Robot docking station, transfer system and storage workstation

Abstract

The invention provides a robot transfer station, a transfer system and a storage workstation, and the robot transfer station comprises a rack, a transfer station, a transfer station and a storage station, the carrying mechanism is movably connected with the rack, and the carrying mechanism is used for carrying the material box set between the stacking position and the temporary storage position; the material box set comprises at least one material box, and the temporary storage position is located on the outer side of the machine frame. Wherein the cache position is located on a transfer robot in a warehouse and / or located on the ground of the warehouse; the first lifting mechanism is connected with the rack and the carrying mechanism and used for driving the carrying mechanism to move in the vertical direction relative to the rack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of warehousing technology, and more specifically, relates to a robot docking station, a transfer system and a warehousing workstation. Background Art

[0002] In existing warehouses, storage workstations are set up to realize the transfer of material boxes inside and outside the warehouse. Robot docking stations are set up in related storage workstations to realize the docking of outbound or inbound storage. The docking efficiency of the related robot docking stations is not high. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides a robot docking station, a transfer system and a storage workstation to solve the technical problem of how to improve the docking efficiency of the robot docking station.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is achieved in this way:

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a robot docking station, comprising:

[0006] A rack with stacking positions;

[0007] A transport mechanism is movably connected to the frame, and is used to transport a material box group between the stacking position and the buffer position; the material box group includes at least one material box, and the buffer position is located outside the frame; wherein the buffer position is located on a transport robot in the warehouse and / or on the ground of the warehouse;

[0008] The first lifting mechanism is connected to the frame and the transport mechanism, and is used to drive the transport mechanism to move in a vertical direction relative to the frame.

[0009] In some embodiments, a stacking area is formed inside the rack, the stacking position is located at the bottom of the stacking area, the cache position is set on at least one side of the rack, and at least another side of the rack is open to connect to the conveying mechanism of the storage workstation.

[0010] In some embodiments, the rack includes two first support frames spaced apart in a first direction and a second support frame connecting the two first support frames, and the two first support frames and the second support frame together enclose the stacking area;

[0011] The transport mechanism comprises:

[0012] Two telescopic assemblies, each of which is movably connected to one of the first support frames, and the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the telescopic assemblies to move in a height direction relative to the first support frame;

[0013] The first driving component is used to drive the telescopic component to telescope in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0014] In some embodiments, the transport mechanism further comprises:

[0015] A frame, the frame includes two first extension arms and a connecting arm connecting the two first extension arms, each of the first extension arms is slidably connected to one of the first support frames, the first drive component is partially fixed to the connecting arm, and the telescopic component is slidably connected to the first extension arm in the second direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first drive assembly includes:

[0017] A first driving member is fixed to the connecting arm,

[0018] A transmission rod extends along the first direction, and the first driving member is connected to the transmission rod through a first synchronous member; the first driving member drives the transmission rod to rotate around the first direction, and the two ends of the transmission rod in the first direction are respectively connected to the two telescopic components through a second synchronous member, and the second synchronous member is used to drive the telescopic components to extend and retract in the second direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the telescopic assembly includes:

[0020] A first claw arm, slidably connected to the first extension arm in the second direction;

[0021] A second claw arm, slidably connected to the first claw arm in the second direction;

[0022] a gripping assembly, at least part of which is movable relative to the second gripper arm in the first direction;

[0023] Wherein, a material box grabbing area is formed between two grabbing assemblies in two groups of telescopic assemblies.

[0024] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a transport system, comprising:

[0025] A handling robot is provided with a cache position, and is used to store a material box group in the cache position and to handle the material box group on the cache position;

[0026] According to any of the above-mentioned robot docking stations, the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the transport mechanism to move to the height of the target material box in the material box group on the cache position; the transport mechanism is used to lift the target material box group, the target material box group includes the target material box and the material box on the target material box, and transport the target material box group to the stacking position, and the transport mechanism is also used to stack the target material box group in sequence at the stacking position;

[0027] And / or, the conveying mechanism is used to stack the boxes on the stacking position to form a box group; the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the conveying mechanism to move to the height of a target box in the box group, and the conveying mechanism is also used to lift the target box group, the target box group including the target box and the boxes on the target box, and convey the target box group to the cache position.

[0028] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a storage workstation, comprising:

[0029] A robot docking station according to any of the above items;

[0030] A conveying mechanism, wherein the conveying mechanism is connected to the robot docking station, and the stacking position is located on the conveying mechanism;

[0031] Wherein, the robot docking station is used to stack the material box groups on the stacking position; the stacking includes:

[0032] The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to move to the height of the target box in the box group on the stacking position; the transport mechanism lifts the target box group, which includes the second to last box and above in the whole stack of boxes; the conveying mechanism conveys the remaining boxes on the stacking position to the designated position, and the transport mechanism places the target box group on the stacking position, and the robot docking station and the conveying mechanism repeat the above steps in sequence until all boxes on the stacking position are conveyed to the designated position;

[0033] The robot docking station is also used to stack the boxes on the stacking position, and the stacking includes:

[0034] The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to lift the material box on the stacking position, and the conveying mechanism conveys the material box to the stacking position. The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to descend so that the material box on the conveying mechanism is stacked on the material box on the stacking position. The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to descend again to the last material box on the stacking position. The conveying mechanism and the robot docking station repeat the above steps in sequence until the stacking is completed.

[0035] In some embodiments, the conveying mechanism includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, a third conveying component and a second lifting mechanism, one end of the first conveying component is arranged in the frame to form the stacking position, the first conveying component is used to convey the material box at a first height; the second conveying component is arranged between the first conveying component and the third conveying component; the third conveying component is used to convey the material box at a second height, the second height is greater than the first height; the second lifting mechanism is used to drive the second conveying component to move up and down between the first height and the second height.

[0036] In some embodiments, during the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism is used to lower the second conveying assembly from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the first conveying assembly, and the first conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box on the stacking position to the second conveying assembly, and the second lifting mechanism is also used to lift the second conveying assembly from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the third conveying assembly, and the second conveying assembly transfers the material box to the third conveying assembly;

[0037] During the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism is used to lift the second conveying assembly from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the third conveying assembly, and the third conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box at a specified position to the second conveying assembly, and the second lifting mechanism is used to lower the second conveying assembly from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the first conveying assembly, and the second conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box to the stacking position on the first conveying assembly.

[0038] The embodiment of the present invention provides a robot docking station, which includes a frame, a transport mechanism and a first lifting mechanism. The frame has a stacking position, the transport mechanism is movably connected to the frame, the transport mechanism is used to transport a material box group between the stacking position and the buffer position, the material box group includes at least one material box, the buffer position is located outside the frame, and the first lifting mechanism connects the frame and the transport mechanism, and is used to drive the transport mechanism to move in the vertical direction relative to the frame. In the embodiment of the present invention, the transport mechanism of the robot docking station is used to transport multiple material boxes between the stacking position and the buffer position, the material box group can be stacked on the stacking position of the frame, and multiple material boxes can be stored in the frame at one time. In the process of goods entering and leaving the warehouse, the robot docking station can stack multiple material boxes and then lift them to the buffer position, or lift multiple material boxes on the buffer position to the stacking position at one time before performing the outbound step, which reduces the time for the robot docking station to hand over to the handling robot in the warehouse, improves the docking efficiency of the robot docking station, and also improves the handling efficiency of the handling robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a robot docking station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of stacking material boxes of a robot docking station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a telescopic assembly in a retracted state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a telescopic assembly in an extended state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Description of reference numerals:

[0046] 1. Frame; 10. Stacking area; 11. Stacking position; 12. First support frame; 13. Second support frame; 2. Handling mechanism; 21. Telescopic assembly; 22. First driving assembly; 23. Frame; 231. First extension arm; 232. Connecting arm; 221. First driving member; 222. Transmission rod; 223. First synchronous member; 224. Second synchronous member; 211. First claw arm; 212. Second claw arm; 213. Grasping assembly; 2131. Second driving member; 2132. Claw; 2133. Mounting plate; 2134. Cylinder; 2135. Limiting hole; 2136. Limiting rod; 3. Handling robot; 31. Cache position; 4. First lifting mechanism; 5. Conveying mechanism; 51. First conveying assembly; 52. Connecting mechanism; 53. Third conveying assembly; 521. Second conveying assembly; 522. Second lifting mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0048] The various specific technical features described in the specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction, for example, different embodiments and technical solutions can be formed by combining different specific technical features. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, various possible combinations of the specific technical features in the present invention will not be described separately.

[0049] In the following description, the terms "first\second\..." are only used to distinguish different objects, and do not mean that the objects have the same or related points. It should be understood that the orientation descriptions "above", "below", "outside" and "inside" are all orientations in normal use, and the "left" and "right" directions represent the left and right directions shown in the specific corresponding schematic diagrams, which may or may not be the left and right directions in normal use. The XYZ coordinate system in the embodiment of the present invention is an absolute coordinate in normal use.

[0050] It should be noted that the terms "comprises", "includes" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. "Multiple" means greater than or equal to two.

[0051] It should be noted that the stored goods in the embodiment of the present invention can be contained in boxes. For simplicity, boxes are used to represent goods. Boxes are not limited to parameters such as shape and size. All boxes in the warehouse can be one or more standard parts. Of course, in other embodiments, the stored goods can also be directly represented by the goods themselves or in other forms without boxes. Multiple boxes are stacked in the vertical direction to form a stack of boxes, and multiple stacks of boxes can also be stored in the warehouse. The stacking of multiple boxes in the warehouse described in the embodiment of the present invention means that the stacking of boxes does not need to be supported by shelves, and the surfaces of adjacent boxes in the same row of boxes in the vertical direction are at least partially in contact with each other. It can be understood that the floor of the warehouse is generally a horizontal plane, that is, the extension direction of each row of boxes is perpendicular to the ground; of course, the floor of the warehouse may have bumps and depressions in some areas, that is, the horizontal plane is not required to be absolutely horizontal, so the corresponding vertical direction is not required to be an absolute vertical direction, and the existence of errors due to ground levelness and box processing errors is allowed.

[0052] The embodiment of the present invention provides a robot docking station, which can be applied to a storage workstation. The storage workstation is used for the transportation of material boxes in the warehouse, and the transportation includes the outbound and / or inbound storage of material boxes in the warehouse. The storage workstation can divide the warehouse into a first area and a second area. The warehouse has a first area for the movement of a handling robot, wherein the handling robot refers to a device that can move freely in the warehouse, and the handling robot can carry one or more material boxes in the warehouse. The handling robot in the embodiment of the present invention can move freely in the first area of ​​the warehouse to realize the transportation of material boxes in the warehouse. It should be noted that the handling robot in the embodiment of the present invention has two functions of outbound and inbound, wherein outbound means that the handling robot transports the material box to be outbound from the designated position of the warehouse to the storage workstation, and inbound means that the handling robot transports the material box to be inbound from the storage workstation to the designated position of the warehouse. Of course, in some embodiments, multiple handling robots can be set up in the warehouse, and different handling robots can perform different functions. For example, an outbound robot and an inbound robot can be separately set up in the warehouse. It should be noted that the type of the handling robot setting will not limit the warehouse workstation of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Workers can move freely in the second area, and workers move in the second area to realize the transportation of material boxes in and out of the warehouse. The storage workstation of the embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying mechanism and a robot docking station. The conveying mechanism is connected to the robot docking station. The robot docking station is used to receive the material box group to be shipped out of the warehouse carried by the outbound robot, and transport the material box group to the second area through the conveying mechanism for workers to sort. After the workers sort, the conveying mechanism can transport the sorted material boxes to the outbound location for storage, so that workers or robots can carry them out of the warehouse; the robot docking station is also used to stack the material boxes to be stored that are transported by the conveying mechanism to form a material box group to be stored. The storage robot in the warehouse moves to the vicinity of the robot docking station. After the material box group to be stored is transported to the storage robot through the robot docking station, the storage robot transports the entire material box group to the designated storage location in the warehouse to realize the storage of the material box.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the robot docking station in the embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 1, a transport mechanism 2 and a first lifting mechanism 4. The frame 1 has a stacking position 11, referring to Figure 2 As shown, the stacking position 11 is used to stack a group of material boxes to be stored or shipped out, and the material box group includes at least one material box ( Figure 2 A plurality of material boxes are stacked on the stacking position 11, which are represented by a, b, c...d respectively). The transport mechanism 2 is movably connected to the frame 1, and is combined with Figure 3As shown, the transport mechanism 2 is used to transport the material box group between the stacking position 11 and the buffer position 31. The buffer position 31 is located on the outside of the rack 1; wherein, the buffer position 31 is located on the transport robot 3 in the warehouse and / or on the floor of the warehouse. It should be noted that the buffer position 31 represents a position in the warehouse close to the robot docking station. The buffer position 31 is used to stack the material box groups to be stored or unstored, and the buffer position represents a relative position, not an absolute position. Specifically, when the transport robot 3 in the warehouse transports the entire stack of material box groups to the robot docking station, the robot docking station can directly lift the entire stack of material box groups on the transport robot, then the defined buffer position is located at the position where the transport robot is used to store the entire stack of material boxes; if the transport robot places the entire stack of material box groups on the ground close to the robot docking station, and the robot docking station unstores the material box groups by transporting the material box groups on the ground, then the buffer position is located on the floor of the warehouse. In other words, the cache position represents the relative position within the range that the robot docking station can handle. The position can be on the handling robot or on the warehouse floor, as long as the cache position is within the handling range of the robot docking station.

[0055] A stacking position 11 is provided in the robot docking station, and the stacking position 11 is used to store material box groups to be stored in or out of the warehouse. That is to say, the robot docking station in the embodiment of the present invention can stack multiple material boxes at one time. The robot docking station can stack multiple material boxes and then move them to the cache position 31, or move multiple material boxes on the cache position 31 to the stacking position 11 at one time and then perform the outbound step, which reduces the time for the transfer between the handling robot and the robot docking station in the warehouse, improves the docking efficiency of the robot docking station, and also improves the handling efficiency of the handling robot.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, the first lifting mechanism 4 in the embodiment of the present invention connects the frame 1 and the transport mechanism 2. The first lifting mechanism 4 is used to drive the transport mechanism 2 to move relative to the frame 1 in the vertical direction ( Figure 1 The transport mechanism 2 in the embodiment of the present invention is used to carry the material box group. The following is an explanation of the docking process of the robot docking station in the embodiment of the present invention:

[0057] During the process of unloading the material box, the handling robot 3 carries the material box group (multiple stacked material boxes) to be unloaded in the warehouse to a position close to the robot docking station, and the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the handling mechanism 2 to descend to the height of the buffer position 31 on the handling robot 3, wherein, Figure 3As shown, there are multiple material boxes stacked on the cache position 31, the bottom material box is a, material box b is stacked on top of material box a, material box c is stacked on top of material box d, and multiple material boxes are stacked in sequence to form a material box group, and the topmost material box of the material box group is material box d. The transport mechanism 2 can lift the material box a on the cache position 31 to realize the transport of the entire material box group. The transport mechanism 2 can transport the entire material box group to the inside of the rack 1, combined with Figure 2 As shown, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 down to the stacking position 11, and the transport mechanism 2 releases the material box a, so that the entire material box group is stacked in the stacking area 10 to wait for the storage workstation to perform subsequent outbound steps on the material boxes in the stacking area.

[0058] During the process of warehousing the material boxes, the storage workstation stacks the material box groups in the stacking area 10, the transport mechanism 2 grabs the material box a at the bottom layer of the material box group, and the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to rise, thereby lifting the material box group away from the stacking position 11, and the transport mechanism 2 transports the material box group to the cache position 31 outside the rack 1. The transport mechanism 2 releases the material box a, so that the material box group is stored in the cache position 31, waiting for the transport robot 3 to transport the material box group on the cache position 31 to the designated warehousing position in the warehouse.

[0059] The embodiment of the present invention provides a robot docking station, which includes a frame, a transport mechanism and a first lifting mechanism. The frame has a stacking position, the transport mechanism is movably connected to the frame, the transport mechanism is used to transport a material box group between the stacking position and the buffer position, the material box group includes at least one material box, the buffer position is located outside the frame, and the first lifting mechanism connects the frame and the transport mechanism, and is used to drive the transport mechanism to move in the vertical direction relative to the frame. In the embodiment of the present invention, the transport mechanism of the robot docking station is used to transport multiple material boxes between the stacking position and the buffer position, the material box group can be stacked on the stacking position of the frame, and multiple material boxes can be stored in the frame at one time. In the process of goods entering and leaving the warehouse, the robot docking station can stack multiple material boxes and then lift them to the buffer position, or lift multiple material boxes on the buffer position to the stacking position at one time before performing the outbound step, which reduces the time for the robot docking station to hand over to the handling robot in the warehouse, improves the docking efficiency of the robot docking station, and also improves the handling efficiency of the handling robot.

[0060] In some embodiments, Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, a stacking area 10 is formed inside the rack 1, and the stacking area 10 represents a virtual space enclosed inside the rack 1, and the stacking position 11 represents a physical position at the bottom of the virtual space, that is, the stacking position 11 can be a position on the ground at the bottom of the stacking area 10, and the stacking position 11 can also be a placement position formed by other physical components. Figure 2The stacking position 11 in the illustrated embodiment is located on the conveying mechanism 5 at the bottom of the stacking area. The stacking position 11 is located at the bottom of the stacking area 10, and a buffer position 31 is set on at least one side of the outside of the rack 1. At least another side of the rack 1 is open and can be used to connect the conveying mechanism 5 of the storage workstation. It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of conveying mechanisms 5 docked with the same robot docking station or the number of handling robots set. In some embodiments, multiple conveying mechanisms docked with the same storage workstation can be set at different positions of the robot docking station to reduce the interference between different conveying mechanisms and improve the work efficiency of the storage workstation.

[0061] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, the rack 1 includes two first support frames 12 spaced apart in a first direction, and the rack also includes a second support frame 13. The two first support frames 12 are spaced apart in a first direction ( Figure 1 The second support frame 13 is arranged opposite to and spaced apart from the two first support frames 12 (in the X-axis direction shown in the figure), and the two first support frames 12 and the second support frames 13 together form a stacking area 10.

[0062] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the transport mechanism 2 includes two telescopic components 21 and a first drive component 22. Each telescopic component 21 is movably connected to a first support frame 12, and the first lifting mechanism 4 is used to drive the telescopic component 21 relative to the height direction of the first support frame 12 ( Figure 1 The first driving assembly 22 is used to drive the telescopic assembly 21 in the second direction (Z-axis direction). Figure 1 The first drive assembly 22 drives the telescopic assembly 21 to telescope in the second direction, so as to realize the stacking position 11 and the buffer position 31 (refer to Figure 3 ) between.

[0063] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the number of first drive components 22. For example, the first drive components 22 may be multiple, and the multiple first drive components 22 respectively drive the two telescopic components 21 to telescopically move in the second direction. Alternatively, the first drive component 22 may be one, and the first drive component 22 can drive the two telescopic components 21 to telescope synchronously in the second direction. The number and type of the first drive components do not limit the function of the first drive components in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, the transport mechanism 2 further includes a frame 23. The frame 23 includes two first extension arms 231 and a connecting arm 232. The connecting arm 232 connects the two first extension arms 231, each first extension arm 231 is slidably connected to a first support frame 12, the first drive assembly 22 is partially fixed to the connecting arm 232, and the telescopic assembly 21 and the first extension arm 231 are in the second direction ( Figure 1 The embodiment of the present invention provides a frame 23 in the transport mechanism, which is beneficial to improving the stability of the connection between the telescopic assembly and the frame, and can also improve the smoothness of the telescopic assembly in telescoping in the second direction.

[0065] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the first driving assembly 22 includes a first driving member 221 and a transmission rod 222. The first driving member 221 is fixed to the connecting arm 232, and the transmission rod 222 is arranged along a first direction ( Figure 4 The first driving member 221 is connected to the transmission rod 222 via the first synchronous member 223; the first driving member 221 drives the transmission rod 222 to rotate in the first direction ( Figure 4 X direction) is shown, the transmission rod 222 rotates in the first direction ( Figure 4 The two ends of the telescopic assembly 21 are respectively connected to the two telescopic assemblies 21 through the second synchronous member 224, and the second synchronous member 224 is used to drive the telescopic assembly 21 in the second direction ( Figure 4 The embodiment of the present invention can realize synchronous extension and retraction of the two telescopic assemblies by configuring the first driving assembly as a driving member to drive the transmission rod to rotate, and synchronously transmitting the two telescopic assemblies through the transmission rod, which is beneficial to improving the consistency of the telescopic lengths of the two telescopic assemblies and also improving the driving efficiency of the driving member. In addition, the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the interference of the first driving assembly on the stacking area by fixing the transmission rod on the connecting arm, thereby improving the space utilization rate inside the entire rack.

[0066] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the telescopic assembly 21 includes a first claw arm 211, a second claw arm 212 and a grab assembly 213. The first claw arm 211 and the first extension arm 231 are in the second direction ( Figure 4 The second claw arm 212 is slidably connected with the first claw arm 211 in the second direction ( Figure 4 The second synchronous member 224 is connected to the first claw arm 211, and the second synchronous member 224 drives the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 in the second direction ( Figure 4 The Y direction shown in the figure) is a telescopic movement, wherein: Figure 5The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the telescopic assembly in the extended state. The extension of the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 indicates that the distance between the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 becomes longer, and the overlapping area between the two becomes smaller, so that the entire telescopic assembly 21 in the second direction ( Figure 5 The length of the Y direction (as shown) becomes longer; Figure 4 The diagram is a schematic diagram of the structure of the telescopic assembly in a shortened state. The shortening of the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 indicates that the distance between the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 is shortened, and the overlapping area between the first claw arm 211 and the second claw arm 212 is increased, so that the entire telescopic assembly 21 is in the second direction ( Figure 4 The length of the Y direction (as shown) becomes shorter.

[0067] Combination Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the grab assembly 213 can at least partially be relative to the second claw arm 212 in the first direction ( Figure 4 The two grabbing assemblies 213 on the two telescopic assemblies move in the first direction (X direction). A material box grabbing area is formed between the two grabbing assemblies in the two telescopic assemblies. The grabbing assemblies 213 on the two telescopic assemblies move in the first direction ( Figure 4 The spacing adjustment in the X direction) is shown, wherein the grabbing assembly 213 is used to abut against the end face of the material box to achieve the lifting of the material box. By adjusting the spacing of the grabbing assemblies in the first direction, it is helpful to adapt to material boxes of different sizes, thereby improving the stability of material box handling.

[0068] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present invention, multiple grabbing components can be set on the same second claw arm. By increasing the number of grabbing components, it is beneficial to improve the stability of grabbing. The number of grabbing components can be set according to the size of the material box to be grabbed.

[0069] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the grab assembly 213 includes a second driving member 2131 and a claw 2132. The second driving member 2131 is fixed to the second claw arm 212. The claw 2132 is connected to the second driving member 2131, and the claw 2132 can follow the second driving member 2131 in the first direction ( Figure 5 It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the type of the second driving member, for example, the second driving member can be set as a stepping motor, a cylinder, etc., as long as the second driving member can drive the claw to move in the first direction.

[0070] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the second driving member 2131 also includes a mounting plate 2133. The embodiment of the present invention is described by taking the second driving member 2131 as a cylinder 2134 as an example, the mounting plate 2133 is fixed to the second claw arm 212, the cylinder 2134 is fixed to one side of the mounting plate 2133, and the cylinder 2134 is connected to the claw 2132. The embodiment of the present invention is driven stably and simply controlled by setting the second driving member as a cylinder driving form.

[0071] In some embodiments, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the mounting plate 2133 is provided in a first direction ( Figure 5 The grab assembly 213 further includes a limiting rod 2136, which is inserted into the limiting hole 2135 and is in the first direction ( Figure 5 One end of the clamping claw 2132 is fixed to the clamping claw 2132. In the embodiment of the present invention, a limit rod is arranged on the grabbing assembly, and the limit hole has a limit effect on the circumference of the limit rod. The limit rod can only move along the first direction relative to the limit hole, thereby improving the stability of the movement of the limit rod. Since the limit rod and the clamping claw are both connected to the mounting plate, the limit rod and the clamping claw have the characteristic of consistent movement, thus further improving the stability of the movement of the clamping claw in the first direction.

[0072] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a transport system, such as Figure 1-3 As shown, the transfer system includes a handling robot 3 and a robot docking station as described in any of the above embodiments. The handling robot 3 is provided with a cache position 31, and the handling robot 3 is used to store the material box group in the cache position 31 and to carry the material box group on the cache position 31. Specifically, the handling robot 3 can be used to carry the material box group to be shipped out of the warehouse to a position close to the robot docking station, or to carry the material box group to be shipped in from a position close to the robot docking station to a storage position in the warehouse. Figure 3 As shown, the first lifting mechanism 4 in the embodiment of the present invention is used to drive the transport mechanism 2 to move (rise or fall) to the target material box ( Figure 3 The height of the material box a); the handling mechanism 2 grabs the material box a, and the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the handling mechanism to rise, so that the handling mechanism 2 lifts the target material box group ( Figure 3The target box group includes the target box and the boxes on the target box. The transport mechanism 2 is shortened to drive the entire stack of the target box group to the stacking area 10 in the frame 1. The first lifting mechanism 4 then drives the transport mechanism 2 down to move the entire stack of the target box group to the stacking position 11. The transport mechanism 2 releases the target box group to achieve one-time transport of the target box group to the stacking position 11 without the need to transport multiple boxes in batches. The transport mechanism 2 is also used to stack the target box group in sequence at the stacking position 11. Stacking in sequence means that the box group stacked at the stacking position 11 can be transported to the designated position for workers to sort through the transport mechanism in sequence through the cooperation of the transport mechanism 2 and the first lifting mechanism 4.

[0073] like Figure 2 The transport mechanism 2 is used to stack the boxes on the stacking position 11 to form a box group ( Figure 2 The stacking means that the boxes conveyed from the conveying mechanism to the stacking position 11 can be stacked in sequence at the stacking position 11 through the cooperation of the transport mechanism 2 and the first lifting mechanism 4 to form a target box group to be stored ( Figure 2 The first lifting mechanism 4 is used to drive the transport mechanism 2 to move to the target box ( Figure 2 The height of the material box a) in the middle, the transport mechanism 2 grabs the material box a, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to rise, so that the transport mechanism 2 lifts the entire stack of target material box groups to leave the stacking position 11, the transport mechanism 2 extends, drives the entire stack of target material box groups to move outside the frame 1, and the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to descend, so that the entire stack of target material box groups moves to the cache position 31, and the transport mechanism 2 releases the target material box group, so as to realize the one-time transport of the target material box group to the cache position 31, without the need to transport multiple material boxes in batches. When the cache position 31 is located at the transport robot, the robot docking station can transport the material box group from the stacking position 11 to the cache position 31 at one time, or the robot docking station can transport the material box group from the cache position 31 to the stacking position 11 at one time, shortening the docking time between the robot docking station and the transport robot, thereby facilitating improving the docking efficiency of the robot docking station and improving the transport efficiency of the transport robot.

[0074] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a storage workstation, such as Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the storage workstation includes the robot docking station and the conveying mechanism 5 described in any of the above embodiments. The conveying mechanism 5 is connected to the robot docking station. Specifically, the conveying mechanism 5 can be partially extended into the frame 1 to form a stacking position 11 on the surface of the conveying mechanism 5.

[0075] Among them, refer to Figure 2 As shown, the robot docking station is used to stack the material box groups on the stacking position 11 ( Figure 2 The steps of stacking include:

[0076] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to move (rise or fall) to the target material box ( Figure 2 The height of the middle material box b), the transport mechanism 2 lifts the target material box group ( Figure 2 The target bin group includes the second to last bin in the stack of bins ( Figure 2 The conveying mechanism 5 will stack the remaining boxes ( Figure 2 The first lifting mechanism 4 continues to descend, driving the transport mechanism 2 to transport the material box group ( Figure 2 The material boxes b, c...d) in the stacking position 11 are placed, and the handling mechanism 2 releases the material box group ( Figure 2 The first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to rise to the height of the material box c, the transport mechanism 2 grabs the material box c, and the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to rise, so that the material boxes c...the material box d are lifted at the same time, and the material box c is separated from the contact with the material box b, the conveying mechanism 5 conveys the material box b on the stacking position 11 to the designated position, the stacking position 11 is idle, and the transport mechanism 2 and the first lifting mechanism 4 stack the material boxes in the stacking area 10 in turn according to the above steps until all the material boxes in the stacking area 10 are conveyed to the designated positions, thereby realizing the stacking of the material boxes in the stacking area.

[0077] The robot docking station is also used to stack the boxes on the stacking position. The steps of stacking include:

[0078] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the conveying mechanism 5 conveys the material box d at the designated position to the stacking position 11, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to lift the material box d on the stacking position 11, so that the material box d leaves the stacking position 11, and the conveying mechanism 5 again transfers the material box at the designated position to the stacking position 11, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to descend, so that the material box d on the transport mechanism is stacked on the material box on the stacking position 11, the first lifting mechanism 4 drives the transport mechanism 2 to descend to the last material box on the stacking position 11 again, and the transport mechanism 2 lifts the material box stacked on the stacking position 11; the conveying mechanism 5 and the robot docking station repeat the above steps in sequence until the material boxes at the designated position are all stacked in the stacking area 10 to form a whole stack of material boxes to be stored ( Figure 2 The material boxes a, b, c...d) are stacked and completed.

[0079] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the conveying mechanism 5 includes a first conveying component 51, a third conveying component 53 and a connecting mechanism 52. One end of the first conveying component 51 is arranged in the frame 1 to form a stacking position 11. The first conveying component 51 is used to convey the material box at a first height; the third conveying component 53 is used to convey the material box at a second height, and the second height is greater than the first height; the connecting mechanism 52 connects the first conveying component 51 and the third conveying component 53, and the connecting mechanism 52 is used to convey the material box between the first height and the second height. In the embodiment of the present invention, the conveying mechanism in the storage workstation is divided into different height settings to ensure that the first conveying component can be conveyed at a lower position, that is, the height of the stacking position 11 on the first conveying component is also lower, which is conducive to forming a larger stacking area 10 in the frame 1, increasing the number of stacking material boxes in the stacking area 10, thereby increasing the number of material boxes that can be docked at a single time by the robot docking station, and further improving the docking efficiency of the robot docking station. The third conveying component can be set at a second height higher than the first height. The third conveying component can be set at a position for workers to sort, which is conducive to improving the comfort of workers in sorting, thereby improving the sorting efficiency of the storage workstation.

[0080] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the connecting mechanism 52 includes a second conveying assembly 521 and a second lifting mechanism 522. The second conveying assembly 521 is arranged between the first conveying assembly 51 and the third conveying assembly 53. The second lifting mechanism 522 is used to drive the second conveying assembly 521 to move up and down between the first height and the second height. When the second lifting mechanism 522 descends to the first height, the second lifting mechanism is connected to the first lifting mechanism. When the second lifting mechanism rises to the second height, the second lifting mechanism is connected to the third lifting mechanism.

[0081] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific conveying methods of the first conveying component, the second conveying component and the third conveying component. For example, the conveying method may be belt conveying or roller transmission. No matter which conveying method is used, as long as the material box can be transported.

[0082] In some embodiments, Figure 6As shown, during the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism 522 is used to lower the second conveying assembly 521 from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying assembly 521 is connected to the first conveying assembly 51, and the first conveying assembly 51 is used to transfer the material box on the stacking position 11 to the second conveying assembly 521. The second lifting mechanism 522 is also used to lift the second conveying assembly 521 from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying assembly 521 is connected to the third conveying assembly 53, and the second conveying assembly 521 transfers the material box to the third conveying assembly 53;

[0083] During the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism 522 is used to lift the second conveying component 521 from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying component 521 is connected to the third conveying component 53, and the third conveying component 53 is used to transfer the material box at the specified position to the second conveying component 521. The second lifting mechanism 522 is used to lower the second conveying component 521 from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying component 521 is connected to the first conveying component 51. The second conveying component 521 is used to transfer the material box to the stacking position 11 on the first conveying component 51.

[0084] In some embodiments, the transmission direction of the connecting mechanism 52 is tilted, and the tilted setting means that the transmission direction of the connecting mechanism 52 is at a certain angle to the horizontal direction. One end of the connecting mechanism in the transmission direction is located at a first height, and the other end of the connecting mechanism in the transmission direction is at a second height. The connecting mechanism can transmit the material box between the first height and the second height. For example, the connecting mechanism can be a tilted conveyor belt, and the stability of the material box transmission can be improved by increasing the friction of the conveyor belt. The connecting mechanism 52 is used to connect the first conveying component and the third conveying component. The connecting mechanism can transmit the material box on the first conveying component to the third conveying component, and the connecting mechanism can also transmit the material box on the third conveying component to the first conveying component. The embodiment of the present invention simplifies the structure of the connecting mechanism by tilting the transmission direction of the connecting mechanism. There is no need to set a lifting mechanism to change the height of the conveying mechanism, and the mutual transmission of the material boxes at the first height and the second height can be achieved. The structure is simple and convenient.

[0085] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot docking station, characterized in that: include: A rack with stacking positions; A transport mechanism is movably connected to the frame, and is used to transport a material box group between the stacking position and the buffer position; the material box group includes at least one material box, and the buffer position is located outside the frame; wherein the buffer position is located on a transport robot in the warehouse and / or on the ground of the warehouse; The first lifting mechanism is connected to the frame and the transport mechanism, and is used to drive the transport mechanism to move in a vertical direction relative to the frame.

2. The robot docking station according to claim 1, characterized in that: A stacking area is formed inside the frame, the stacking position is located at the bottom of the stacking area, the buffer position is arranged on at least one side of the frame, and at least another side of the frame is open to connect to a conveying mechanism of a storage workstation.

3. The robot docking station according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rack comprises two first support frames spaced apart in a first direction and a second support frame connecting the two first support frames, wherein the two first support frames and the second support frame together enclose the stacking area; The transport mechanism comprises: Two telescopic assemblies, each of which is movably connected to one of the first support frames, and the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the telescopic assemblies to move in a height direction relative to the first support frame; The first driving component is used to drive the telescopic component to telescope in a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The robot docking station according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transport mechanism also includes: A frame, the frame includes two first extension arms and a connecting arm connecting the two first extension arms, each of the first extension arms is slidably connected to one of the first support frames, the first drive component is partially fixed to the connecting arm, and the telescopic component is slidably connected to the first extension arm in the second direction.

5. The robot docking station according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first drive assembly comprises: A first driving member is fixed to the connecting arm, A transmission rod extends along the first direction, and the first driving member is connected to the transmission rod through a first synchronous member; the first driving member drives the transmission rod to rotate around the first direction, and the two ends of the transmission rod in the first direction are respectively connected to the two telescopic components through a second synchronous member, and the second synchronous member is used to drive the telescopic components to extend and retract in the second direction.

6. The robot docking station according to claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic assembly comprises: A first claw arm, slidably connected to the first extension arm in the second direction; A second claw arm, slidably connected to the first claw arm in the second direction; a gripping assembly, at least part of which is movable relative to the second gripper arm in the first direction; Wherein, a material box grabbing area is formed between two grabbing assemblies in two groups of telescopic assemblies.

7. A transport system, characterized in that: include: A handling robot is provided with a cache position, and is used to store a material box group in the cache position and to handle the material box group on the cache position; According to the robot docking station according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the transport mechanism to move to the height of the target box in the box group on the cache position; the transport mechanism is used to lift the target box group, the target box group including the target box and the boxes on the target box, and transport the target box group to the stacking position, and the transport mechanism is also used to stack the target box group in sequence at the stacking position; And / or, the conveying mechanism is used to stack the boxes on the stacking position to form a box group; the first lifting mechanism is used to drive the conveying mechanism to move to the height of a target box in the box group, and the conveying mechanism is also used to lift the target box group, the target box group including the target box and the boxes on the target box, and convey the target box group to the cache position.

8. A storage workstation, characterized in that: include: The robot docking station according to any one of claims 1 to 6; A conveying mechanism, wherein the conveying mechanism is connected to the robot docking station, and the stacking position is located on the conveying mechanism; Wherein, the robot docking station is used to stack the material box groups on the stacking position; the stacking includes: The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to move to the height of the target box in the box group on the stacking position; the transport mechanism lifts the target box group, which includes the second to last box and above in the whole stack of boxes; the conveying mechanism conveys the remaining boxes on the stacking position to the designated position, and the transport mechanism places the target box group on the stacking position, and the robot docking station and the conveying mechanism repeat the above steps in sequence until all boxes on the stacking position are conveyed to the designated position; The robot docking station is also used to stack the boxes on the stacking position, and the stacking includes: The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to lift the material box on the stacking position, and the conveying mechanism conveys the material box to the stacking position. The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to descend so that the material box on the conveying mechanism is stacked on the material box on the stacking position. The first lifting mechanism drives the transport mechanism to descend again to the last material box on the stacking position. The conveying mechanism and the robot docking station repeat the above steps in sequence until the stacking is completed.

9. The storage workstation according to claim 8, characterized in that: The conveying mechanism includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, a third conveying component and a second lifting mechanism. One end of the first conveying component is arranged in the frame to form the stacking position. The first conveying component is used to convey the material box at a first height; the second conveying component is arranged between the first conveying component and the third conveying component; the third conveying component is used to convey the material box at a second height, and the second height is greater than the first height; the second lifting mechanism is used to drive the second conveying component to move up and down between the first height and the second height.

10. The storage workstation according to claim 9, characterized in that: During the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism is used to lower the second conveying assembly from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the first conveying assembly, and the first conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box on the stacking position to the second conveying assembly, and the second lifting mechanism is also used to lift the second conveying assembly from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the third conveying assembly, and the second conveying assembly transfers the material box to the third conveying assembly; During the stacking process, the second lifting mechanism is used to lift the second conveying assembly from the first height to the second height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the third conveying assembly, and the third conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box at a specified position to the second conveying assembly, and the second lifting mechanism is used to lower the second conveying assembly from the second height to the first height so that the second conveying assembly is connected to the first conveying assembly, and the second conveying assembly is used to transfer the material box to the stacking position on the first conveying assembly.

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