform moves forward or backward. The steering mechanism rotates the steering wheel 360° through a steering gear, which can realize functions such as the lateral movement, oblique movement, and in - place turning of the intelligent walking platform, so that the intelligent walking platform can operate flexibly in the train carriage, greatly improving the loading and unloading efficiency.

[0034] A further solution is that the working platform is composed of several square frames of the same size spliced together. Its total length can be adjusted according to the actual situation and is convenient for disassembly and assembly. The placement position can also be flexibly adjusted according to the layout between the warehouse and the train carriage. This method enhances the adaptability of the robot system to different loading and unloading requirements. The plane of the working platform is flush with the conveying surface of the conveyor line and the bottom surface inside the train carriage. The working platform is for the intelligent walking platform to operate.

[0035] A further solution is that the intelligent walking platform also includes a rear vision rear radar. The rear vision adopts panoramic scanning technology, which can monitor the surrounding environment of the intelligent walking platform during operation in real time to ensure the safety of the intelligent walking platform during the operation process.

[0036] A further solution is that the central control system is connected to the railway transportation management information system through Internet of Things technology. Thus, the central control system can obtain railway transportation plans, such as when to start loading and unloading, when to complete loading and unloading, and how much cargo volume to load and unload, etc. Then, through the built - in algorithm, it calculates the time for loading and unloading goods, controls and coordinates the conveying speed of the conveyor line and the driving speed of the intelligent walking platform, so that the intelligent walking platform can load and unload the required cargo volume for railway freight transportation within the corresponding time.

[0037] Through these technical solutions, this method realizes the unmanned operation of the loading and unloading link from the warehouse to the train carriage or from the train carriage to the warehouse, improves the loading and unloading efficiency of the railway freight loading and unloading link. As the proportion of railway freight in the entire logistics industry increases in the future, this method has broad application prospects.

[0038] Advantages of the present invention: The present invention formulates corresponding path planning according to different loading and unloading working conditions. For example, when loading and unloading goods from a warehouse to a train carriage, the conveying scheme of "conveying by a single conveyor line" is adopted for conveying goods, and the loading and unloading scheme of "loading and unloading the two sides of the carriage first and then the middle of the carriage" is adopted for loading and unloading goods; when loading and unloading goods from a train carriage to a warehouse, the conveying scheme of "conveying by two conveyor lines" is adopted for conveying goods, and the loading and unloading scheme of "loading and unloading the middle of the carriage first and then the two sides of the carriage" is adopted for loading and unloading goods. This method formulates corresponding path planning according to different loading and unloading working conditions, thereby improving the loading and unloading efficiency of railway freight transportation.

[0039] The present invention adopts robot system integration technology, equipped with a controller, a memory, an integrated circuit, sensors, and a vision radar system, to automatically control the combined conveyor line and each actuator, enabling the intelligent walking platform to operate flexibly in a narrow space, realizing unmanned operation in the loading and unloading links from the warehouse to the train carriage or from the train carriage to the warehouse, and greatly improving the loading and unloading efficiency of railway freight transportation.

[0040] The present invention connects the robot system with the railway transportation management information system through the Internet of Things technology, enabling the robot system to obtain railway freight plans in real time. Thus, the robot system formulates corresponding loading and unloading plans according to the railway freight plans, improving the loading and unloading efficiency and accuracy of railway freight transportation. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0041] Figure 1 It is the loading and unloading flow chart of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 2 It is the overall scheme diagram of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 3 It is the structure diagram of the intelligent walking platform for loading and unloading soft pallet - borne goods of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 4 It is the structure diagram of the towing mechanism of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 5 It is the structure diagram of the clamping mechanism of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 6 It is the structure diagram of the intelligent walking platform for loading and unloading hard pallet - borne goods of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 7 It is the structure diagram of the lifting device of the present invention.

[0048] Figure 8 It is the partial enlarged view of the lifting device of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 9 It is the schematic diagram of the steering wheel structure of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 10 Combined conveyor line independent unit structure diagram of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 11 Structural diagram of the square platform of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of goods carried by a soft pallet of the present invention.

[0053] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of goods carried by a hard pallet of the present invention.

[0054] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of a two-dimensional code scanning sensor scanning goods of the present invention.

[0055] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of a vision radar system scanning goods and the environment inside a train carriage of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of a vision radar system scanning goods on a conveyor line and the surrounding environment of the present invention.

[0057] In the figure, 1 - two-dimensional code scanning sensor; 2 - goods; 201 - hard pallet; 202 - soft pallet; 3 - combined conveyor line; 301 - combined conveyor line independent unit; 4 - train carriage; 5 - lifting device; 501 - fixed gantry; 502 - lifting plate; 503 - loading and unloading bottom plate for hard pallet - carried goods; 504 - low - center - of - gravity caster; 505 - bottom plate roller for loading and unloading; 506 - hydraulic cylinder for lifting platform; 507 - lifting platform; 508 - stud; 6 - steering wheel; 7 - central control system; 8 - intelligent walking platform; 9 - rear vision; 10 - rear radar; 11 - front radar; 12 - front vision; 121 - lighting lamp; 13 - braking mechanism; 14 - operating platform; 141 - square platform; 15 - towing mechanism; 151 - rotating gantry; 152 - connecting rod; 153 - loading and unloading bottom plate for soft pallet - carried goods; 154 - telescopic rod; 155 - towing plate; 156 - hydraulic cylinder for towing mechanism; 157 - chute rod; 16 - clamping mechanism; 161 - clamping mechanism cylinder; 162 - sliding crossbeam; 163 - slide rail; 164 - adjustable claw. Detailed implementation manner

[0058] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and in no way limits the present application and its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0059] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of differentiating the corresponding components. Without additional statements, these terms have no special meanings, so they cannot be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present application.

[0060] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by orientation terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Without contrary explanations, these orientation terms do not indicate and imply that the devices or elements referred to must have specific orientations or be constructed and operated in specific orientations, so they cannot be understood as limiting the protection scope of the present application; the orientation terms "inside, outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of the respective components.

[0061] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment only schematically illustrate the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, only the components related to the present invention are shown in the illustrations, rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. The forms, quantities and proportions of the respective components in actual implementation may be arbitrarily changed, and the layout form of the components may also be more complex.

[0062] The present invention discloses an intelligent loading and unloading method for railway freight goods, based on an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot, mainly including an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent walking platform 8, a towing mechanism 15, a clamping mechanism 16, a lifting device 5, a pneumatic hydraulic device, a front vision 12, a front radar 11, a rear vision 9, a rear radar 10 system, a working platform 14, a combined conveyor line 3, and a central control system 7.

[0063] After the operation environment is set up, before the central control system 7 starts, the vision 12, front radar 11, rear vision 9, and rear radar 10 systems control the intelligent walking platform 8 to drive to the loading and unloading area. During the initialization process, the central control system 7 loads the written working program and the loading and unloading environment map to prepare for the upcoming loading and unloading operations. Before the operation, the central control system 7 performs self-checks on each component of the intelligent walking platform 8, towing mechanism 15, clamping mechanism 16, lifting device 5, pneumatic and hydraulic device, etc., to ensure that the robot system is in a normal working state. Then, through the vision 12, front radar 11, rear vision 9, and rear radar 10 systems, it scans the surrounding environment of the loading and unloading area and the internal environment of the carriage 4 in all directions to ensure that there are no obstacles, and plans the loading and unloading route and confirms the cargo stacking position.

[0064] S1: The central control system is docked with the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and the quantity of goods required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of the goods to be loaded and unloaded through the built-in algorithm.

[0065] S2: After the above preparations are correct, the central control system 7 issues an instruction to start the left conveyor line G. The conveyor line G conveys the goods 2 in the warehouse intermittently at an appropriate speed. After the QR code sensor 1 located at the warehouse entrance scans the QR code on the goods 2, it sends the information to the central control system 7, indicating that the goods 2 have left the warehouse. At this time, the intelligent walking platform 8 is ready for loading and unloading operations.

[0066] S3: The intelligent walking platform 8 identifies the position of the goods 2 on the conveyor line through the vision 12 and front radar 11, and at the same time quickly drives to the side of the conveyor line, and then drives the hydraulic cylinder 156 of the towing mechanism to push forward, so that the towing plate 155 extends to the frontmost position. When the goods 2 are about to approach the towing plate 155, the vision 12 and front radar 11 accurately identify the grippable part of the goods soft pallet 202. According to the written loading program 1, the cylinder 161 of the clamping mechanism pushes the sliding crossbeam 162 downward to a suitable position, and controls the adjustable gripper 164 to clamp the soft pallet 202. Then drive the hydraulic cylinder 156 of the towing mechanism to move backward, and tow the whole pallet of goods 2 onto the loading and unloading bottom plate 153. In this embodiment, through the cooperation between the written loading program 1, the vision 12, front radar 11, towing mechanism 15, and clamping mechanism 16, the accurate loading and unloading of the goods 2 are realized.

[0067] S4: The intelligent walking platform 8 observes the rear and surrounding environment through the rear vision 9 and rear radar 10. After ensuring safety, the intelligent walking platform 8 reverses to the middle of the operation platform 14. The central control system 7 controls the bottom steering wheel 6 to rotate 90° towards the carriage 4, and the vision 12 and front radar 11 also rotate 90° towards the carriage 4 to observe the internal environment of the carriage 4 and confirm the driving route.

[0068] S5: The intelligent walking platform 8 drives crab - like into carriage Ⅲ, then the central control system 7 controls the bottom steering wheels 6 to rotate back 90°, and the front vision 12 and the front radar 11 also rotate back 90° to observe the environment of carriage Ⅰ on the left and confirm the stacking position of the goods 2.

[0069] S6: The intelligent walking platform 8 moves straight to near the stacking position of the goods 2. According to the written unloading program 1, the towing mechanism 15 slowly extends. After unloading the goods 2 to the stacking position, the adjustable gripper 164 releases, separates from the goods soft pallet 202, and the intelligent walking platform 8 completes the loading and unloading process of the goods 2. At this time, the air cylinder 161 moves upward to raise the adjustable gripper 164 to the initial position, and the towing mechanism 15 moves backward to the initial position. The rear vision 9 and the rear radar 10 observe the rear environment and route, and the intelligent walking platform 8 reverses to the middle carriage Ⅲ. In this embodiment, through the cooperation of the written unloading program 1, the towing mechanism 15, and the adjustable gripper 164, the goods 2 are accurately unloaded at the stacking position.

[0070] S7: The central control system 7 controls the bottom steering wheels 6 to rotate 90° towards the warehouse direction, and the front vision 12 and the front radar 11 also rotate 90° towards the warehouse direction to observe the environment outside the carriage 4 and confirm the driving - out route, then drives out crab - like.

[0071] S8: After the intelligent walking platform 8 drives out, the central control system 7 controls the bottom steering wheels 6 and the front vision 12 and the front radar 11 to rotate 90° towards the left conveyor line G direction, quickly drives to the side of the conveyor line G, and when the next pallet of goods 2 is transported in, repeats the above loading and unloading steps.

[0072] S9: When the goods in carriage Ⅰ on the left are full, the central control system 7 controls the left conveyor line G to stop running, and at the same time makes the right conveyor line H start running. The goods 2 are transported in from the right conveyor line H, and the intelligent walking platform 8 starts the loading and unloading of the goods in carriage Ⅱ on the right.

[0073] S10: When the QR - code scanning sensor 1 scans the information of the goods 2, it sends the information to the central control system 7. The central control system 7 controls the intelligent walking platform 8 to quickly drive to the side of the right conveyor line H to wait for loading and unloading the goods 2. When the goods 2 are about to approach the towing plate 155, the intelligent walking platform 8 loads and unloads the goods 2 into carriage Ⅱ on the right.

[0074] S11: When the goods 2 in carriage Ⅱ on the right are full, the intelligent walking platform 8 stacks the goods 2 into the middle carriage Ⅲ. After the goods 2 in the middle carriage Ⅲ are full, the central control system 7 stops the conveyor line H from running, and at the same time sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system. When the railway transportation management personnel drive the next carriage to the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform 8 performs the loading and unloading of the next carriage 4. In this embodiment, through the path planning done by the robot system, the loading process adopts the sequence of "loading and unloading the two ends of the carriage first and then the middle of the carriage", and finally completes the loading and unloading of the goods 2 in the carriage.

[0075] The intelligent walking platform 8 can also load and unload hard pallet - carried goods. The specific implementation steps are as follows: The intelligent walking platform 8 quickly drives beside the conveyor line 3. When the goods 2 are about to approach the lifting device 5, the front - vision 12 and the front radar 11 accurately identify the position of the slot under the hard pallet 201, and insert the lifting device 5 into the slot under the hard pallet 201. At this time, the height of the lifting plate 502 is lower than the height of the slot under the hard pallet 201. The central control system 7 drives the hydraulic cylinder 506 to move backward according to the written loading program 2. When several low - center - of - gravity casters 504 in the sliding groove of the loading and unloading bottom plate 503 slide to the uppermost position of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder 506 stops moving. At this time, the lifting plate 502 has risen to the highest position, and the hard pallet 201 and the palletized goods 2 have left the ground. The intelligent walking platform 8 has completed the lifting of the goods 2. At this time, in order to prevent the goods 2 from slipping back due to their own weight, the central control system 7 controls the braking mechanism 13 to clamp the lifting platform 507 and the lifting plate 502, which can effectively prevent the goods 2 from slipping back and ensure the safety of the goods 2 during the loading and unloading process.

[0076] When the intelligent walking platform 8 is ready to unload the goods 2, the central control system 7 controls the braking mechanism 13 to release, and then drives the hydraulic cylinder 506 to move forward according to the written unloading program 2. When several low - center - of - gravity casters 504 slide to the lowest position of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder 506 stops moving, and the lifting plate 502 descends to the lowest position. At this time, the lifting plate 502 is separated from the hard pallet 201 and the palletized goods 2, and the bottom surface of the hard pallet 201 contacts the ground. The intelligent walking platform 8 has completed the loading and unloading of the goods 2 and slowly drives out of the carriage 4. The method for the intelligent walking platform 8 to drive into the carriage 4 and the method to drive out of the carriage 4 are the same as those in the above - mentioned soft - pallet - carried goods loading and unloading process. In this embodiment, by installing the lifting device 5, the intelligent walking platform 8 can load and unload hard - pallet - carried goods, realizing the adaptability of this loading and unloading method to different goods 2.

[0077] In addition to the above loading and unloading sequence, the intelligent walking platform 8 can also load and unload the goods in carriage II on the right first, then the goods in carriage I on the left, and finally the goods in carriage III in the middle. The specific implementation steps are the same as those in the above - mentioned soft (hard) - pallet - type goods loading and unloading method.

[0078] The all - around wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot can also make the conveyor line G and the conveyor line H run towards the warehouse direction to load and unload the goods 2 in the train carriage into the internal warehouse. The specific implementation steps are as follows.

[0079] S1: The central control system is connected to the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and the quantity of goods required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of the goods to be loaded and unloaded through the built - in algorithm.

[0080] S2: The central control system 7 controls the conveyor line G and the conveyor line H to run simultaneously, and the conveyor lines convey towards the warehouse direction at the corresponding speed.

[0081] S3: The intelligent walking platform 8 first drags the goods 2 in the middle of the carriage out and places them on the left conveyor line G, and the conveyor line G transports them to the warehouse.

[0082] S4: After the first pallet of goods is loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform 8 drags out the second pallet of goods and places them on the right conveyor line H for conveying. Then, the third pallet of goods is placed on the left conveyor line G. The subsequent loading and unloading steps are carried out in the above-mentioned left-right alternating scheme. This scheme can double the loading and unloading efficiency. When the goods 2 pass through the warehouse entrance, after the QR code sensor 1 scans the QR code on the goods 2, it sends the information to the central control system 7, indicating that the goods 2 have been warehoused.

[0083] S5: When the goods in the middle carriage Ⅲ are loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform 8 loads and unloads the goods 2 in the left carriage Ⅰ or the right carriage Ⅱ. When the goods 2 in this carriage are loaded and unloaded, the central control system 7 stops the conveyor line and sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system at the same time. When the railway transportation management personnel drive the next carriage to the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform 8 loads and unloads the goods 2 in the next carriage.

[0084] In this embodiment, through the reverse operation of the combined conveyor line, not only can the loading and unloading of the goods 2 from the warehouse to the train carriage 4 be realized, but also the loading and unloading of the goods 2 from the train carriage 4 to the warehouse can be realized, making the loading and unloading function of this loading and unloading method more perfect.

Claims

1. An intelligent cargo loading and unloading method for railway freight, characterized in that: The loading and unloading method is based on an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot, which mainly comprises an omnidirectional wheeled intelligent walking platform (8), a towing mechanism (15), a clamping mechanism (16), a lifting device (5), a pneumatic hydraulic device, a front vision (12), a front radar (11), a rear vision (9), a rear radar (10) system, an operating platform (14), a combined conveyor line (3), and a central control system (7); The towing mechanism (15) is composed of a revolving gantry (151), a loading and unloading base plate (153), a telescopic rod (154), a connecting rod (152), a slide rod (157), a towing plate (155) and a hydraulic cylinder (156); the towing mechanism (15) is connected to the omnidirectional wheeled intelligent walking platform (8) through the revolving gantry (151); the loading and unloading base plate (153) is fixed below the revolving gantry (151); the A end of the telescopic rod (154) is connected to the E end of the slide rod (157); the B end of the telescopic rod (154) is fixed below the revolving gantry (151) through the connecting rod (152); the telescopic rod (157) is fixed to the bottom of the revolving gantry (151); The C end of the telescopic rod (154) is connected to the F end of the chute rod (157); the D end of the telescopic rod (154) is fixed to the towing plate (155) through the connecting rod (152); the telescopic rods (154) are connected to each other through a scissor-type structure; since the A end and the D end can move in the chute, the telescopic rod (154) can perform reciprocating telescopic motion; the hydraulic cylinder (156) is installed on the connecting rod (152) and serves as the driving force of the telescopic rod (154); the towing plate (155) is connected to the C end and the D end of the telescopic rod (154); while the telescopic rod (154) reciprocates and telescopes, the cargo (2) can be towed; A clamping mechanism (16) is disposed inside the towing plate (155), and the clamping mechanism (16) is composed of a cylinder (161), a sliding beam (162), a sliding guide rail (163), and three adjustable clamping claws (164). The cylinder (161) is controlled by a central control system (7). The sliding beam (162) is fixed on the towing plate (155) and can slide within a certain range in the sliding guide rail (163). The three adjustable clamping claws (164) are evenly fixed on the sliding beam (162). The lifting device (5) is composed of a braking mechanism (13), a lifting platform (507), a hydraulic cylinder (506), a lifting plate (502), a loading and unloading base plate (503), a plurality of low-center-of-gravity casters (504) and a plurality of rollers (505); the loading and unloading base plate (503) is fixed to the lower end of the door frame (501) of the intelligent walking platform (8), a plurality of rollers (505) are arranged below the loading and unloading base plate (503), and a sliding groove is arranged inside the loading and unloading base plate (503). There are a plurality of low-center-of-gravity casters (504), and the lifting plate (502) is placed on the plurality of low-center-of-gravity casters (504). When the low-center-of-gravity casters (504) slide in the sliding groove, the lifting plate (502) can be driven to perform lifting movement; the braking mechanism (13) is placed at the bottom of the door frame of the intelligent walking platform (8), and can stop the lifting platform (507) from moving. The lifting platform (507) is connected to the lifting plate (502) via studs (508).

2. The loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The implementation steps are as follows: S1: The central control system (7) connects with the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and cargo volume required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of the cargo through the built-in algorithm; S2: The central control system (7) controls the left conveyor line G to start running first. The conveyor line G transports the goods (2) in the warehouse at intervals at a corresponding speed. At the same time, the intelligent walking platform (8) quickly drives to the side of the conveyor line G; S3: When the cargo (2) is about to approach the towing mechanism (15) and the towing board (155), the intelligent walking platform (8) accurately identifies the position of the cargo soft pallet (202) through the front vision (12) and the front radar (11), and then the central control system (7) controls the towing mechanism (15) to extend forward to the limit position according to the written loading program 1. At this time, the clamping mechanism (16) cylinder (161) pushes the three adjustable clamping claws (164) to move downward to the position where the soft pallet (202) can be clamped, and then the clamping claws (164) clamp the soft pallet (202); S4: the central control system (7) controls the towing mechanism (15) to move backward, thereby towing the entire pallet of goods (2) onto the loading and unloading bottom plate (153); S5: Then the central control system (7) controls the bottom steering wheel (6) to rotate 90° synchronously towards the carriage (4), and the front vision (12) and the front radar (11) also rotate 90° towards the carriage (4) to observe the internal environment of the carriage (4) and determine the driving route. At this time, the intelligent walking platform (8) drives in a crab-like manner to the middle carriage III; S6: The central control system (7) controls the bottom steering wheel (6) to rotate back 90°, and the front vision (12) and the front radar (11) also rotate back 90°, observe the direction of the left carriage I, and identify the stacking position of the goods (2) through the front vision (12) and the front radar (11). Then, the intelligent walking platform (8) drives to the vicinity of the stacking position of the goods (2). The central control system (7) controls the towing mechanism (15) to slowly extend according to the written unloading program 1. After the goods (2) are unloaded to the stacking position, the clamp (164) is released, and the cylinder (161) controls the clamp (164) to move up to the initial position. At this time, the soft tray (202) is separated from the adjustable clamp (164), and the loading and unloading of the goods (2) is completed; S7: The intelligent walking platform (8) moves back to the middle carriage III, the central control system (7) controls the bottom steering wheel (6) to rotate 90° toward the warehouse, the front vision (12) and the front radar (11) rotate 90° toward the warehouse, observe the exit direction and determine the exit route, and then crab-style exit, and then load and unload the next pallet of goods (2); S8: Repeat the above loading and unloading steps, the intelligent walking platform (8) continues to load and unload the goods (2) to the left carriage I. When the goods (2) in the left carriage I of the train are full, the central control system (7) sends a signal to stop the left conveyor line G and start the right conveyor line H at the same time; S9: The conveyor line H transports the goods (2) at a corresponding speed. When the goods (2) on the conveyor line H are about to approach the carriage (4), the intelligent walking platform (8) starts loading and unloading the goods (2). The loading and unloading steps are the same as those in S1 to S7 above, until the right carriage II is full of goods. S10: When the cargo (2) in the right carriage II of the train is full, the intelligent walking platform (8) stacks the cargo (2) in the middle carriage III; S11: When the cargo (2) in the middle carriage III is full, the central control system (7) stops the conveyor line H and sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system. After the next carriage (4) arrives at the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform (8) loads and unloads the cargo (2) in the next carriage.

3. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The intelligent walking platform (8) can also load and unload hard pallet-loaded goods, and the specific implementation steps are as follows: the intelligent walking platform (8) quickly drives to the side of the conveyor line (3). When the goods (2) are about to approach the lifting device (5), the front vision (12) and the front radar (11) accurately identify the position of the slot below the hard pallet (201), and extend the lifting device (5) into the slot below the hard pallet (201). At this time, the height of the lifting plate (502) is lower than the height of the slot below the hard pallet (201). The central control system (7) drives the hydraulic cylinder (506) to move forward according to the written loading program 2. After the movement, when the plurality of low-center-of-gravity casters (504) in the sliding groove of the loading and unloading bottom plate (503) slide to the top of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder (506) stops moving, and at this time the lifting plate (502) is in the highest position, the hard pallet (201) and the entire pallet of goods (2) are separated from the ground, and the intelligent walking platform (8) completes the lifting of the goods (2). At this time, in order to prevent the goods (2) from rolling back due to their own weight, the central control system (7) controls the braking mechanism (13) to clamp the lifting platform (507) and the lifting plate (502), thereby preventing the goods (2) from rolling back; When the intelligent walking platform (8) is ready to unload the cargo (2), the central control system (7) controls the brake mechanism (13) to release, and then drives the hydraulic cylinder (506) to push forward according to the programmed unloading program 2. When the plurality of low-center-of-gravity casters (504) slide to the lowest point of the sliding groove, the hydraulic cylinder (506) stops moving. At this time, the lifting plate (502) drops to the lowest position, the lifting plate (502) separates from the hard pallet (201) and the entire pallet of cargo (2), and the bottom surface of the hard pallet (201) contacts the ground. The intelligent walking platform (8) completes the loading and unloading of the cargo (2) and slowly drives out of the carriage (4); wherein the method for the intelligent walking platform (8) to drive into the carriage (4) and the method for driving out of the carriage (4) are the same as the above-mentioned soft pallet load-bearing cargo loading and unloading process.

4. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The intelligent walking platform (8) can also first load and unload the cargo (2) in the right compartment II, then load and unload the cargo (2) in the left compartment I, and finally load and unload the cargo (2) in the middle compartment III. The specific implementation steps are the same as steps s1-s11 described in claim 2.

5. According to the loading and unloading method of claim 2, the omnidirectional wheeled intelligent loading and unloading robot can also make the conveyor line G and the conveyor line H run towards the warehouse to load and unload the train carriage cargo (2) to the internal warehouse. The specific implementation steps are as follows: S1: The central control system (7) connects with the railway transportation management information system to obtain the loading and unloading time and cargo volume required for railway freight, and then calculates the loading and unloading speed of the cargo through the built-in algorithm; S2: The central control system (7) controls the conveyor lines G and H to run simultaneously, transporting them towards the warehouse at corresponding speeds; S3: The intelligent walking platform (8) first drags the goods (2) from the middle carriage III and places them on the left conveyor line G, which then transports them to the warehouse; S4: After the first pallet of goods is loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform (8) drags out the second pallet of goods and places it on the right conveyor line H for transportation, and then places the third pallet of goods on the left conveyor line G. The subsequent loading and unloading steps are carried out in the same manner as the above-mentioned left-right alternating scheme; S5: When the cargo (2) in the middle carriage III is loaded and unloaded, the intelligent walking platform (8) then loads and unloads the cargo (2) in the left carriage I or the cargo (2) in the right carriage II. When the cargo (2) in this carriage is loaded and unloaded, the central control system (7) sends a signal to the railway transportation management information system, and when the next carriage (4) arrives at the loading and unloading position, the intelligent walking platform (8) loads and unloads the cargo (2) in the next carriage; When loading and unloading the goods (2) to the warehouse, the conveyor line G and the conveyor line H are operated simultaneously. Compared with the operation of a single conveyor line, the loading and unloading efficiency of the goods (2) can be doubled.

6. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The central control system (7) comprises a central processing unit, a controller, a memory, an integrated circuit and a human-machine interface, wherein the central processing unit is responsible for receiving and processing data from the front vision (12), the front radar (11), the rear vision (9), the rear radar (10) system and various sensors, and can send control instructions to various actuators to coordinate the normal operation of various actuators; the controller is used to connect various actuators, and can write programs and algorithms for them to achieve automatic control, and the controller can monitor the operating status of various actuators in real time. Once an abnormality is found, the controller immediately sends a fault signal to the central processing unit to stop the intelligent walking platform (8) and wait for maintenance personnel to repair; the memory stores the settings, configurations, operating programs and algorithms required for the central control system (7); the integrated circuit can process and convert various signals to ensure that the signals can be correctly transmitted in the central control system (7); a human-machine interface is provided on the side of the main body of the intelligent walking platform (8), which can display the working status of the intelligent walking platform (8) in real time and can perform simple manual operations.

7. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conveyor line (3) of step 1 and step 8 is located on both sides of the loading port of the carriage (4). The conveyor line (3) is composed of multiple sections of detachable belt conveyor or roller conveyor units that are quickly plugged in. Its total length can be adjusted according to actual conditions, and its placement can also be flexibly adjusted according to the layout between the warehouse and the train carriage (4). Each section of the conveyor unit (301) is equipped with an independent motor and can operate independently.

8. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front vision (12) and the front radar (11) in step 2, step 4, step 5 and step 6 are placed on the revolving gantry (151) of the intelligent walking platform (8), and a lighting lamp (121) is placed on the revolving gantry (151) to illuminate the environment for the front vision (12) in a dark environment. The front vision (12) is a high-definition camera with a built-in image processing algorithm, which can clearly identify the internal environment of the cargo soft pallet (202), the hard pallet (201), the compartment (4) and various obstacles. The front radar (11) can detect the distance between the stacking position of the cargo soft pallet (202), the hard pallet (201) and the cargo (2) and the intelligent walking platform (8) in real time. The front vision (12) and the front radar (11) and the lighting lamp (121) coordinate with each other and send the collected information to the central control system (7) in real time to achieve precise operation.

9. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The steering wheel (6) in step 4, step 5 and step 6 is composed of a steering mechanism and a traveling mechanism, and each steering wheel (6) is independently controlled; the traveling mechanism drives the intelligent walking platform (8) to move forward or backward, and the steering mechanism can make the steering wheel (6) rotate 360 ​​degrees, so that the intelligent walking platform (8) can be moved horizontally, obliquely and turned on the spot, so that the intelligent walking platform (8) can be flexibly operated in the train carriage (4), greatly improving the loading and unloading efficiency.

10. The loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working platform (14) is composed of a plurality of square platforms (141) of the same size. The total length of the working platform (14) can be adjusted according to actual conditions and is easy to assemble and disassemble. The placement position can also be flexibly adjusted according to the layout between the warehouse and the train carriage (4). The plane of the working platform (14) is flush with the conveying surface of the conveyor line (3) and the inner bottom surface of the train carriage (4). The working platform (14) is provided for the intelligent walking platform (8) to operate.

11. The loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent walking platform (8) further comprises a rear vision system (9) and a rear radar (10). The rear vision system (9) adopts a panoramic scanning technology and is capable of real-time monitoring of the operating environment of the intelligent walking platform (8), thereby ensuring the safety of the intelligent walking platform (8) during operation.

12. The loading and unloading method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The central control system (7) is connected to the railway transportation management information system through the Internet of Things technology, so that the central control system can obtain the railway transportation plan; then the time for loading and unloading goods is calculated through the built-in algorithm, and the conveying speed of the conveyor line and the driving speed of the intelligent walking platform are controlled and coordinated, so that the intelligent walking platform (8) can load and unload the amount of goods required for railway freight within the corresponding time.

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