Precise positioning method for goods channel addressing and vending machine applying method

Abstract

The invention discloses an accurate positioning method for goods channel addressing and a vending machine applying the method. The vending machine comprises a mounting frame, a plurality of goods shelves, a plurality of goods channel partition plates, a driving mechanism and a goods taking mechanism. A plurality of mounting holes which are distributed in the mounting frame at equal intervals are formed in the mounting frame in the vertical direction, and the multiple goods shelves are mounted in the mounting holes respectively; the goods shelf is provided with a plurality of positioning holes distributed in the goods shelf at equal intervals in the parallel direction, the multiple goods channel partition plates are installed in the positioning holes respectively, and a goods channel is formed between every two adjacent goods channel partition plates. The driving mechanism drives the goods taking mechanism to move on the goods channel, the goods taking mechanism is provided with a laser sensor, and when goods are taken, the laser sensor emits laser to be aligned with one of the positioning holes. Whether the goods shelf and the goods channel baffle exist or not is judged according to feedback of the laser sensor, the calculation mode is simple, the steps are few, and positioning is accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic vending machines, and in particular to a precise positioning method for channel addressing and an automatic vending machine using the method. Background Art

[0002] A vending machine is a machine that can automatically pay for goods according to the coins inserted. Vending machines are commonly used equipment for commercial automation. They are not restricted by time and place, can save manpower and facilitate transactions. It is a new form of commercial retail, also known as a 24-hour mini supermarket.

[0003] Due to the variety of commodities, when facing large commodities, the width and height of the aisle of the vending machine need to be adjusted. After the adjustment, the coordinates of the aisle will change, so the moving distance of the motor needs to be adjusted.

[0004] The existing vending machine addressing method needs to repeatedly move between adjacent mounting holes for calculation when a shelf is detected, and also needs to repeatedly calculate between adjacent aisles when an aisle is detected. The steps are cumbersome and the accuracy is poor.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to propose a new technical solution to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing to solve the problems raised in the background technology.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing, comprising the following steps:

[0008] S1, the picking mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting rack;

[0009] S2, the picking mechanism moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame by a set distance and is located at the first mounting hole. The laser emitted by the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole. At this time, the laser is not blocked, and the laser sensor transmits the signal to the control system.

[0010] S3, the picking mechanism continues to move upwards by a set distance A to the second mounting hole, and determines whether there is a shelf based on the feedback of the laser sensor. When there is no shelf at the mounting hole, the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole and determines that there is no shelf there. The laser sensor transmits a signal to the control system and continues to move upwards by a specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again until there is a shelf at the mounting hole.

[0011] S4, when there is a shelf at the mounting hole, the shelf will block the mounting hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is a shelf there. The picking mechanism moves the set distance H to the right to the first positioning hole to determine whether there is feedback, and transmits the signal to the control system and then moves the set distance H to the right again to the next positioning hole for judgment, until all the positioning holes are detected, and then returns to the mounting frame and continues to move upward the specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again.

[0012] In a further technical solution, step S1 includes S11, which controls the picking mechanism to move right from the starting position to the mechanical origin, and the laser at the mechanical origin is reflected to the laser sensor at the picking mechanism. At this time, the position information is reset, and the picking mechanism moves a set distance X to the right from the mechanical origin to the software origin.

[0013] In a further technical solution, in step S1, when the laser sensor at the picking mechanism senses that the emitted laser is blocked by the mounting bracket, it indicates that it is already located on the mounting bracket, and transmits a signal to the control system, where the distance that the picking mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting bracket is B.

[0014] In a further technical solution, the distance that the pickup mechanism in S2 moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame to the first mounting hole is C.

[0015] In a further technical solution, in step S4, if there is feedback at the positioning hole, it means that the cargo aisle partition is installed at that location, and if there is no feedback at the positioning hole, it means that the cargo aisle partition is not installed at that location.

[0016] In a further technical solution, when there is an aisle partition at the positioning hole, the aisle partition will block the positioning hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is an aisle partition there. When there is no aisle partition at the positioning hole, the laser sensor will pass through the positioning hole and determine that there is no aisle partition there. The laser sensor transmits the signal of whether there is an aisle partition to the control system.

[0017] In a further technical solution, a cargo aisle for placing goods is formed between two adjacent cargo aisle partitions.

[0018] In a further technical solution, the positioning hole is rectangular or square.

[0019] In a further technical solution, step S4 includes S41. When the laser emitted by the laser sensor is located in the positioning hole, first move to the left within the range of the positioning hole to find the left boundary, then move to the right to find the right boundary, and then find the midpoint in the horizontal direction through the relative position; move upward to find the upper boundary, then move downward to find the lower boundary, and then find the midpoint in the vertical direction through the relative position.

[0020] A second aspect provides a vending machine, applying a positioning method, comprising: a mounting frame, a plurality of shelves, a plurality of aisle partitions, a driving mechanism, and a picking mechanism;

[0021] The mounting frame is provided with a plurality of mounting holes which are distributed on the mounting frame at equal intervals along the vertical direction, and the plurality of shelves are respectively mounted on one of the mounting holes;

[0022] The shelf is provided with a plurality of positioning holes which are equally spaced and distributed on the shelf in a parallel direction, and a plurality of aisle partitions are respectively installed in one of the positioning holes, and aisles are formed between two adjacent aisle partitions;

[0023] The driving mechanism drives the picking-up mechanism to move at the cargo channel. The picking-up mechanism is equipped with a laser sensor. When picking up goods, the laser sensor emits a laser to align with one of the positioning holes.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention brings the following technical effects:

[0025] The precise positioning method for aisle addressing of the present invention and the vending machine using the method determine whether there are shelves and aisle baffles based on feedback from a laser sensor, have a simple calculation method, fewer steps, and precise positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the mounting frame and the shelf.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after the shelf is drooped.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a flow chart of locating hole alignment.

[0030] Description of main component symbols:

[0031] 1. Laser sensor; 11. Laser; 2. Mechanical origin; 3. Software origin; 4. Mounting frame; 41. Mounting hole; 5. Shelf; 51. Aisle partition; 52. Positioning hole; 6. Aisle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0034] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0035] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0036] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is less than or equal in level to the second feature.

[0037] Example 1

[0038] See Figure 1 As shown, a precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing includes the following steps:

[0039] S1, the picking mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting rack; when the laser sensor at the picking mechanism senses that the emitted laser is blocked by the mounting rack, it indicates that it is already at the mounting rack, and transmits the signal to the control system;

[0040] S2, the picking mechanism moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame by a set distance and is located at the first mounting hole. The laser emitted by the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole. At this time, the laser is not blocked, and the laser sensor transmits the signal to the control system. It should be noted that the first mounting hole is usually not equipped with a shelf, and the distance between two adjacent mounting holes is A. Multiple mounting holes are distributed on the mounting frame at equal intervals.

[0041] S3, the picking mechanism continues to move upwards by a set distance A to the second mounting hole, and determines whether there is a shelf based on the feedback of the laser sensor. When there is no shelf at the mounting hole, the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole and determines that there is no shelf there. The laser sensor transmits a signal to the control system and continues to move upwards by a specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again until there is a shelf at the mounting hole.

[0042] S4, when there is a shelf at the mounting hole, the shelf will block the mounting hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is a shelf there. The picking mechanism moves the set distance H to the right to the first positioning hole to determine whether there is feedback, and transmits the signal to the control system and then moves the set distance H to the right again to the next positioning hole for judgment, until all the positioning holes are detected, and then returns to the mounting frame and continues to move upward the specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again.

[0043] It should be noted that the distance between two adjacent positioning holes is H, and multiple positioning holes are distributed on the shelf at equal intervals;

[0044] The presence of shelves and aisle barriers is determined based on the feedback from the laser sensor. The calculation method is simple, the steps are few, and the positioning is accurate.

[0045] In a further specific embodiment, the step S1 includes S11, controlling the picking mechanism to move rightward from the starting position to the mechanical origin, and the laser at the mechanical origin is reflected to the laser sensor at the picking mechanism, at which time the position information is reset, and the picking mechanism moves a set distance X to the right from the mechanical origin to the software origin. It should be noted that the starting position is set parallel to the mechanical origin and the software origin. It is understandable that when the height of the shelf and the width of the aisle are changed, the picking mechanism needs to return to the origin and reset the aisle position previously entered at the mechanical origin.

[0046] In a further specific embodiment, in step S1, when the laser sensor at the picking mechanism senses that the emitted laser is blocked by the mounting bracket, it indicates that it is already located on the mounting bracket, and transmits a signal to the control system, where the distance that the picking mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting bracket is B.

[0047] In a further specific embodiment, the distance that the picking mechanism in S2 moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame to the first mounting hole is C. It should be noted that the first mounting hole is not used to mount a shelf, but is only used for positioning.

[0048] In a further specific embodiment, in step S4, if there is feedback at the positioning hole, it means that a cargo aisle partition is installed at that location, and if there is no feedback at the positioning hole, it means that a cargo aisle partition is not installed at that location. A cargo aisle for placing goods is formed between two adjacent cargo aisle partitions. It can be understood that the present invention only needs to detect the positions of all cargo aisle partitions. When the laser sensor at the pickup mechanism is aligned with the positioning hole, the storage cavity for placing goods in the pickup mechanism is aligned with the cargo aisle on one side of the cargo aisle partition, and the goods can enter the storage cavity from the cargo aisle.

[0049] In a further specific embodiment, the positioning hole is rectangular or square. As a preferred embodiment, the positioning hole and the mounting hole of this embodiment are both square, and the size is 10 mm.

[0050] See Figure 1 As shown, the coordinates of the first mounting hole are (X, B+C+5), and the coordinates of the first positioning hole are: (X+10+H, B+C+5+A).

[0051] In a further specific embodiment, when there is an aisle partition at the positioning hole, the aisle partition will block the positioning hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is an aisle partition there. When there is no aisle partition at the positioning hole, the laser sensor will pass through the positioning hole and determine that there is no aisle partition there. The laser sensor transmits the signal of whether there is an aisle partition to the control system.

[0052] When addressing the aisle, you only need to move to multiple positioning holes in sequence to determine whether there is an aisle partition to complete the detection of the aisle position of the shelf. This method reduces the problem of multiple back and forth calculations between adjacent aisles in the prior art, reduces steps, and improves accuracy.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, due to the lack of rigidity of the shelf, the shelf bears load for a long time. As the shelf is used for a long time, the middle part of the shelf bends downward. Due to the bending of the shelf, the pickup mechanism and the aisle will not be aligned, causing the purchased goods to be stuck between the aisle and the pickup mechanism.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, when the laser emitted by the laser sensor is located in the positioning hole, first move to the left within the range of the positioning hole to find the left boundary, then move to the right to find the right boundary, and then find the midpoint in the horizontal direction through the relative position; move upward to find the upper boundary, then move downward to find the lower boundary, and then find the midpoint in the vertical direction through the relative position.

[0055] This embodiment can accurately find the midpoint of the positioning hole in this way, so that the picking mechanism is aligned with the cargo channel, and the goods can smoothly enter the accommodating cavity with accurate positioning.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] See Figure 1 As shown, the automatic vending machine, applying the positioning method, comprises: a mounting frame, a plurality of shelves, a plurality of aisle partitions, a driving mechanism and a picking mechanism;

[0058] The mounting frame is provided with a plurality of mounting holes which are distributed on the mounting frame at equal intervals along the vertical direction, and the plurality of shelves are respectively mounted on one of the mounting holes;

[0059] The shelf is provided with a plurality of positioning holes which are equally spaced and distributed on the shelf in a parallel direction, and a plurality of aisle partitions are respectively installed in one of the positioning holes, and aisles are formed between two adjacent aisle partitions;

[0060] The driving mechanism drives the picking-up mechanism to move at the cargo channel. The picking-up mechanism is equipped with a laser sensor. When picking up goods, the laser sensor emits a laser to align with one of the positioning holes.

[0061] This embodiment applies the method in Implementation 1, which can achieve accurate addressing and positioning, and has a simple structure and strong stability.

[0062] Descriptions such as "specific examples" or "some examples" mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0063] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations on the present invention. A person skilled in the art may make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments. As long as they conform to the purpose of the present invention, they shall be within the scope of protection required by the present invention, such as different combinations of specific embodiments and different combinations of distinguishing technical features.

Claims

1. A precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, the picking mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting rack; S2, the picking mechanism moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame by a set distance and is located at the first mounting hole. The laser emitted by the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole. At this time, the laser is not blocked, and the laser sensor transmits the signal to the control system. S3, the picking mechanism continues to move upwards by a set distance A to the second mounting hole, and determines whether there is a shelf based on the feedback of the laser sensor. When there is no shelf at the mounting hole, the laser sensor passes through the mounting hole and determines that there is no shelf there. The laser sensor transmits a signal to the control system and continues to move upwards by a specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again until there is a shelf at the mounting hole. S4, when there is a shelf at the mounting hole, the shelf will block the mounting hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is a shelf there. The picking mechanism moves the set distance H to the right to the first positioning hole to determine whether there is feedback, and transmits the signal to the control system and then moves the set distance H to the right again to the next positioning hole for judgment, until all the positioning holes are detected, and then returns to the mounting frame and continues to move upward the specified distance A to the next mounting hole to determine whether there is a shelf again.

2. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step S1 includes S11, controlling the picking mechanism to move rightward from the starting position to the mechanical origin, the laser at the mechanical origin is reflected to the laser sensor at the picking mechanism, at which time the position information is reset, and the picking mechanism moves rightward from the mechanical origin to the set distance X to the software origin.

3. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S1, when the laser sensor at the pickup mechanism senses that the emitted laser is blocked by the mounting bracket, it indicates that it is already located on the mounting bracket and transmits a signal to the control system, where the distance B that the pickup mechanism moves upward from the software origin to the bottom of the mounting bracket is.

4. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S2, the distance that the picking mechanism moves upward from the bottom of the mounting frame to the first mounting hole is C.

5. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step S4, if there is feedback at the positioning hole, it means that the cargo aisle partition is installed at that location, and if there is no feedback at the positioning hole, it means that the cargo aisle partition is not installed at that location.

6. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 5, characterized in that: When there is an aisle partition at the positioning hole, the aisle partition will block the positioning hole, and the laser sensor determines that there is an aisle partition there. When there is no aisle partition at the positioning hole, the laser sensor will pass through the positioning hole and determine that there is no aisle partition there. The laser sensor transmits the signal of whether there is an aisle partition to the control system.

7. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 5, characterized in that: A cargo aisle for placing commodities is formed between two adjacent cargo aisle partitions.

8. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning hole is rectangular or square.

9. The precise positioning method for cargo channel addressing according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S4 includes S41. When the laser emitted by the laser sensor is located in the positioning hole, first move to the left within the range of the positioning hole to find the left boundary, then move to the right to find the right boundary, and then find the midpoint in the horizontal direction through relative position; move upward to find the upper boundary, then move downward to find the lower boundary, and then find the midpoint in the vertical direction through relative position.

10. A vending machine, characterized in that: The positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is applied, comprising: a mounting frame, a plurality of shelves, a plurality of cargo aisle partitions, a driving mechanism and a cargo picking mechanism; The mounting frame is provided with a plurality of mounting holes which are distributed on the mounting frame at equal intervals along the vertical direction, and the plurality of shelves are respectively mounted on one of the mounting holes; The shelf is provided with a plurality of positioning holes which are equally spaced and distributed on the shelf in a parallel direction, and a plurality of aisle partitions are respectively installed in one of the positioning holes, and aisles are formed between two adjacent aisle partitions; The driving mechanism drives the picking-up mechanism to move at the cargo channel. The picking-up mechanism is equipped with a laser sensor. When picking up goods, the laser sensor emits a laser to align with one of the positioning holes.

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