Cross-belt sorting machine and cross-belt sorting system based on three-dimensional track

Abstract

The invention discloses a crossed belt sorting machine and a crossed belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track, the crossed belt sorting machine comprises a pair of track units which are arranged in parallel and symmetrical relative to the vertical direction, the track units are arranged in a closed mode in the vertical plane, the track units are guided through steering wheels, one of the plurality of steering wheels is a driving wheel, and the other one of the plurality of steering wheels is a driven wheel. The track unit is driven to circularly rotate; wherein the sorting trolley is horizontally bridged on the pair of rail units; the rail sections, extending in the vertical direction, of the rail units are sequentially guided by a plurality of steering wheels to form at least two layers of reciprocating rail sections; therefore, the feeding machine table and the plurality of discharging grid openings can be arranged on one side or two sides of the reciprocating track section. Namely, the track unit can form a plurality of reciprocating track sections arranged in the height direction through left-right reverse guiding of a plurality of steering wheels, and the discharging lattices are arranged beside the reciprocating track sections with different heights, so that the height space is fully utilized, the density of the discharging lattices is improved, and the sorting efficiency and the space utilization rate are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cross-belt sorting machines, and in particular to a cross-belt sorting machine and a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track. Background Art

[0002] In the field of logistics, cross-belt sorters can be used to sort parcels or boxes.

[0003] In the relevant scheme, the cross-belt sorter usually uses a circular closed track, and the sorting cart circulates on the track. There are loading platforms and unloading grids next to the track. The sorting cart obtains the package at the loading platform, and then walks to the designated unloading grid and releases the package according to the system instructions, thereby completing the sorting operation of the package.

[0004] However, the track in the above solution is usually arranged in a closed circular shape on a horizontal plane, resulting in a large occupied space. Summary of the invention

[0005] In response to at least one aspect of the above-mentioned technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a cross-belt sorting machine and a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track. The cross-belt sorting machine of the embodiments disclosed in the present application vertically arranges a pair of track units, and guides the track segments of the track units into at least two layers of reciprocating track segments through steering wheels, so that unloading grids can be set next to the reciprocating track segments arranged in multiple layers in the height direction, and more unloading grids can be arranged under the same footprint, thereby improving sorting efficiency and space utilization.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cross-belt sorting machine based on a three-dimensional track, comprising:

[0007] A pair of track units are arranged in parallel and symmetrically relative to the vertical direction, and the track units are connected end to end in a closed arrangement in the vertical plane;

[0008] A steering wheel with a rotating shaft extending in a horizontal direction, wherein a plurality of the steering wheels are rotatably mounted at a turning position of the track unit in the vertical plane, so that the steering wheels support the track unit and guide the extension direction of the track unit, and at least one of the plurality of steering wheels is a driving wheel, and the driving wheel is used to drive the track unit to cyclically rotate in the vertical plane;

[0009] A sorting trolley horizontally straddles a pair of the track units, and both sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction are respectively fixedly mounted on the pair of the track units, so that the sorting trolley circulates and rotates with the track units;

[0010] Wherein, in the vertical plane, the track section of the track unit extending in the up-down direction is guided in sequence in the left-right opposite directions by a plurality of the steering wheels to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections, and the reciprocating track sections extend in the left-right direction of the vertical plane;

[0011] Wherein, the loading machine is arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section, and a plurality of unloading grids are arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section;

[0012] Furthermore, the sorting trolley and the loading platform are respectively connected to the sorting control device in communication, so that:

[0013] When the sorting trolley rotates with the track unit to the loading platform, the packages on the loading platform are transferred to the sorting trolley; and,

[0014] When the sorting trolley rotates with the track unit to the designated unloading grid, the parcels on the sorting trolley are transferred to the designated unloading grid.

[0015] In one embodiment, preferably, the track unit comprises an inner sub-track and an outer sub-track arranged in parallel along a horizontal direction, and in a pair of the track units, the inner sub-track is located on the inner side of the outer sub-track, and the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged with the same length;

[0016] Wherein, at each left-right reverse turning point, along the direction determined by the reciprocating track segment, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged in a staggered manner with the length of the sorting trolley as the staggered spacing;

[0017] The sorting trolley is configured so that its two ends in the front-rear direction are respectively installed on the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track, and the sorting trolley is arranged upward on each layer of the reciprocating track segment, and the movement directions of the sorting trolley are opposite on the reciprocating track segments of adjacent layers.

[0018] In one embodiment, preferably, when the sorting trolley drives toward the turning point, along the forward direction of the sorting trolley, the sorting trolley is configured as follows:

[0019] The front end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on a relatively protruding one of the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track.

[0020] The rear end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on a relatively indented one of the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track.

[0021] In one embodiment, preferably, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track include chain tracks;

[0022] Among them, both sides of the first end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of inner sub-rails through a first transfer shaft, and both sides of the second end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of outer sub-rails through a second transfer shaft, and the outer end of the second transfer shaft is provided with a connecting piece for avoiding the inner sub-rail.

[0023] In one embodiment, preferably, the sorting trolley is provided with walking wheels on the left and right sides at both ends in the front and rear directions;

[0024] Wherein, the first transfer shaft and the second transfer shaft are different wheel axles of the traveling wheels.

[0025] In one embodiment, preferably, at a left-right reverse turning point, the track unit is guided by at least two of the steering wheels arranged vertically.

[0026] In one embodiment, preferably, the sorting trolley comprises a chassis and a conveyor belt mounted on the chassis;

[0027] The conveying direction of the conveyor belt is arranged crosswise with the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; the chassis includes a plurality of chassis plates arranged along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley, and adjacent chassis plates are movably connected;

[0028] Furthermore, the conveyor belt is fixedly mounted on any one of the chassis plates.

[0029] In one embodiment, preferably, the sorting cart includes a controller, the controller is electrically connected to the conveyor belt, and the controller is communicatively connected to the sorting control device; so that the controller controls the rotation direction of the conveyor belt according to the loading instructions and unloading instructions of the sorting control device respectively.

[0030] In one embodiment, preferably, it further includes:

[0031] A power supply unit, comprising a busbar and a powered brush plate arranged outside the chassis of the sorting trolley, wherein the busbar is arranged between a pair of the track units and extends along the track units, the busbar is electrically connected to a power supply, and the powered brush plate is electrically connected to a controller of the sorting trolley;

[0032] Wherein, the busbar and the energized brush plate are configured as follows:

[0033] When the sorting trolley rotates cyclically with the track unit, the busbar is electrically connected to the energized brush plate so that the power supply supplies power to the sorting trolley.

[0034] In one embodiment, preferably, along the extension direction of the track unit, a plurality of the sorting trolleys cover the track unit, and a pair of the powered brush plates between adjacent sorting trolleys are electrically connected via a conductive member;

[0035] Wherein, the length of the busbar is at least greater than the distance between an adjacent pair of energized brush plates.

[0036] In one embodiment, preferably, the conductive member comprises a conductive plate extending along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley;

[0037] A first hinge shaft is respectively provided on both sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction, the first hinge shaft extends along the width direction of the sorting trolley, and the first hinge shaft is electrically connected to the energized brush plate;

[0038] Wherein, a pair of the first articulated shafts arranged on both sides are symmetrically arranged relative to the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley;

[0039] In addition, a pair of the first hinge shafts arranged on both sides are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of the sorting trolleys adjacent to the front and rear of the sorting trolleys through the conductive plates.

[0040] In one embodiment, preferably, the sorting trolley is provided with walking wheels on the left and right sides at both ends of the front and rear ends respectively;

[0041] Wherein, the first articulated shaft is the wheel axle of the traveling wheel.

[0042] In one embodiment, preferably, the conductive plate comprises a first conductive sub-plate and a second conductive sub-plate, one end of the first conductive sub-plate is hingedly connected to one end of the second conductive sub-plate through a second hinge shaft, and the other end of the first conductive sub-plate and the other end of the second conductive sub-plate are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of the first hinge shafts of adjacent sorting carts;

[0043] Furthermore, along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley, the second articulated shaft is located at the traveling wheel between a pair of the first articulated shafts of adjacent sorting trolleys.

[0044] In one embodiment, preferably, the sorting trolley is provided with a rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is electrically connected to the powered brush plate, so that when the busbar and the powered brush plate are electrically connected, the power supply charges the rechargeable battery.

[0045] In one embodiment, preferably, in the track segment of the track unit, a support plate is provided at least on the inner side of the reciprocating track segment, and the support plate is arranged along the extension direction of the reciprocating track segment so that the support plate is used for the walking wheel to walk.

[0046] In one embodiment, preferably, it further includes:

[0047] The rack unit is arranged in a vertical direction;

[0048] Wherein, the frame unit is used to fix the rotating shaft of the steering wheel.

[0049] Furthermore, at the reciprocating track section corresponding to each layer, the rack unit is detachably mounted with a plurality of material unloading grids, and the plurality of material unloading grids are arranged along the extension direction of the reciprocating track section.

[0050] In one embodiment, preferably, at least one loading machine platform is provided on both sides of one end of the reciprocating track segment at the bottom layer.

[0051] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track, wherein the cross-belt sorting system includes a cross-belt sorter and a sorting control device for controlling the cross-belt sorter, wherein the cross-belt sorter is the cross-belt sorter mentioned above.

[0052] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0053] The embodiments of the present application provide a cross-belt sorting machine and a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track. The cross-belt sorting machine includes a pair of track units that are arranged parallel and symmetrically relative to the vertical direction. The track units are closed and arranged in a vertical plane. The track units are guided by steering wheels. One of the steering wheels is a driving wheel to drive the track units to rotate in a circle. The sorting trolley is horizontally spanned across the pair of track units. The track sections of the track units extending in the up-and-down directions are guided in sequence by the steering wheels to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections. Thus, a loading platform and a plurality of unloading grids can be arranged on one side or both sides of the reciprocating track section.

[0054] That is to say, the cross-belt sorting machine provided in this embodiment has a track unit that can form a plurality of reciprocating track sections arranged along the height direction through the left and right reverse guidance of a plurality of steering wheels. In this way, by setting material unloading openings next to the reciprocating track sections at different heights, the height space is fully utilized, the density of the material unloading openings is increased, and the sorting efficiency and space utilization are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0056] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cross-belt sorter described in the embodiment of the present application.

[0057] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of .

[0058] Figure 3 It is a front view of the track unit in the embodiment of the present application in a vertical plane.

[0059] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic diagrams from other angles.

[0060] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sorting trolley located in the reciprocating track section in the embodiment of the present application.

[0061] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of .

[0062] Figure 7 This is a structural schematic diagram of a chassis of a sorting trolley described in an embodiment of the present application, in which a plurality of chassis plates are hingedly connected.

[0063] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first conductive sub-plate and the second conductive sub-plate in the embodiment of the present application.

[0064] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the busbar described in the embodiment of the present application is electrically connected to the energized brush plate.

[0065] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the sorting cart described in the embodiment of the present application.

[0066] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the distribution of the conductive plates on both sides of the sorting cart in the embodiment of the present application in the width direction.

[0067] Wherein, the reference numerals are:

[0068] 10-track unit, 11-inner sub-track, 12-outer sub-track, 13-reciprocating track section, 14-turning point, 15-return area,

[0069] 20-steering wheel, 21-rotating shaft, 22-driving wheel, 23-motor,

[0070] 30-sorting trolley, 31-chassis plate, 32-conveyor belt, 33-controller, 34-powered brush plate, 35-travel wheel, 36-connector,

[0071] 351-Axle,

[0072] 40-loading machine,

[0073] 50-feeding grid,

[0074] 60-busbar,

[0075] 70-conductive plate, 71-first conductive sub-plate, 72-second conductive sub-plate, 73-second hinge shaft,

[0076] 80 - rack unit, 81 - support plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0077] In order to better understand the above technical solution, the example embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described here.

[0078] Please combine Figure 1 and Figure 2 A cross-belt sorting machine based on a three-dimensional track includes a pair of track units 10 arranged in parallel in a vertical direction and in a mirror-symmetrical manner, a steering wheel 20 with a rotating shaft 21 extending in a horizontal direction, and a sorting trolley 30 horizontally spanning the pair of track units 10.

[0079] Among them, the track unit 10 is in a closed arrangement connected end to end in a vertical plane; a plurality of steering wheels 20 are rotatably installed at the turning point 14 of the track unit 10 in the vertical plane, so that the steering wheels 20 support the track unit 10 and guide the extension direction of the track unit 10, and at least one of the plurality of steering wheels 20 is a driving wheel 22, which is used to drive the track unit 10 to rotate in a circle in the vertical plane; the two sides of the sorting trolley 30 in the width direction are respectively fixedly installed on a pair of track units 10, so that the sorting trolley 30 rotates in a circle with the track unit 10.

[0080] Among them, in the vertical plane, the track section of the track unit 10 extending in the up-down direction is guided in reverse directions in sequence by a plurality of steering wheels 20 to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections 13, and the reciprocating track sections 13 extend in the left-right direction of the vertical plane.

[0081] The loading platform 40 is arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section 13, and a plurality of unloading slots 50 are arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section 13; and the sorting trolley 30 and the loading platform 40 are respectively connected to the sorting control device in communication, so that:

[0082] When the sorting trolley 30 rotates with the track unit 10 to the loading platform 40, the packages on the loading platform 40 are transferred to the sorting trolley 30; and,

[0083] When the sorting trolley 30 rotates with the track unit 10 to the designated unloading opening 50 , the parcels on the sorting trolley 30 are transferred to the designated unloading opening 50 .

[0084] In this embodiment, in general, a pair of mirror-symmetrical track units can form at least two layers of reciprocating track segments through the guidance of a number of steering wheels. Therefore, when the sorting cart rotates in a cycle with the track unit, it can deliver the parcel to the unloading grid on one side or both sides of the reciprocating track segment. In this way, by arranging multiple reciprocating track segments into a multi-layer structure along the height direction, the density of the unloading grid is greatly improved, thereby improving the space utilization.

[0085] Among them, about the track unit: see Figure 1 , 3 4. Specifically, a pair of track units are arranged parallel to the vertical direction and are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner; wherein, in the vertical plane where each track unit is located, the track units are arranged in a closed manner with their ends connected.

[0086] Among them, regarding the sorting cart: see Figure 2 The sorting trolley is horizontally connected to a pair of track units, or in other words, the two sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction are fixedly installed on the track units on both sides, so that the sorting trolley rotates cyclically with the track units.

[0087] Among them, about the steering wheel:

[0088] First of all, it should be noted that the axis of rotation of the steering wheel extends in the horizontal direction, that is, the axis of rotation of the steering wheel is perpendicular to the vertical plane where the track unit is located. Therefore, it can be understood that when the above-mentioned track unit is overlapped on the steering wheel, the track unit can be steered with the help of the steering wheel, or in other words, the steering wheel can play a guiding role for the track unit.

[0089] It can be understood that the track unit can form a simple square closed track in a vertical plane, for example, through the guidance of four steering wheels. At this time, the square closed track includes two track segments extending in the up-down direction and two track segments extending in the left-right direction.

[0090] Furthermore, for any track section extending in the up-down direction, it can be guided in the left-right opposite directions by a number of steering wheels in sequence to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections, and the reciprocating track sections extend in the horizontal direction, for example, left-right; at this time, a number of steering wheels guided in the left-right opposite directions will be arranged in two vertical rows at a certain interval, and the two rows of steering wheels will be staggered; in other words, the track section extending in the up-down direction will form a multi-layer parallel arrangement in the height direction because it bypasses a number of guide wheels in sequence, that is, a multi-layer or at least two layers of reciprocating track sections are arranged in parallel in the height direction.

[0091] Among the several steering wheels for guiding the track unit, at least one should be a driving wheel, which is driven by a motor 23, for example. That is, the motor drives the track unit to rotate cyclically through the driving wheel, and the sorting trolley rotates cyclically with the track unit.

[0092] At this time, a loading machine can be set on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track segment of the bottom layer, and similarly, unloading grids can be set on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of all the reciprocating track segments; that is, the unloading grids will be distributed in the same multi-layer according to the multi-layer reciprocating track segments, and each layer of the reciprocating track segments can be horizontally provided with multiple unloading grids, which greatly increases the density of the unloading grids and improves the space utilization.

[0093] Thus, it can be understood that the sorting control device can control the cyclic rotation of the sorting trolley by controlling the motor, and when the sorting trolley rotates to the loading platform with the track unit, the sorting control device can transfer the parcel on the loading platform to the sorting trolley by controlling the loading platform and the sorting trolley respectively; then the parcel rotates cyclically with the sorting trolley; when the sorting trolley rotates to the unloading grid designated by the sorting control device, the sorting control device can deliver the parcel from the sorting trolley to the designated unloading grid by controlling the sorting trolley, thereby completing the sorting and delivery of the parcel.

[0094] The embodiments of the present application provide a cross-belt sorting machine and a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track. The cross-belt sorting machine includes a pair of track units which are arranged in parallel and mirror-symmetrically relative to the vertical direction. The track units are closed in a vertical plane and guided by steering wheels. One of the steering wheels is a driving wheel to drive the track units to rotate in a circle. The sorting trolley is horizontally connected to the pair of track units. The track sections of the track units extending in the up-down direction are guided in sequence by the steering wheels to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections. Thus, a loading platform and a plurality of unloading grids can be arranged on one side or both sides of the reciprocating track section.

[0095] That is to say, the cross-belt sorting machine provided in this embodiment has a track unit that can form a plurality of reciprocating track sections arranged along the height direction through the left and right reverse guidance of a plurality of steering wheels. In this way, by setting material unloading openings next to the reciprocating track sections at different heights, the height space is fully utilized, the density of the material unloading openings is increased, and the sorting efficiency and space utilization are improved.

[0096] In addition, the sorting trolley circulates with the track unit and does not slow down during loading and unloading, so the sorting and delivery efficiency is high.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the track unit includes an inner sub-track and an outer sub-track arranged in parallel along a horizontal direction. In a pair of track units, the inner sub-track is located on the inner side of the outer sub-track, and the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged with equal lengths; wherein, at each left-right reverse turning point, along the direction determined by the reciprocating track segment, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are staggered with the length of the sorting trolley as the staggered spacing; so that the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track at its two ends in the front-rear direction, the sorting trolley is arranged upward on each layer of the reciprocating track segment, and the movement directions of the sorting trolleys on the reciprocating track segments of adjacent layers are opposite.

[0098] It can be understood that in order to ensure that the sorting trolley is set upward on each layer of the reciprocating track section, the present embodiment first sets each track unit as a pair of sub-tracks arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and of equal length, and then, at each left and right reverse turning point, a pair of sub-tracks are horizontally staggered with the length of the sorting trolley as the staggered spacing.

[0099] Specifically, for a pair of track units, since each track unit includes a pair of sub-tracks, there are a total of four sub-tracks arranged in parallel, among which the pair of sub-tracks on the relatively inner sides are a pair of inner sub-tracks, and the pair of sub-tracks on the relatively outer sides are a pair of outer sub-tracks, that is, each track unit includes an inner sub-track and an outer sub-track.

[0100] Furthermore, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged with the same length, or it can be said that the four sub-tracks are arranged with the same length.

[0101] So, understandable, please combine Figure 3 Due to the equal length arrangement, at one of the turning points, for example, the inner sub-track is convexly arranged relative to the outer sub-track along the forward direction, then at the next turning point of the turning point, the outer sub-track is convexly arranged relative to the inner sub-track along the forward direction; thus, the sorting trolley is fixedly installed on the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track at both ends in the front and rear directions respectively, so that the sorting trolley can be arranged upward on each layer of the reciprocating track section.

[0102] At this point, it should be understood that when the sorting trolley moves to the place where the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are staggered, it rises vertically from the lower reciprocating track section to the adjacent upper reciprocating track section. During the rising process, the sorting trolley always remains upward, and the movement direction of the sorting trolley on the upper reciprocating track section is reversed relative to that on the lower reciprocating track section.

[0103] In a possible implementation, when the sorting trolley drives toward the turning point, along the forward direction of the sorting trolley, the sorting trolley is configured as follows:

[0104] The front end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on the relatively protruding one of the inner and outer sub-tracks.

[0105] The rear end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on a relatively indented one of the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track.

[0106] That is, for easy understanding, for the moving sorting trolley, its front end should be fixedly installed on the relatively protruding one of the inner sub-rail and the outer sub-rail, and its rear end should be fixedly installed on the relatively retracted one of the inner sub-rail and the outer sub-rail; in this way, the relatively protruding one of the inner sub-rail and the outer sub-rail is the front end of the sorting trolley protruding with an offset spacing of the length of the sorting trolley, so that the front end and the rear end of the sorting trolley can move to the turning point of the inner sub-rail and the outer sub-rail at the same time, preparing for the vertical lifting of the sorting trolley.

[0107] Specifically, the inner sub-rail and the outer sub-rail include chain rails; wherein, the two sides of the first end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of inner sub-rails through a first transfer shaft, and the two sides of the second end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of outer sub-rails through a second transfer shaft, and the outer end of the second transfer shaft is provided with a connecting piece for avoiding the inner sub-rail.

[0108] That is, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track may be realized by a chain track, for example.

[0109] Among them, for the installation of the sorting trolley and a pair of inner sub-rails on both sides, it can be rotatably hinged to the chain links of the pair of inner sub-rails through a pair of first transfer shafts. Similarly, for the installation of the sorting trolley and a pair of outer sub-rails on both sides, it can be rotatably hinged to the link of the pair of outer sub-rails through a pair of second transfer shafts.

[0110] Please combine Figure 2 and Figure 6 The difference is that, due to the hinged inner sub-track, the first transfer axis is extended in a straight line and is directly hinged; while for the outer sub-track, due to the need to avoid the inner sub-track, the second transfer axis is extended in a straight line and a connecting piece for avoiding the inner sub-track is provided at its outer end, so that the inner sub-track can be avoided by crossing over from above or below through the connecting piece.

[0111] Among them, further, the sorting trolley is provided with running wheels on the left and right sides at both ends of the front and rear directions respectively; the first transfer shaft and the second transfer shaft are wheel axles of different running wheels.

[0112] That is to say, along the front-to-back direction, the sorting cart, for example, includes two running wheels at the first end and two running wheels at the second end. Then, the two first transfer shafts on both sides are, for example, the axles of the two running wheels at the first end. At this time, the two second transfer shafts on both sides are the axles of the two running wheels at the second end. In this way, by arranging the above-mentioned two transfer shafts (that is, the first transfer shaft and the second transfer shaft) at the axles of the running wheels, the structure is simple and parts are saved.

[0113] In a possible implementation manner, at a left-right reverse turning point, the track unit is guided by at least two steering wheels arranged one above the other.

[0114] For a turning point, at least two turning wheels arranged up and down can be arranged there (for example Figure 3 The upper and lower spacing between the two guide wheels is the spacing between adjacent reciprocating track sections, which can better match the height of the packages carried on the sorting trolley; in addition, by setting at least two steering wheels arranged up and down, a steering wheel with a smaller radius can be used to achieve a similar guiding effect, which is convenient for disassembly.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the sorting trolley includes a chassis and a conveyor belt installed on the chassis; wherein the conveying direction of the conveyor belt is cross-set with the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; the chassis includes a plurality of chassis plates arranged along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley, and adjacent chassis plates are movably connected; and the conveyor belt is fixedly installed on any one of the plurality of chassis plates.

[0116] See also Figure 3 , Figure 3 The vertical track section on the right side and the lowest horizontal track section are the return area 15. To ensure that the sorting trolley can turn smoothly in the return area, the chassis of the sorting trolley needs to be connected by a plurality of chassis plates that can rotate relatively, such as a hinged connection, and the plurality of chassis plates are arranged in parallel along the front and rear direction of the sorting trolley; thus, combined with Figure 7 , when the sorting trolley walks to the turning point of the return area, it can ensure that the sorting trolley passes smoothly.

[0117] The conveyor belt on the sorting trolley can be fixedly installed on any one of the several chassis plates, but the conveyor belt is usually installed on a chassis plate in the middle position.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the sorting trolley includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the conveyor belt, and the controller is communicatively connected to the sorting control device; so that the controller controls the rotation direction of the conveyor belt according to the loading instructions and unloading instructions of the sorting control device.

[0119] That is, each sorting trolley includes an independent controller, which is communicatively connected with the sorting control device. The controller can complete loading and feeding by driving the rotation of the conveyor belt according to the instructions of the sorting control device.

[0120] In one possible implementation, the cross-belt sorter further includes a power supply unit, which includes a busbar and a powered brush plate disposed outside the chassis of the sorting trolley, the busbar being disposed between a pair of track units and extending along the track units, the busbar being electrically connected to a power supply, and the powered brush plate being electrically connected to a controller of the sorting trolley; wherein the busbar and the powered brush plate are configured as follows:

[0121] When the sorting trolley rotates cyclically with the track unit, the busbar is electrically connected to the energized brush plate so that the power supply supplies power to the sorting trolley.

[0122] In this embodiment, considering the power supply of the sorting trolley, the cross-belt sorter also includes a power supply unit.

[0123] Specifically, a powered brush plate may be provided on the outside of the chassis of the sorting trolley, such as the bottom surface, and the powered brush plate is electrically connected to the controller mentioned above; then, a busbar is provided between a pair of track units, the busbar extends along the track unit, and the busbar is electrically connected to the power supply; in this way, when the sorting trolley rotates in a cycle with the track unit, the busbar is electrically connected to the powered brush plate, so that the power supply can supply power to the sorting trolley.

[0124] It is understandable that, on the one hand, in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the sorting trolley during the cyclic rotation, the bus bar can extend along the track unit and be set in a closed manner, that is, the bus bar is consistent with the length and turning shape of the track unit, thereby ensuring that the sorting trolley can always be electrically connected to the bus bar during the cyclic rotation.

[0125] On the other hand, it is also possible to only set up a section of busbar, for example, set up a section of busbar on a certain reciprocating track section. At this time, it is understandable that the electrical connection of each sorting trolley on the track unit should be ensured, and the busbar can supply power to all sorting trolleys by being electrically connected to one sorting trolley.

[0126] In one possible implementation, specifically, along the extension direction of the track unit, a number of sorting carts are spread over the track unit, and a pair of powered brush plates between adjacent sorting carts are electrically connected through a conductive member; wherein the length of the busbar is at least greater than the spacing between an adjacent pair of powered brush plates.

[0127] That is, along the extension direction of the track unit, the sorting carts need to be fully arranged on the track unit, and a pair of powered brush plates of adjacent sorting carts are electrically connected through conductive parts, and the length of the busbar is at least greater than the spacing between an adjacent pair of powered brush plates. In this way, when all the sorting carts circulate, it can be ensured that the busbar can always be electrically connected to at least one powered brush plate, that is, it can be ensured that the busbar can always be electrically connected to all the sorting carts and supply power.

[0128] Considering that the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged in a staggered manner, and the sorting trolley will reverse forward and backward on the upper and lower adjacent reciprocating track sections, in a possible implementation manner, specifically, the conductive member includes a conductive plate extending along the front and rear direction of the sorting trolley; first hinge shafts are respectively provided on both sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction, the first hinge shafts extend along the width direction of the sorting trolley, and the first hinge shafts are electrically connected to the energized brush plate;

[0129] Among them, a pair of first articulated shafts on both sides are symmetrically arranged relative to the front and rear directions of the sorting trolley; and, the pair of first articulated shafts on both sides are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of sorting trolleys adjacent to the front and rear of the sorting trolley through conductive plates.

[0130] That is to say, in order to deal with the situation where the sorting carts may be reversed in the front and back directions, the adjacent sorting carts can be electrically connected by rotating the hinged conductive plates. This embodiment provides a specific connection structure.

[0131] Specifically, the sorting trolley is provided with a first articulated shaft on both sides along the width direction, the first articulated shaft extends along the width direction of the sorting trolley, and the pair of first articulated shafts on both sides are symmetrically arranged relative to the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; that is, the two first articulated shafts on the left and right sides of the sorting trolley are located at the same position of the sorting trolley along the front-rear direction, for example, they can be located at the front end of the sorting trolley at the same time, or they can be located at the middle end of the sorting trolley at the same time, or they can be located at the rear end of the sorting trolley at the same time, etc., as long as the two first articulated shafts on the left and right sides are mirror-symmetrical.

[0132] Then, the two first hinge shafts on the left and right sides are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of sorting trolleys adjacent to the front and rear of the sorting trolleys where they are located through conductive plates; that is, the first hinge shaft on one side is hingedly connected to the sorting trolley adjacent to the front end in the forward direction through the conductive plate (that is, it is hingedly connected to the first hinge shaft on the same side of the adjacent front end sorting trolley through the conductive plate), and the first hinge shaft on the other side is hingedly connected to the sorting trolley adjacent to the rear end in the forward direction through the conductive plate. In this way, on the basis of realizing the electrical connection between the adjacent sorting trolleys, the front and rear reverse situation of the sorting trolleys can be taken into account.

[0133] In a specific embodiment, the sorting trolley is provided with running wheels on the left and right sides at the front and rear ends respectively; wherein the first hinge shaft is the axle of the running wheels.

[0134] Similar to the two transfer shafts described above, the first articulated shaft of this embodiment can also be directly the axle of the running wheel.

[0135] Among them, the pair of first articulated shafts mentioned above can be, for example, a pair of axles of the running wheels on both sides of the front end of the sorting trolley, and of course, can also be a pair of axles of the running wheels on both sides of the rear end of the sorting trolley; that is to say, the two transfer shafts and the first articulated shaft described above can be realized with the aid of the axles of the running wheels of the sorting trolley, and the structure is simple.

[0136] In a specific embodiment, the conductive plate includes a first conductive sub-plate and a second conductive sub-plate, one end of the first conductive sub-plate is hingedly connected to one end of the second conductive sub-plate via a second hinge shaft, and the other end of the first conductive sub-plate and the other end of the second conductive sub-plate are respectively hinged to a pair of first hinge shafts of adjacent sorting carts; and, along the front and rear direction of the sorting cart, the second hinge shaft is located at the walking wheel between the pair of first hinge shafts of adjacent sorting carts.

[0137] Combination Figure 6 , 7 Considering that the conductive plate will cross over a running wheel and the running wheel needs to be hingedly connected to the inner sub-track or the outer sub-track, a second hinge axis can be set at the running wheel where the conductive plate crosses; in other words, an entire conductive plate can be realized by hingedly connecting two conductive sub-plates, and the hinge connection point is located at the running wheel it crosses.

[0138] In another possible implementation, specifically, the sorting trolley can also be provided with a rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is electrically connected to the powered brush plate. It can be understood that, in this way, when the busbar and the powered brush plate are electrically connected, the power supply can charge the rechargeable battery; it can be seen that when the sorting trolley adopts the rechargeable battery method, the sorting trolley does not need to be covered with track units, and of course there is no need for a pair of powered brush plates between adjacent sorting trolleys to be electrically connected through conductive parts; in other words, at this time, there is no need for electrical connection between the sorting trolleys, and when each sorting trolley walks to the busbar position, it can be electrically connected to the busbar through the powered brush plate to obtain electrical energy, and the rechargeable battery of the sorting trolley can store this electrical energy for its use.

[0139] In a possible implementation, in the track segment of the track unit, a support plate is provided at least on the inner side of the reciprocating track segment, and the support plate is arranged along the extension direction of the reciprocating track segment so that the support plate is used for the running wheels to run.

[0140] That is, the above-mentioned reciprocating track sections are usually arranged horizontally. At this time, a support plate can be arranged on the inner side of a pair of reciprocating track sections, and the support plate is used to support the running wheels of the sorting trolley, or in other words, the support plate is used for the running wheels of the sorting trolley to move.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the cross-belt sorting machine further includes a rack unit, which is arranged in a vertical direction; wherein the rack unit is used to fix a rotating shaft of a steering wheel, and, at the reciprocating track section corresponding to each layer, the rack unit is detachably installed with a plurality of material unloading grids, and the plurality of material unloading grids are arranged along an extension direction of the reciprocating track section.

[0142] That is, by arranging a frame unit extending in a vertical direction, the frame unit can not only provide an installation position for the rotating shaft of the steering wheel, but also provide an installation position for the unloading grid on the outer side of the reciprocating track section.

[0143] For ease of use, at least one loading machine platform may be provided on both sides of one end of the bottom reciprocating track section.

[0144] Based on the cross-belt sorting machine disclosed above, the present application also discloses a cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track, the cross-belt sorting system comprising a cross-belt sorting machine and a sorting control device for controlling the cross-belt sorting machine, wherein the cross-belt sorting machine is the cross-belt sorting machine mentioned above.

[0145] The basic principles of the present application are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present application are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present application. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, not for limitation, and the above details do not limit the present application to being implemented by adopting the above specific details.

[0146] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems involved in this application are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, and configured in the manner shown in the block diagram. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "including", "comprising", "having", etc. are open words, referring to "including but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them. The words "or" and "and" used here refer to the words "and / or" and can be used interchangeably with them, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The words "such as" used here refer to the phrase "such as but not limited to", and can be used interchangeably with them.

[0147] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, device and method of the present application, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present application.

[0148] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0149] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize that some variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cross-belt sorting machine based on a three-dimensional track, characterized in that: include: A pair of track units are arranged in parallel and symmetrically relative to the vertical direction, and the track units are connected end to end in a closed arrangement in the vertical plane; A steering wheel with a rotating shaft extending in a horizontal direction, wherein a plurality of the steering wheels are rotatably mounted at a turning position of the track unit in the vertical plane, so that the steering wheels support the track unit and guide the extension direction of the track unit, and at least one of the plurality of steering wheels is a driving wheel, and the driving wheel is used to drive the track unit to cyclically rotate in the vertical plane; A sorting trolley horizontally straddles a pair of the track units, and both sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction are respectively fixedly mounted on the pair of the track units, so that the sorting trolley circulates and rotates with the track units; Wherein, in the vertical plane, the track section of the track unit extending in the up-down direction is guided in sequence in the left-right opposite directions by a plurality of the steering wheels to form at least two layers of reciprocating track sections, and the reciprocating track sections extend in the left-right direction of the vertical plane; Wherein, the loading machine is arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section, and a plurality of unloading grids are arranged on one or both sides of the relatively horizontal outer side of the reciprocating track section; Furthermore, the sorting trolley and the loading platform are respectively connected to the sorting control device in communication, so that: When the sorting trolley rotates with the track unit to the loading platform, the packages on the loading platform are transferred to the sorting trolley; and, When the sorting trolley rotates with the track unit to the designated unloading grid, the parcels on the sorting trolley are transferred to the designated unloading grid.

2. The cross belt sorter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The track unit comprises an inner sub-track and an outer sub-track arranged in parallel in a horizontal direction. In a pair of the track units, the inner sub-track is located on the inner side of the outer sub-track, and the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged with the same length. Wherein, at each left-right reverse turning point, along the direction determined by the reciprocating track segment, the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track are arranged in a staggered manner with the length of the sorting trolley as the staggered spacing; The sorting trolley is configured so that its two ends in the front-rear direction are respectively installed on the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track, and the sorting trolley is arranged upward on each layer of the reciprocating track segment, and the movement directions of the sorting trolley are opposite on the reciprocating track segments of adjacent layers.

3. The cross belt sorter according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the sorting trolley drives toward the turning point, along the forward direction of the sorting trolley, the sorting trolley is configured as follows: The front end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on a relatively protruding one of the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track. The rear end of the sorting trolley is fixedly mounted on a relatively indented one of the inner sub-track and the outer sub-track.

4. The cross belt sorter according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner sub-track and the outer sub-track include chain tracks; Among them, both sides of the first end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of inner sub-rails through a first transfer shaft, and both sides of the second end of the sorting trolley in the front-to-back direction are rotatably installed at the chain links of a pair of outer sub-rails through a second transfer shaft, and the outer end of the second transfer shaft is provided with a connecting piece for avoiding the inner sub-rail.

5. The cross belt sorter according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sorting trolley is provided with running wheels on the left and right sides at both ends in the front and rear directions; Wherein, the first transfer shaft and the second transfer shaft are different wheel axles of the traveling wheels.

6. The cross belt sorter according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that: At a left-right reverse turning point, the track unit is guided by at least two of the steering wheels arranged vertically.

7. The cross belt sorter according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sorting trolley comprises a chassis and a conveyor belt mounted on the chassis; The conveying direction of the conveyor belt is arranged crosswise with the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; the chassis includes a plurality of chassis plates arranged along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley, and adjacent chassis plates are movably connected; Furthermore, the conveyor belt is fixedly mounted on any one of the chassis plates.

8. The cross belt sorter according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sorting trolley includes a controller, which is electrically connected to the conveyor belt and is communicatively connected to the sorting control device; so that the controller controls the rotation direction of the conveyor belt according to the loading instructions and unloading instructions of the sorting control device.

9. The cross belt sorter according to any one of claims 2 and 7, characterized in that: Also includes: A power supply unit, comprising a busbar and a powered brush plate arranged outside the chassis of the sorting trolley, wherein the busbar is arranged between a pair of the track units and extends along the track units, the busbar is electrically connected to a power supply, and the powered brush plate is electrically connected to a controller of the sorting trolley; Wherein, the busbar and the energized brush plate are configured as follows: When the sorting trolley rotates cyclically with the track unit, the busbar is electrically connected to the energized brush plate so that the power supply supplies power to the sorting trolley.

10. The cross belt sorter according to claim 9, characterized in that: Along the extension direction of the track unit, a plurality of the sorting carts cover the track unit, and a pair of the powered brush plates between adjacent sorting carts are electrically connected via a conductive member; Wherein, the length of the busbar is at least greater than the distance between an adjacent pair of energized brush plates.

11. The cross belt sorter according to claim 10, characterized in that: The conductive member comprises a conductive plate extending along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; A first hinge shaft is respectively provided on both sides of the sorting trolley in the width direction, the first hinge shaft extends along the width direction of the sorting trolley, and the first hinge shaft is electrically connected to the energized brush plate; Wherein, a pair of the first articulated shafts arranged on both sides are symmetrically arranged relative to the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley; In addition, a pair of the first hinge shafts arranged on both sides are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of the sorting trolleys adjacent to the front and rear of the sorting trolleys through the conductive plates.

12. The cross belt sorter according to claim 11, characterized in that: The sorting trolley is provided with running wheels on the left and right sides at both ends of the front and rear ends respectively; Wherein, the first articulated shaft is the wheel axle of the traveling wheel.

13. The cross belt sorter according to claim 12, characterized in that: The conductive plate includes a first conductive sub-plate and a second conductive sub-plate, one end of the first conductive sub-plate is hingedly connected to one end of the second conductive sub-plate via a second hinge shaft, and the other end of the first conductive sub-plate and the other end of the second conductive sub-plate are respectively hingedly connected to a pair of the first hinge shafts of adjacent sorting carts; Furthermore, along the front-rear direction of the sorting trolley, the second articulated shaft is located at the traveling wheel between a pair of the first articulated shafts of adjacent sorting trolleys.

14. The cross belt sorter according to claim 9, characterized in that: The sorting trolley is provided with a rechargeable battery, and the rechargeable battery is electrically connected to the powered brush plate, so that when the busbar and the powered brush plate are electrically connected, the power supply charges the rechargeable battery.

15. The cross belt sorter according to any one of claims 5 and 12, characterized in that: In the track segment of the track unit, a support plate is provided at least on the inner side of the reciprocating track segment, and the support plate is arranged along the extension direction of the reciprocating track segment so that the support plate is used for the running wheels to run.

16. The cross belt sorter according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: The rack unit is arranged in a vertical direction; Wherein, the frame unit is used to fix the rotating shaft of the steering wheel. Furthermore, at the reciprocating track section corresponding to each layer, the rack unit is detachably mounted with a plurality of material unloading grids, and the plurality of material unloading grids are arranged along the extension direction of the reciprocating track section.

17. The cross belt sorter according to claim 16, characterized in that: At least one loading machine platform is arranged on both sides of one end of the reciprocating track section at the bottom layer.

18. A cross-belt sorting system based on a three-dimensional track, characterized in that: The cross-belt sorting system comprises a cross-belt sorter and a sorting control device for controlling the cross-belt sorter, wherein the cross-belt sorter is the cross-belt sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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