Intelligent shuttle vehicle for stereoscopic warehouse
By designing a transport platform and rotating unit in an intelligent shuttle vehicle used in automated warehouses, the rotation of goods is achieved using hydraulic drive and worm gear transmission, solving the problem of cargo orientation calibration that traditional shuttle vehicles cannot achieve, and improving the degree of automation and transportation efficiency.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HUBEI KEDE INTELLIGENT EQUIP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-08
AI Technical Summary
Traditional shuttles cannot achieve continuous, small-angle, and high-precision cargo orientation calibration, resulting in goods not being stacked squarely in automated warehouses. This requires manual intervention or forklift operators to place the goods with high precision, resulting in low automation and limited efficiency.
The intelligent shuttle vehicle used in automated warehouses is designed with a transport platform and a rotating unit. The rotation of the transfer plate is fine-tuned through a hydraulically driven main shaft and guide shaft sleeve structure. Combined with worm gear transmission and synchronous motor, it enables continuous small-angle steering and ultra-fine micro-adjustment of goods.
It enables high-precision, automated orientation calibration of goods in automated warehouses, reducing the risk of goods scattering during stacking and improving the intelligence and flexibility of transportation operations.
Smart Images

Figure CN120736131B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of cargo transportation technology, specifically an intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses. Background Technology
[0002] Automated warehouses (AS / RS) are the core of modern logistics and warehousing systems, achieving efficient storage, retrieval, classification, and sorting through multi-level racking and automated shuttle transportation. Currently, traditional shuttles typically only perform linear transport and lifting operations. When forklifts place goods onto the shuttle platform, if the goods' orientation deviates from the required orientation of the target storage location (even a small angular deviation), the shuttle itself cannot correct this deviation, directly resulting in goods not being stacked squarely or neatly on the racks. Even some advanced shuttles with steering capabilities often operate at large angles (e.g., 90 degrees, 180 degrees), fixed angles, or are not precise enough, making it difficult to achieve continuous, small-angle, high-precision orientation calibration. This requires manual intervention (e.g., manually adjusting goods) or relies on the forklift operator's extremely high placement accuracy, resulting in low automation and limited efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to provide intelligent shuttles for AS / RS to solve the problems mentioned in the background. Summary of the Invention
[0003] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses, comprising: a vehicle body and wheel assemblies, wherein two mounting slots are symmetrically opened on the four side walls of the outer periphery of the vehicle body, and the wheel assemblies are rotatably installed in the mounting slots;
[0004] A transport platform is provided in the middle of the upper surface of the vehicle body. The transport platform is mounted on the vehicle body in an adjustable manner via four pillars.
[0005] A transfer disk is rotatably connected to the middle of the upper surface of the transport platform, and a rotating unit is provided below the transport platform, the rotating unit being connected to the transfer disk;
[0006] An extension section is provided below the vehicle body, and mounting recesses are provided on the four side walls of the outer periphery of the extension section, with rollers rotatably connected to each mounting recess.
[0007] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the transport platform is provided with an annular groove, and the transfer disk is embedded in the transport platform through the annular groove, with its upper surface flush with the surface of the transport platform.
[0008] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the vehicle body is provided with multiple lifting holes, and each of the pillars below the transport platform is vertically slidably connected in the lifting holes. Each lifting hole is rotatably connected with a threaded sleeve, and the threaded sleeve is threadedly connected to the pillar.
[0009] Two drive shafts are arranged in parallel inside the vehicle body. The ends of the drive shafts are rotatably connected to the vehicle body through bearing seats. The lower end of each threaded sleeve is coaxially fixed with a worm wheel. A worm is symmetrically fixed on each drive shaft. The worm meshes with the worm wheel for transmission.
[0010] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the vehicle body is equipped with two synchronous motors, the output ends of which are respectively connected to the drive shaft.
[0011] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the rotating unit includes a fixed frame, which is vertically fixed to the lower end face of the transport platform. A transmission shaft sleeve is installed on the upper end face of the fixed frame, and a main shaft is arranged in the center of the transmission shaft sleeve. The upper end of the main shaft is fixed to the transfer disk.
[0012] A guide sleeve is fixed to the upper end face of the transmission sleeve, a guide groove is provided on the inner wall of the guide sleeve, and a ring is coaxially fixed to the outside of the main shaft. A guide shaft is vertically fixed on the side wall of the ring, and the guide shaft is slidably connected to the guide groove.
[0013] A hydraulic chamber is provided on the fixed frame below the transmission shaft sleeve, and a piston is slidably connected inside the hydraulic chamber. The lower end of the main shaft is rotatably connected to the piston.
[0014] The lower end face of the hydraulic chamber is sealed and fixed with a hydraulic valve sleeve, and an oil hole is opened inside the hydraulic valve sleeve.
[0015] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the transmission sleeve is rotatably connected to a bushing tube via a bearing, the main shaft is vertically slidably connected to the bushing tube via a limiting pin, and a torsion spring is provided between the bushing tube and the transmission sleeve.
[0016] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the guide sleeve is composed of an upper sleeve and a lower sleeve arranged coaxially, the upper sleeve and the lower sleeve being rotatably assembled, and the guide groove is formed on the side wall of the upper sleeve and the lower sleeve, and is correspondingly divided into an upper inclined groove and a lower return groove.
[0017] The upper inclined groove has an inverted V-shaped structure and is divided into two sections. One section is set parallel to the axis of the guide sleeve and forms a vertical retraction groove, while the other section is set at an inclination to form a guide groove.
[0018] The lower return groove is configured as a U-shaped structure and divided into three sections, with the middle section being a straight horizontal groove.
[0019] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the upper inclined grooves are multiple grooves distributed circumferentially, and the multiple upper inclined grooves are divided into two groups with opposite inclinations.
[0020] Each set of upward inclined grooves is configured with multiple different slope shapes;
[0021] A plurality of supplementary slots are also arranged on one side of the lower return slot, and each of the supplementary slots is connected to the straight horizontal slot of the lower return slot.
[0022] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, a carrier plate is horizontally fixed below the transport platform, a rack is slidably arranged on the carrier plate, and a fixing sleeve is rotatably sleeved on the lower section sleeve. Multiple locking pins are fixed on the side wall of the upper section sleeve, and a locking groove is opened on the inner wall of the fixing sleeve. The locking pins are fixed to the locking groove.
[0023] A driven tooth is fixed to the outside of the fixed sleeve, and the driven tooth meshes with the rack. A fine-tuning cylinder is fixed on the carrier plate, and one end of the fine-tuning cylinder is connected to the rack.
[0024] Furthermore, as a preferred embodiment, the hydraulic valve sleeve is externally sealed with a pulse hydraulic pipe.
[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:
[0026] In this invention, a transport platform is installed on the upper surface of the vehicle body. The transport platform can slide horizontally along the track frame of the automated warehouse via wheel assemblies. Stored goods can be transported to the transport platform by a forklift, and the vehicle body can transport the stored goods to the corresponding storage location according to storage requirements. A transfer tray is rotatably installed inside the transport platform. The transfer tray can be rotated and adjusted by a rotating unit below, thereby achieving fine-tuning of the direction of the stored goods. The main shaft within the rotating unit can be hydraulically driven to raise the transfer tray and detach it from the transport platform. At this time, the stored goods can be lifted accordingly, and the guide shaft on the ring can slide along the guide groove to achieve fine-tuning of the main shaft's rotation. After the main shaft descends, the stored goods are placed back on the transport platform. The main shaft can be intermittently raised and lowered under pulse hydraulic drive, thus realizing continuous small-angle steering adjustment of the stored goods. This facilitates precise orientation calibration of the stored goods and significantly reduces the risk of scattering during subsequent stacking due to incorrect storage orientation. The upper section of the guide shaft sleeve can switch between upper inclined grooves and lower return grooves with different inclinations during rotation adjustment. This allows the guide shaft to slide along the upper inclined grooves with different inclinations, achieving different deflection angles in a single deflection of the transfer plate. This enables ultra-fine micro-adjustment and greatly improves the intelligence and flexibility of the shuttle car's transport and storage operations. Attached Figure Description
[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the vehicle body in this invention;
[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission shaft in this invention;
[0030] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the rotating unit in this invention;
[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixing sleeve in this invention;
[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the guide sleeve in this invention;
[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the lower return groove and the upper inclined groove in this invention;
[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a half-section of the upper sleeve in this invention;
[0035] In the diagram: 1. Vehicle body; 11. Wheel assembly; 12. Roller; 2. Transport platform; 21. Transfer tray; 22. Support column; 23. Threaded sleeve; 24. Drive shaft; 25. Bearing housing; 26. Worm gear; 3. Rotating unit; 31. Fixing frame; 32. Drive shaft sleeve; 33. Main shaft; 34. Ring sleeve; 35. Hydraulic chamber; 36. Piston; 37. Hydraulic valve sleeve; 38. Shaft sleeve tube; 4. Guide shaft sleeve; 41. Upper section sleeve; 42. Lower section sleeve; 43. Upper inclined groove; 44. Lower return groove; 45. Vertical return groove; 46. Guide groove; 47. Straight horizontal groove; 48. Filler groove; 5. Carrier plate; 51. Rack; 52. Fixing sleeve; 53. Pin; 54. Fine-tuning cylinder. Detailed Implementation
[0036] Please see Figures 1-8 In this embodiment of the invention, the intelligent shuttle vehicle for the automated warehouse includes: a vehicle body 1 and a wheel assembly 11. Two mounting slots are symmetrically opened on the four side walls of the outer periphery of the vehicle body 1, and the wheel assembly 11 is rotatably installed in the mounting slots.
[0037] A transport platform 2 is provided in the middle of the upper end face of the vehicle body 1. The stored goods can be placed on the transport platform 2. The transport platform 2 is installed above the vehicle body 1 in a height-adjustable manner through four pillars 22.
[0038] The upper end face of the transport platform 2 is rotatably connected to a transfer disk 21, and a rotating unit 3 is provided below the transport platform 2. The rotating unit 3 is connected to the transfer disk 21.
[0039] An extension section is provided below the vehicle body 1. Each of the four side walls of the extension section has a mounting recess. A roller 12 is rotatably connected to each mounting recess. The wheel assembly 11 of the vehicle body 1 can be moved and transported along the track frame of the automated warehouse, while the roller 12 on the side wall of the vehicle body 1 can roll and contact the side wall of the track frame, thereby preventing the vehicle body 1 from derailing during transportation along the track frame and improving transportation safety.
[0040] In this embodiment, the upper surface of the transport gimbal 2 is provided with an annular groove, and the transfer disk 21 is embedded in the transport gimbal 2 through the annular groove, with its upper surface flush with the surface of the transport gimbal 2.
[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle body 1 is provided with a plurality of lifting holes, and each of the support columns 22 below the transport platform 2 is vertically slidably connected in the lifting holes. Each lifting hole is rotatably connected with a threaded sleeve 23, and the threaded sleeve 23 is threadedly connected to the support column 22.
[0042] Two drive shafts 24 are arranged in parallel inside the vehicle body 1. The ends of the drive shafts 24 are rotatably connected to the vehicle body 1 through bearing seats. The lower end of each threaded sleeve is coaxially fixed with a worm gear 26. A worm is symmetrically fixed on each drive shaft 24. The worm and the worm gear 26 mesh and drive each other. When the transport platform 2 moves to the corresponding storage position in the automated warehouse, the two drive shafts 24 can rotate synchronously. The threaded connection between the threaded sleeve 23 and the support column 22 realizes the rise of the transport platform 2. After the stored goods are placed, the transport platform 2 descends and detaches from the stored goods, realizing efficient transport and storage.
[0043] In this embodiment, two synchronous motors (not shown in the figure) are installed inside the vehicle body 1, and the output ends of the synchronous motors are respectively connected to the drive shaft 24.
[0044] In this embodiment, the rotating unit 3 includes a fixed frame 31, which is vertically fixed to the lower end face of the transport gimbal 2. A transmission shaft sleeve 32 is installed on the upper end face of the fixed frame 31. A main shaft 33 is arranged in the center of the transmission shaft sleeve 32. The upper end of the main shaft 33 is fixed to the transfer disk 21.
[0045] A guide sleeve 4 is fixed to the upper end face of the transmission sleeve 32. A guide groove is provided on the inner wall of the guide sleeve 4. A ring sleeve 34 is coaxially fixed to the outside of the main shaft 33. A guide shaft is vertically fixed on the side wall of the ring sleeve 34. The guide shaft is slidably connected to the guide groove. This allows the main shaft 33 to circumferentially deflect during axial displacement through the sliding connection between the guide shaft and the guide groove, so that the main shaft 33 can both rise and fall axially and make fine adjustments in direction.
[0046] A hydraulic chamber 35 is provided on the fixed frame 31 below the transmission sleeve 32. A piston 36 is slidably connected inside the hydraulic chamber 35. The lower end of the main shaft 33 is rotatably connected to the piston 36.
[0047] The lower end face of the hydraulic chamber 35 is sealed and fixed with a hydraulic valve sleeve 37. The hydraulic valve sleeve 37 has an oil hole. The piston can slide up and down the main shaft 33 under hydraulic pressure, so that the transfer plate 21 on the main shaft 33 can be disengaged or connected to the transport gimbal 2.
[0048] In this embodiment, the transmission sleeve 32 is rotatably connected to the sleeve tube 38 via a bearing, and the main shaft 33 is vertically slidably connected to the sleeve tube 38 via a limiting pin. A torsion spring is provided between the sleeve tube 38 and the transmission sleeve 32, which can realize the autonomous rotation and reset of the main shaft 33 after deflection through the elastic force.
[0049] In a preferred embodiment, the guide sleeve 4 is composed of an upper sleeve 41 and a lower sleeve 42 arranged coaxially. The upper sleeve 41 and the lower sleeve 42 are rotatably assembled. The guide groove is formed on the side wall of the upper sleeve 41 and the lower sleeve 42, and is correspondingly divided into an upper inclined groove 43 and a lower return groove 44.
[0050] The upper inclined groove 43 has an inverted V-shaped structure and is divided into two sections. One section is set parallel to the axis of the guide sleeve 4 and forms a vertical retraction groove 45, while the other section is set at an inclination to form a guide groove 46.
[0051] The lower return groove 44 is configured as a U-shaped structure and divided into three sections. The middle section is configured as a straight horizontal groove 47. A rotating guide is rotatably mounted on the guide shaft (its end is rotatably connected to a rotating wheel, which rolls against the groove wall to facilitate flexible rotation at corners). In the initial state, the guide shaft is in the straight horizontal groove 47 of the lower return groove 44. When the main shaft 33 slides upward axially, it can slide upward along the lower return groove 44 and enter the guide groove 46 of the upper inclined groove 43. The sliding action between the rotating guide and the guide groove 46 enables the main shaft 33 to slide and deflect simultaneously, so that the transfer plate 21 at the end of the main shaft 33 lifts the stored goods upward and simultaneously corrects the direction. Then, as the main shaft 33 slides downward, the rotating guide on the guide shaft can slide downward along the vertical return groove 45. At this time, the transfer plate 21 at the end of the main shaft 33 gradually places the stored goods onto the transport platform 2.
[0052] In this embodiment, the upper inclined grooves 43 are multiple circumferentially distributed, and the multiple upper inclined grooves 43 are divided into two groups with opposite inclinations; that is, the two groups of upper inclined grooves 43 can correspond to realize the forward rotation or reverse rotation of the main shaft 33, so as to correct the storage direction according to the actual situation.
[0053] Each set of upper inclined grooves 43 is configured with multiple different slope shapes. These different slope shapes allow the main shaft 33 to deflect at different angles during sliding contact with the guide shaft. Therefore, for valuable goods requiring extremely small angle calibration (e.g., 0.5°-1°), a small-slope upper inclined groove is selected for ultra-fine micro-adjustment. For goods with lower precision requirements or requiring rapid turning, a large-slope upper inclined groove is used. A single action can achieve a larger angle rotation (e.g., 3°-5°), significantly improving calibration efficiency.
[0054] A plurality of supplementary slots 48 are also arranged on one side of the lower return slot 44. Each supplementary slot 48 is connected to the straight horizontal slot 47 of the lower return slot 44. Among them, the upper inclined slots 43 with different slopes have different lengths. Therefore, when the guide slot 46 is connected to the lower return slot 44, its vertical return slot 45 can be connected to the supplementary slot 48 to ensure that the guide shaft can move normally.
[0055] In this embodiment, a carrier plate 5 is horizontally fixed below the transport gimbal 2, a rack 51 is slidably arranged on the carrier plate 5, and a fixing sleeve 52 is rotatably sleeved on the lower section sleeve 42. Multiple locking pins 53 are fixed on the side wall of the upper section sleeve 41, and a slot is opened on the inner wall of the fixing sleeve 52. The locking pins 53 are fixed to the slot.
[0056] A driven tooth is fixed to the outside of the fixed sleeve 52. The driven tooth meshes with the rack 51. A fine-tuning cylinder 54 is fixed on the carrier plate. One end of the fine-tuning cylinder 54 is connected to the rack 51. In this way, when the fine-tuning cylinder 54 is extended and retracted, it can achieve fine-tuning of the deflection of the upper sleeve 41 through the meshing action of the driven tooth and the rack 51. With this setting, the connection between different upper inclined grooves 43 and lower return grooves 44 in the upper sleeve 41 can be flexibly adjusted.
[0057] In this embodiment, the hydraulic valve sleeve 37 is externally sealed with a pulse hydraulic pipe, which ensures that the transfer plate 21 above the rotating unit 3 can perform continuous fine-tuning and steering correction.
[0058] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. An intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses, characterized in that: It includes: The vehicle body (1) and the wheel assembly (11) are provided. Two mounting slots are symmetrically opened on the four side walls of the outer periphery of the vehicle body (1). The wheel assembly (11) is rotatably installed in the mounting slots. A transport platform (2) is provided in the middle of the upper end face of the vehicle body (1). The transport platform (2) is installed above the vehicle body (1) in a height-adjustable manner through four pillars (22). The upper end face of the transport platform (2) is rotatably connected to a transfer disk (21), and a rotating unit (3) is provided below the transport platform (2), which is connected to the transfer disk (21). An extension portion is provided below the vehicle body (1), and mounting recesses are provided on the four side walls of the outer periphery of the extension portion. Rollers (12) are rotatably connected in each mounting recess. The rotating unit (3) includes a fixed frame (31), which is vertically fixed to the lower end face of the transport platform (2). A transmission shaft sleeve (32) is installed on the upper end face of the fixed frame (31). A main shaft (33) is provided in the center of the transmission shaft sleeve (32). The upper end of the main shaft (33) is fixed to the transfer disk (21). The upper end face of the transmission sleeve (32) is fixed with a guide sleeve (4), the inner wall of the guide sleeve (4) is provided with a guide groove, and the main shaft (33) is coaxially fixed with a ring sleeve (34), the side wall of the ring sleeve (34) is vertically fixed with a guide shaft, and the guide shaft is slidably connected with the guide groove; A hydraulic chamber (35) is provided on the fixed frame (31) below the transmission sleeve (32), and a piston (36) is slidably connected inside the hydraulic chamber (35). The lower end of the main shaft (33) is rotatably connected to the piston (36). The lower end face of the hydraulic chamber (35) is sealed and fixed with a hydraulic valve sleeve (37), and an oil hole is provided inside the hydraulic valve sleeve (37); The guide sleeve (4) is composed of an upper sleeve (41) and a lower sleeve (42) arranged coaxially. The upper sleeve (41) and the lower sleeve (42) are rotatably assembled. The guide groove is opened on the side wall of the upper sleeve (41) and the lower sleeve (42), and is correspondingly divided into an upper inclined groove (43) and a lower return groove (44). The upper inclined groove (43) has an inverted V-shaped structure and is divided into two sections. One section is set parallel to the axis of the guide sleeve (4) and forms a vertical retraction groove (45), while the other section is set at an inclination to form a guide groove (46). The lower return groove (44) is configured as a U-shaped structure and divided into three sections, with the middle section being configured as a straight horizontal groove (47).
2. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the transport platform (2) is provided with an annular groove, and the transfer disk (21) is embedded in the transport platform (2) through the annular groove, with its upper surface flush with the surface of the transport platform (2).
3. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle body (1) has multiple lifting holes. Each of the pillars (22) below the transport platform (2) is vertically slidably connected in the lifting holes. Each lifting hole is rotatably connected with a threaded sleeve (23), and the threaded sleeve (23) is threadedly connected to the pillar (22). Two drive shafts (24) are arranged in parallel inside the vehicle body (1). The ends of the drive shafts (24) are rotatably connected to the vehicle body (1) through bearing seats (25). The lower end of each threaded sleeve is coaxially fixed with a worm wheel (26). A worm is symmetrically fixed on each drive shaft (24). The worm meshes with the worm wheel (26) for transmission.
4. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vehicle body (1) is equipped with two synchronous motors, and the output ends of the synchronous motors are respectively connected to the drive shaft (24).
5. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission sleeve (32) is rotatably connected to the bushing tube (38) via a bearing, and the main shaft (33) is vertically slidably connected to the bushing tube (38) via a limiting pin. A torsion spring is provided between the bushing tube (38) and the transmission sleeve (32).
6. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper inclined grooves (43) are multiple in a circular distribution, and the multiple upper inclined grooves (43) are divided into two groups with opposite inclinations; Each set of the upper inclined grooves (43) is configured with multiple different slope shapes; A plurality of supplementary slots (48) are also arranged on one side of the lower return slot (44), and each supplementary slot (48) is connected to the straight horizontal slot (47) of the lower return slot (44).
7. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: A carrier plate (5) is horizontally fixed below the transport platform (2). A rack (51) is slidably arranged on the carrier plate (5). A fixing sleeve (52) is rotatably sleeved on the lower sleeve (42). Multiple locking pins (53) are fixed on the side wall of the upper sleeve (41). A slot is opened on the inner wall of the fixing sleeve (52). The locking pins (53) are fixed to the slot. A driven tooth is fixed to the outside of the fixed sleeve (52), the driven tooth meshes with the rack (51), and a fine-tuning cylinder (54) is fixed on the carrier plate, one end of the fine-tuning cylinder (54) is connected to the rack (51).
8. The intelligent shuttle vehicle for automated warehouses according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hydraulic valve sleeve (37) is externally sealed with a pulse hydraulic pipe.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Intelligent warehousing robot
CN108609333A
Goods shelf cargo cage transfer shuttle vehicle and application thereof
CN110027832A