Material handling system and method of handling thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a material handling system and a handling method thereof, wherein the material handling system comprises a track suspended in the air, a loading crane and a carrying crane cooperatively arranged on the track; the carrying crane comprises a first moving mechanism moving on the track and a carrying assembly arranged on the first moving mechanism, the carrying assembly comprises a plurality of placing positions; the carrying crane comprises a second moving mechanism moving on the track and a loading mechanism arranged on the second moving mechanism, and one loading crane can cooperate with one carrying crane to load and unload materials at the plurality of placing positions of the carrying crane. The application innovatively separates the loading structure from the storage structure, so that the carrying crane is provided with a plurality of placing positions to improve the storage capacity, and the loading crane is cooperated to load and unload a plurality of materials on the carrying crane, so that the carrying crane can load and unload a plurality of materials in the process of executing one handling task, and the handling efficiency is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automatic material handling equipment, in particular to a material handling system and a material handling method. BACKGROUND

[0002] OHT, which stands for Overhead Hoist Transfer, is usually translated as "overhead crane" or "sky running transfer car" in Chinese. It is a kind of material handling equipment in an automated material handling system (AMHS), which moves through a network of tracks erected in the air and uses a lifting device to complete the lifting, transportation and precise delivery of materials.

[0003] The current OHT structure is shown in patent documents with application publication numbers CN116161557A and CN119143001A.

[0004] The OHT of this structure can only carry one material at a time, and the carrying capacity of a single OHT is weak, which limits the improvement of carrying efficiency. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art and to provide a material handling system and a material handling method.

[0006] The purpose of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] The material handling system comprises a track suspended in the air, and a loading and unloading OHT and a cargo carrying OHT movably arranged on the track for cooperative work.

[0008] The cargo carrying OHT comprises a first moving mechanism for moving on the track and a cargo carrying assembly arranged on the first moving mechanism, and the cargo carrying assembly comprises a plurality of placement positions.

[0009] The loading and unloading OHT comprises a second moving mechanism for moving on the track and a loading and unloading mechanism arranged on the second moving mechanism, and one loading and unloading OHT can cooperate with one cargo carrying OHT to load and unload materials at the plurality of placement positions of the cargo carrying OHT.

[0010] Preferably, the cargo carrying assembly comprises a frame.

[0011] When a layer of cargo carrying units is arranged on the frame, the cargo carrying units comprise a plurality of placement positions.

[0012] When a plurality of layers of cargo carrying units are arranged on the frame, each cargo carrying unit comprises at least one placement position.

[0013] Preferably, one of the loading units comprises at least one loading plate, the loading plate is provided with at least one placing position, the loading plate is connected with a telescopic mechanism which drives the loading plate to move in a second direction so that the placing position on the loading plate moves to the outside of the frame, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, the first direction is the extension direction of the axis of the first moving wheel of the first moving mechanism.

[0014] Preferably, each of the loading units comprises two loading plates which are vertically staggered and close to each other, each of the loading plates is provided with one of the placing positions, the two sides of the loading plate are movably arranged in the guide slot arranged on the frame, and each of the loading plates is connected with a telescopic mechanism which drives the loading plate to move in a second direction so that the placing position on the loading plate moves to the outside of the frame.

[0015] Preferably, the guide slot is provided with a roller which is attached to the top surface and the bottom surface of the loading plate.

[0016] Preferably, one of the loading units comprises a sliding frame, the sliding frame is provided with at least one loading plate, and the sliding frame is connected with a horizontal moving mechanism which drives the sliding frame to move in a second direction so that the loading plate on the sliding frame is located outside the frame.

[0017] Preferably, the sliding frame is provided with a lower layer of loading plates and an upper layer of loading plates which are vertically distributed, the lower layer of loading plates is arranged at the rear end of the sliding frame, and the upper layer of loading plates is driven by the horizontal moving module to move between the front end and the rear end of the sliding frame.

[0018] Preferably, the two sides of the upper layer of loading plates are movably arranged in the sliding groove on the support rail on the two sides of the sliding frame, and / or the sliding bar outside the two sides of the support rail is movably embedded in the guide slot inside the support beam.

[0019] Preferably, when the placing position can move to the outside of the frame, the loading and unloading mechanism comprises at least a grabbing mechanism, the grabbing mechanism is arranged on a lifting mechanism which drives the grabbing mechanism to lift;

[0020] When the placing position cannot move to the outside of the frame, the loading and unloading mechanism comprises a grabbing mechanism, the grabbing mechanism is arranged on a lifting mechanism which drives the grabbing mechanism to lift, and the lifting mechanism is connected with a horizontal moving mechanism which drives the lifting mechanism to move at least in the first direction.

[0021] The application also discloses a material handling method of the material handling system.

[0022] The handling control system receives a plurality of handling tasks, each of which requires the execution of a material handling;

[0023] The carrying control system instructs a load trolley to move to each material to be carried in turn and loads the materials on the load trolley through the loading and unloading trolley and / or the general trolley.

[0024] The carrying control system controls the load trolley to move to the end point of each material to be carried in turn and unload the materials on the load trolley through the loading and unloading trolley.

[0025] The advantages of the technical scheme of the present application mainly include:

[0026] The scheme of the present application changes the conventional design habit of the trolley, innovatively separates the loading and unloading structure from the storage structure, so that the load trolley is provided with multiple placement positions to improve the storage capacity, and the loading and unloading trolley is used to realize the loading and unloading of multiple materials on the load trolley, so that the load trolley can carry multiple materials during the execution of one carrying task, especially during one cross-region operation, which is beneficial to improve the carrying efficiency. Moreover, this structure can be used directly on the existing equipment without changing the original track structure.

[0027] The load trolley of the present application comprises two upper and lower distribution load plates and is connected to the telescopic mechanism for driving the load plates to move in the second direction, which is not only beneficial to set more load units, but also enables each load plate to be conveniently switched between multiple positions, thereby facilitating efficient loading operation. In addition, the two sides of each load plate are rolled between the rollers, which can effectively support the load plate to ensure that the load plate can effectively carry the materials, and can effectively reduce the resistance when the load plate translates to ensure smooth translation. Furthermore, the two sides of each load plate are connected to the telescopic mechanism without affecting the lower load unit, thereby ensuring the balance of the driving force on both sides of the load plate.

[0028] The load unit of the present application can effectively shorten the moving stroke and size of the two load plates by extending the sliding frame outside the frame, which is beneficial to reduce the size of the load unit. At the same time, the sliding frame can fully support the load plate during loading and unloading to avoid deformation of the load plate affecting the position accuracy and causing inaccurate loading and unloading.

[0029] The material carrying system of the present application moves the loading and unloading trolley with the load trolley, so that the loading and unloading trolley does not need to be separately planned, which is convenient to control and realize. When sending the carrying task, the carrying tasks with the same starting point and the same ending point in the same working area are sent to the carrying control system in batches, so that the problem of large span of the starting point and the ending point of multiple carrying tasks causing the load trolley and the loading and unloading trolley to move over a large range, increasing the difficulty of path planning and the timeliness of the guarantee can be effectively avoided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a partial perspective view of the material handling system of the present invention, with the load trolley empty of material;

[0031] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the load assembly of the load trolley of the material handling system of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic view of the two placement positions on one load plate of the load trolley of the present invention, distributed along a first direction, with the right-hand portion of the drawing showing the portion of the load plate inside the frame when loading or unloading;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic view of the two placement positions on one load plate of the load trolley of the present invention, distributed along a second direction, with the right-hand portion of the drawing showing the portion of the load plate inside the frame when the placement positions on the load plate extend outside the frame;

[0034] Figure 5 is a schematic view of the upper load plate of the load unit of the present invention, extending outside the frame;

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic view of the load unit of the present invention, with the upper load plate moved to a third position after loading material, and the lower load plate remaining in a fifth position;

[0036] Figure 7 is a schematic view of the load unit of the present invention, with the lower load plate moved to a fourth position;

[0037] Figure 8 is a schematic view of the load unit of the present invention, with the lower load plate moved to a fifth position after loading material, and the upper load plate remaining in a third position;

[0038] Figure 9 is a schematic view of the slide of the load trolley of the present invention, partially extending outside the frame;

[0039] Figure 10 is a schematic view of the material handling system of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 11 is a partial perspective view of the material handling system of the present invention, with the load trolley loaded with material;

[0041] Figure 12 is a schematic view of the load trolley and the loading and unloading trolley of the present invention, connected by a disconnectable connection assembly;

[0042] Figure 13 is a schematic view of the process of the handling method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The purposes, advantages and features of the present application will be illustrated and explained by the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments. These embodiments are only typical examples of the application, and any technical solution formed by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation falls within the scope of the present application.

[0044] In the description of the scheme, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplification of description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0045] Embodiment 1

[0046] The material handling system disclosed in the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, as shown in the accompanying drawings, which includes a track 100 suspended in the air, the specific structure of the track 100 can be designed according to the layout of various equipment, which is not limited here, and the track 100 can be a conventional track structure, or a grid-shaped track 100 disclosed in the patent document with publication number CN114080364A. Figure 1 As shown in the accompanying drawings, the innovative improvement of the present application is that:

[0047] Figure 1 The track 100 is also movably provided with a cooperative loading and unloading crane 200 and a cargo carrying crane 300;

[0048] The cargo carrying crane 300 is used to load a plurality of materials 400 to realize simultaneous transportation of a plurality of materials 400, and the cargo carrying crane 300 includes a first moving mechanism 210 moving on the track 100 and a cargo carrying assembly 220 provided on the first moving mechanism 210, and the cargo carrying assembly 220 includes a plurality of placement sites 221.

[0049] The loading and unloading crane 200 includes a second moving mechanism 310 moving on the track 100 and a loading and unloading mechanism 320 provided on the second moving mechanism 310, and one loading and unloading crane 200 can cooperate with one cargo carrying crane 300 to load and unload materials 400 at the plurality of placement sites 221 of the cargo carrying crane 300.

[0050] The loading and unloading crane 200 includes a second moving mechanism 310 moving on the track 100 and a loading and unloading mechanism 320 provided on the second moving mechanism 310, and one loading and unloading crane 200 can cooperate with one cargo carrying crane 300 to load and unload materials 400 at the plurality of placement sites 221 of the cargo carrying crane 300.

[0051] ​In detail, the specific structures of the first moving mechanism 210 and the second moving mechanism 310 can be referred to the overhead crane traveling mechanism disclosed in the patent document cited in the background art, and will not be repeated here. Of course, when the track 100 is a grid track 100, the traveling mechanism can also refer to the structure of the traveling part disclosed in the patent document with application publication number CN114080364A.

[0052] The position of the cargo-carrying component 220 on the first moving mechanism 210 can be designed as needed. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the attached figure... Figure 1 As shown, the cargo component 220 is disposed below the first moving mechanism 210 and below the track 100. Of course, this is not necessary; the cargo component 220 may also be disposed above the first moving mechanism 210.

[0053] As attached Figure 2 As shown, the cargo-carrying assembly 220 includes a hollow frame 222. The frame 222 is a cuboid frame structure assembled from multiple horizontal and vertical bars, with an opening 223 on at least the rear side for material entry and exit. The rear side is the side facing backward when the first moving mechanism 210 moves. One layer of cargo-carrying units 224 or multiple layers of cargo-carrying units 224 can be provided on the frame 222.

[0054] When a cargo unit 224 is provided on the frame 222, the cargo unit includes multiple placement positions 221. These multiple placement positions 221 can be different locations on a carrier plate 225. In this case, as shown in the attached diagram... Figure 3 As shown, the plurality of placement positions 221 on a carrier plate 225 can be horizontally distributed along the first direction F1, as illustrated in the attached figure. Figure 4 As shown, the plurality of placement positions 221 on a carrier plate 225 can also be horizontally distributed along the second direction F2, where the first direction F1 is the extension direction of the axis of the first moving wheel 211 of the first moving mechanism 210, and the second direction F2 is perpendicular to the first direction F1. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the plurality of placement positions 221 can be multiple independent carrier plates 225, each placement position 221 disposed on one carrier plate 225. The multiple carrier plates 225 can be of equal height or have a certain height difference. Furthermore, each placement position is provided with a positioning structure, such as multiple positioning pins, or other structures, such as positioning grooves.

[0055] When multiple layers of cargo units 224 are provided on the frame 222, each cargo unit includes at least one placement position 221. For example, the cargo unit has two layers, and each layer of cargo unit 224 may have only one placement position 221, and the height difference between the placement positions 221 of the two layers of cargo unit 224 is not less than the height of the material 400 so that the material 400 can be placed in placement positions 221 at different heights. Of course, each layer of cargo unit 224 may also be provided with multiple placement positions 221 that are horizontally distributed along the first direction F1 or along the second direction F2.

[0056] Each of the carrier plates 225 may be fixed within the frame 222 and immovable. Alternatively, in another embodiment, each carrier plate 225 may be connected to a telescopic mechanism that drives it to move along the second direction F2. This telescopic mechanism can drive the placement position 221 on the carrier plate 225 to move from inside the frame 222 to outside the frame 222, thereby simplifying the structure of the overhead crane 200.

[0057] For example, when setting up a single-layer cargo unit, as shown in the attached... Figure 3 Appendix Figure 4 As shown, the cargo unit is provided with two placement positions 221, and the two placement positions 221 are disposed on a carrier plate 225. Furthermore, the two placement positions are distributed along a first direction or a second direction. When material loading is required, a portion of the carrier plate extends outside the frame and a portion is confined within the frame.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, two cargo units 224 are provided on the frame 222. Each cargo unit includes multiple placement positions 221. Each placement position 221 is disposed on an independent carrier plate 225. The two carrier plates 225 are distributed vertically. When the two carrier plates 225 are located within the frame, they can be staggered in the second direction F2.

[0059] Each of the carrier plates 225 is movably disposed on both sides in a guide groove. The guide groove on the same side of two carrier plates 225 is disposed in an E-shaped support beam 228, which is part of the frame. Each carrier plate 225 is connected to a telescopic mechanism (not shown in the figure) that drives it to translate along the second direction F2 so that the placement position 221 on it moves to the outside of the frame 222. The telescopic mechanism may be, for example, a known servo module, or a structure composed of a motor and a lead screw, or a structure composed of a motor and a synchronous belt mechanism, and is not limited here.

[0060] In order to reduce the wear of the carrier plate 225 during operation, a roller is arranged on the top surface and the bottom surface of the carrier plate 225 at each guide groove, the axis of the roller extends along the first direction F1, and the positions of the rollers on one carrier plate correspond one by one. Meanwhile, the rollers at the upper guide groove 227 and the rollers at the lower guide groove are arranged staggered in the second direction, so as to reduce the thickness of the guide rail and reduce the height of the whole loading assembly.

[0061] Meanwhile, since the carrier plate 225 bears a certain load, in order to make the carrier plate 225 move smoothly and avoid vibration caused by the unbalanced power of the two sides due to the driving of only one side of the carrier plate 225, the opposite sides of the carrier plate 225 can be connected with the telescopic mechanisms. At this time, the two telescopic mechanisms connected with the upper carrier plate 225 can be arranged on the top of the support beam 228, and the two telescopic mechanisms connected with the lower carrier plate 225 can be arranged on the bottom of the support beam 228.

[0062] In order to facilitate the description of the loading and unloading sequence, the upper carrier plate in a loading unit is defined as the upper layer carrier plate 230, and the lower carrier plate is defined as the lower layer carrier plate 231. The upper layer carrier plate 230 moves between the first position, the second position and the third position, the lower layer carrier plate switches between the fourth position and the fifth position, the placing position of the upper layer carrier plate extends out of the frame when the upper layer carrier plate is in the first position, the upper layer carrier plate is located at the rear end 232 of the guide groove when the upper layer carrier plate is in the second position, the upper layer carrier plate is located at the front end of the guide groove when the upper layer carrier plate is in the third position, the placing position of the lower layer carrier plate extends out of the frame when the lower layer carrier plate is in the fourth position, the lower layer carrier plate is located at the front end of the guide groove when the lower layer carrier plate is in the fifth position, and the lower layer carrier plate in the fifth position and the upper layer carrier plate in the second position are distributed staggered in the second direction.

[0063] Initially, the upper layer carrier plate 230 is located in the second position, and the lower layer carrier plate 231 is located in the fifth position; in this way, the stroke and time of the upper layer carrier plate and the lower layer carrier plate when extending out can be shortened, of course, this is not necessary.

[0064] When loading is needed, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper layer carrier plate 230 needs to be moved from the second position to the first position, and after the material is loaded on the upper layer carrier plate 230, the upper layer carrier plate 230 is moved to the third position, as shown in FIG. 7. Figure 5 Figure 6 When the lower layer carrier plate 231 is loaded, the lower layer carrier plate 231 is moved to the fourth position, as shown in FIG. 8, and after the material is loaded on the lower layer carrier plate, the lower layer carrier plate 231 is moved to the fifth position, as shown in FIG. 9. Figure 7 Figure 8 ​​As shown. When unloading is required, the material on the lower carrier plate 231 must be unloaded first, and then the material on the upper carrier plate 230 must be unloaded.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment, to better support the material placed on the carrier plate when it extends beyond the frame, while shortening the travel distance and dimensions of each carrier plate, as shown in the attached figure... Figure 2 As shown, one of the cargo units includes a sliding frame 233, on which at least one carrier plate is disposed. The sliding frame 233 is connected to a transverse mechanism 234 that drives it to move along a second direction so that the carrier plate on it is located outside the frame. The specific structure of the transverse mechanism can be referred to the telescopic mechanism described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0066] As attached Figure 2 As shown, the sliding frame 233 includes two support rails 235 extending along a second direction. A sliding strip 236 is provided on the outer surface of each support rail 235, and the sliding strip 236 is movably embedded in a guide groove 237 inside the support beam 228. Meanwhile, to facilitate smoother movement of the support rails 235, a set of first rollers 238 are provided in the guide groove, affixed to the top and bottom surfaces of the support rails 235. The axes of the first rollers 238 extend along a first direction.

[0067] One of the carrier plates can be fixed on the sliding frame 233. Of course, multiple carrier plates can also be provided, and the carrier plates cannot move relative to the sliding frame 233.

[0068] In a more preferred embodiment, as shown in the appendix Figure 2 As shown, the sliding frame 233 is provided with a lower carrying plate and an upper carrying plate distributed vertically. The lower carrying plate is located at the rear end of the sliding frame 233, and the upper carrying plate is driven by the transverse moving module 239 to move between the front end and the rear end of the sliding frame 233. The two sides of the upper carrying plate are movably disposed in sliding grooves 240 on the support rails 235 on both sides of the sliding frame 233, and a set of second rollers 241 are disposed in the sliding grooves 240 and attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the support rails 235. The axis of the second rollers 241 extends along a first direction. The specific structure of the transverse moving module 239 can be referred to the telescopic mechanism in the above example, and will not be described in detail here.

[0069] Such a structure is suitable for loading materials at the placement position, as shown in the attached... Figure 9As shown, the slide frame 233 can be first driven by the horizontal moving mechanism 234 to extend partially outside the frame 222, at this time, the upper layer of the load plate or the lower layer of the load plate at the inner end of the slide frame 233 is located outside the frame so as to load the material. When loading the material, the material is first loaded on the upper layer of the load plate, after the upper layer of the load plate is loaded with the material, the slide frame 233 is moved back to the frame, and the upper layer of the load plate can be moved to the front end of the slide frame 233, when another material is loaded, the slide frame 233 is extended again, so that the lower layer of the load plate is located outside the frame, after the material is loaded on the lower layer of the load plate, the slide frame 233 is moved to the frame and retracted, at this time, the materials on the lower layer of the load plate and the upper layer of the load plate are staggered and do not interfere with each other. Therefore, when the material on the load unit is unloaded, the material on the lower layer of the load plate needs to be unloaded first, and then the material on the upper layer of the load plate is unloaded.

[0070] The specific structure of the loading and unloading mechanism 320 of the loading and unloading crane 200 can be adaptively designed according to the specific structure of the load carrying assembly 220 and whether the OHB (Over Head Buffer) is configured.

[0071] Specifically, when there is no OHB 500 in the material handling system, the placement position 221 can be moved to the outside of the frame 222, and the placement position 221 is distributed along the second direction F2, then the loading and unloading mechanism 320 only needs to include a grabbing mechanism 321 and a lifting mechanism 322 for driving the grabbing mechanism 321 to lift. At this time, when loading the material 400, the loading and unloading crane 200 is moved to the top of the material 400 and the material 400 is grabbed by the loading and unloading mechanism 320, then the material 400 is lifted to the upper side of the placement position 221, then one placement position 221 is extended to the outside of the frame 222, then the loading and unloading mechanism 320 drives the material 400 to move downward and place it on the placement position 221, then the placement position 221 is retracted into the frame 222. After the loading is completed, the grabbing mechanism 321 of the loading and unloading mechanism 320 is kept at the highest position, when unloading is needed, each placement position 221 of the load carrying crane 300 is extended in a predetermined order, after each extension, the loading and unloading mechanism 320 grabs the material 400 on the placement position 221 and lifts it a certain distance, then the load plate 225 on which the placement position 221 is located is retracted, and the loading and unloading mechanism 320 places the grabbed material 400 on the corresponding terminal.

[0072] When the placement position 221 can be moved to the outside of the frame 222, and multiple placement positions 221 are horizontally distributed along the first direction F1, the loading and unloading mechanism 320 requires not only the gripping mechanism 321 and the lifting mechanism 322, but also a translation mechanism 323 to drive the lifting mechanism 322 or the gripping mechanism 321 to move along the first direction F1. In this case, the gripping mechanism 321 needs to translate along the first direction F1 to load and unload the material 400 at different pick-up and placement positions.

[0073] Based on the above embodiments, as shown in the appendix Figure 1 Appendix Figure 10 Appendix Figure 11 As shown, when the system is equipped with OHB500, the loading and unloading mechanism 320 also needs to be equipped with a translation mechanism 323 that drives the lifting mechanism 322 or the gripping mechanism 321 to move along the first direction.

[0074] When the placement position 221 is fixed within the frame 222 and cannot move, and a cargo unit has multiple placement positions distributed along the second direction F2, the loading and unloading mechanism 320 requires not only the gripping mechanism 321 and the lifting mechanism 322, but also a translation mechanism 323 to drive the lifting mechanism 322 or the gripping mechanism 321 to move along the first direction F1. When the placement position 221 is fixed within the frame 222 and cannot move, and a cargo unit has multiple placement positions distributed along the first direction F1, the loading and unloading mechanism 320 requires not only the gripping mechanism 321 and the lifting mechanism 322, but also a translation mechanism 323 to drive the lifting mechanism 322 or the gripping mechanism 321 to move along the first direction F1 and the second direction F2. In this case, the translation mechanism can drive the gripping mechanism 321 to extend into the frame 222 to load and unload the material 400.

[0075] The specific structures of the gripping mechanism 321 and the lifting mechanism 322 are known technologies and will not be described in detail here. The specific structure of the translation mechanism can be designed as needed. For example, when only one direction of movement is required, the translation mechanism can be the structure disclosed in patent documents such as CN217050302U and CN221253649U. When the translation mechanism needs to achieve lateral movement in two directions, the translation mechanism can be based on the telescopic device disclosed in the above-mentioned patents, with the addition of a rotating mechanism or another telescopic device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0076] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, each cargo crane 300 can be configured with a separate loading / unloading crane 200, that is, each cargo crane 300 is bound to its matching loading / unloading crane 200.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the load trolley and the loading and unloading trolley are independent of each other. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in the accompanying drawings, the opposite ends of the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism are connected by a separable disconnectable connecting assembly 001. The disconnectable connecting assembly 001 is composed of an electromagnet 002 and an attracted object 003 that can be attracted by the electromagnet 002, or can be a known tool quick-change disc, or other feasible structures, which are not limited here. Figure 12

[0078] Preferably, the disconnectable connecting assembly 001 is exemplified by the electromagnet 002 and the attracted object 003. The electromagnet 002 is arranged on the second moving mechanism, and the attracted object 003 is arranged on the first moving mechanism. When the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism need to be connected as a whole, the electromagnet 002 generates a magnetic force to attract the attracted object 003, so that the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism are connected as a whole and can move synchronously. When the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism need to be disconnected, the electromagnet 002 is powered off, and it stops attracting the attracted object 003, so that the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism are disconnected, and the load trolley and the loading and unloading trolley can move independently.

[0079] In addition, in order to avoid the influence of vibration during connection, the electromagnet 002 and / or the attracted object 003 can be connected to the second moving mechanism and / or the first moving mechanism through a known elastic shock absorber 004. Further, in order to ensure that the first moving mechanism and the second moving mechanism in the moving state are connected in a suitable state, a distance measuring sensor (not shown in the drawings) is arranged on the loading and unloading trolley. The loading and unloading trolley can determine whether the distance between the loading and unloading trolley and the load trolley meets the requirements according to the signal of the distance measuring sensor. When the distance meets the requirements, the loading and unloading trolley can control the electromagnet 002 to attract the attracted object 003. When the distance does not meet the requirements, the loading and unloading trolley can first accelerate. When it is determined that the distance between the loading and unloading trolley and the load trolley is appropriate, the loading and unloading trolley controls the electromagnet 002 to attract the attracted object 003, and at the same time, the loading and unloading trolley and the storage part move at the same speed.

[0080] ​Thus, when the load trolley and the transfer trolley move linearly, the load trolley and the transfer trolley are connected and move synchronously. When the load trolley and the transfer trolley are about to enter a turning section or a bifurcation position or a merging position, the transfer trolley controls the electromagnet 002 and the attracted object 003 to be disconnected, at this time, the load trolley and the transfer trolley can move separately. When the load trolley and the transfer trolley pass through the turning section or the bifurcation position or the merging position in turn, the transfer trolley controls the electromagnet 002 to attract the attracted object 003 to restore the load trolley and the transfer trolley to the connected state, so that the transfer trolley and the load trolley are connected and move synchronously.

[0081] As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure 10 The material handling system further comprises a handling control system 700 which communicates with the load trolley and the transfer trolley and controls the operation of the load trolley and the transfer trolley. The handling control system 700 communicates with a material control system (MCS, Material Control System), the material control system 800 communicates with a manufacturing control system (MES, Manufacturing Execution System), and the manufacturing control system 900 generates a handling requirement according to a production plan and sends it to the material control system 800. When the material control system 800 receives a handling requirement (including the starting point of the material, the end point to be transported, the type of the material 400, etc.), the material control system 800 generates a handling task containing the relevant information of the handling requirement and sends it to the handling control system 700.

[0082] Embodiment 2

[0083] The application also discloses a handling method of the material handling system as described above, comprising the following processes:

[0084] The handling control system 700 receives a plurality of handling tasks. If the number of the plurality of handling tasks received by the handling control system 700 within a time period does not exceed the number of materials 400 that can be loaded on a load trolley 300, i.e., the materials to be transported by the plurality of handling tasks can be stored on one load trolley at the same time, the handling control system 700 can select a load trolley 300 and a transfer trolley 200 matched with the load trolley 300 to execute the plurality of handling tasks.

[0085] For example, a load trolley 300 has two load units, each load unit has two load plates 225 which can move in the second direction F2, i.e., the load trolley 300 can load four materials 400. If the handling control system 700 receives four handling tasks at the same time or within a short time, the handling control system 700 can select a load trolley 300 and a transfer trolley 200 matched with the load trolley 300 to execute the four handling tasks.

[0086] The handling control system 700 can first determine the material to be handled first by the load trolley after determining that multiple handling tasks need to be executed by the load trolley and the transfer trolley in cooperation, and then determine the specific load trolley and the transfer trolley according to the starting point of the material to be handled first. When determining the material to be handled first, the handling control system 700 can determine the material corresponding to the handling task received first among the several handling tasks as the material to be handled first according to the order of the multiple handling tasks received by the handling control system 700. Of course, other ways can also be used to determine, for example, the starting points of the materials to be handled according to the order of the starting points of the materials to be handled on the track, which is not limited here.

[0087] After determining the specific load trolley and the transfer trolley, the handling control system 700 can plan a moving path for the load trolley 300 and instruct the load trolley 300 and the transfer trolley 200 to move to the materials 400 to be handled in turn and load the multiple materials 400 onto different placement positions of the load trolley 300 through the transfer trolley 200.

[0088] When determining the specific execution order of the multiple handling tasks (the loading order of the materials), the handling control system can determine the loading order of the multiple materials according to the order of the starting points of the materials to be handled on the track, and of course, other ways can also be used to determine the loading order, for example, according to the total travel time of the estimated load trolley 300 moving to the multiple starting points in different position orders, for example, the handling control system 700 determines that a load trolley and a transfer trolley need to execute 4 handling tasks, and the starting points (the initial positions of the materials to be handled) of the four handling tasks are A, B, C, and D, respectively, and determines that the total travel time of the load trolley moving to the starting points ABCD in turn is 50 seconds; the total travel time of the load trolley moving to the starting points ACBD in turn is 55 seconds, the total travel time of the load trolley moving to the starting points BACD in turn is 60 seconds, the total travel time of the load trolley moving to the starting points BDAC in turn is 56 seconds, etc., and determines that the total travel time of the load trolley moving to the starting points ABCD in turn is the shortest, i.e., 50 seconds, so the loading order is determined to be moving to the starting points ABCD in turn for loading.

[0089] And the handling control system 700 can plan the next moving path when the load trolley 300 loads the materials at each starting point.

[0090] For example, when the handling control system 700 determines that the trolley truck moves to the starting points A, B, C, and D in sequence for material loading, the handling control system 700 first plans a moving path for the trolley truck to move from its current position to the starting point A. When the trolley truck loads material at the starting point A (places the material at the starting point on a placement position of the trolley truck), the handling control system 700 plans a moving path for the trolley truck to move from the starting point A to the starting point B. Similarly, when the trolley truck loads material at the starting point B, the handling control system 700 plans a moving path for the trolley truck to move from the starting point B to the starting point C. Similarly, when the trolley truck loads material at the starting point C, the handling control system 700 plans a moving path for the trolley truck to move from the starting point C to the starting point D.

[0091] The loading and unloading trolley truck 200 matched with the trolley truck 300 only needs to follow the trolley truck 300 to travel, that is, the loading and unloading trolley truck 200 moves behind the trolley truck 300, so that a moving path needs not to be planned for the loading and unloading trolley truck 200 alone.

[0092] When the materials 400 to be handled in multiple handling tasks have all been loaded onto the trolley truck 300, the handling control system 700 controls the trolley truck 300 to move to the ending points of the materials 400 in sequence and unloaded by the loading and unloading trolley truck 200 (the physical is taken away from the trolley unit and placed at the ending point). At this time, the loading and unloading trolley truck 200 still moves with the trolley truck 300. Similarly, the moving path of the trolley truck for each unloading can be planned in segments according to the unloading sequence of the materials 400, which is not described here.

[0093] When the unloading sequence of the materials 400 on the two-layer trolley unit 224 is determined, the materials on the two lower layers of the trolley unit need to be unloaded first, therefore, the handling control system can determine the unloading of the materials on which lower layer first according to the passing time of the trolley truck to the ending points of the materials on the two lower layers, that is, the materials on the lower layer with shorter passing time are unloaded first, then, the next unloading material is determined according to the passing time of the trolley truck to the ending points of the materials on the upper layer of the trolley unit and the other lower layer of the trolley unit, and finally, the two materials are determined according to the passing time of the trolley truck to move from its real-time position to the ending points of the two materials.

[0094] For example, the No. 1 material is located on the upper layer of the upper layer of the trolley unit, the No. 2 material is located on the lower layer of the upper layer of the trolley unit, the No. 3 material is located on the upper layer of the lower layer of the trolley unit, and the No. 4 material is located on the lower layer of the lower layer of the trolley unit.

[0095] Therefore, when unloading, the No. 2 material and the No. 4 material need to be unloaded first. After loading is completed, when the handling control system determines that the transit time of moving from the current position to the terminal point of the No. 2 material to be handled is less than the transit time of moving to the terminal point of the No. 4 material to be handled, it is determined that the unloading of the No. 2 material is performed first. When the load trolley performs the unloading of the No. 2 material at the terminal point of the No. 2 material to be handled, the handling control system determines the transit time of moving from the current position to the terminal points of the No. 4 material and the No. 1 material to be handled, respectively. Assuming that the time of moving to the terminal point of the No. 4 material to be handled is less than the time of moving to the terminal point of the No. 1 material to be handled, it is determined that the next unloading is the No. 4 material. Finally, the transit time of moving from the current position of the load trolley to the terminal points of the No. 2 material and the No. 3 material to be handled is determined. Assuming that the time of moving from the terminal point of the No. 4 material to be handled to the terminal point of the No. 2 material to be handled is less than the time of moving to the terminal point of the No. 3 material to be handled, it is determined that the next unloading is the No. 2 material, and finally the No. 3 material is unloaded.

[0096] Of course, other principles can also be used to determine the unloading sequence, for example, in each of the above-mentioned segments, the unloading sequence can be determined according to the task priority instead of the transit time, which is not limited here.

[0097] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the loading and unloading of the materials at the load trolley 300 do not necessarily have to be implemented by the load trolley 300. In some embodiments, the load trolley 300 can also work with a common trolley 005 (an existing OHT capable of handling one material).

[0098] Embodiment 3

[0099] This embodiment discloses a handling method of the above-mentioned material handling system. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a common trolley 005 capable of handling only one material 400 is also running on the track 100 of the material handling system. The specific structure of the common trolley 005 is known technology, which is not described here. Figure 10

[0100] Meanwhile, the material control system 800 can identify the starting points and terminal points of the materials to be handled according to the handling requirements, so as to collect the information of a plurality of materials 400 to be handled (including but not limited to the type of the material 400, the starting point of the material 400, and the terminal point to be handled) into one batch handling task and then send the batch handling task to the handling control system 700. Specifically, the starting points of a plurality of materials 400 collected into one batch handling task are located in the same work subzone, and the terminal points of the plurality of materials 400 are located in the same work subzone.

[0101] ​The work zones can be divided in different ways, for example, according to different process flows, i.e. the processing equipment of the same process can be divided into a work zone, or according to the number of placement positions capable of placing the material 400, as shown in the accompanying Figure 11 The placement position can be a port 610 of the processing equipment 600, a cache position 510 of the OHB 500, or a storage position of a stocker (not shown in the figure); of course, it can also be divided in other ways, for example, according to the layout of the track, which is not limited here.

[0102] The following illustrates how the material control system 800 determines whether to generate a batch carrying task by way of example. Suppose that a processing plant is divided into 10 work zones A, B, C, D, …, J, and the number of placement positions in each zone is 10. Suppose that the material control system 800 determines that 4 materials 400 need to be carried. When the material control system 800 determines that the starting points of the 4 materials 400 are all in work zone A and the ending points are all in work zone B, the material control system 800 generates a batch carrying task including the information of the 4 materials 400 and sends it to the carrying control system 700.

[0103] In addition, since the batch carrying task needs to carry multiple materials in sequence, it cannot meet the timely processing needs of carrying requirements that need to be processed in priority. Therefore, when the material control system 800 generates a batch carrying task, it excludes carrying requirements that need to be processed in priority. At this time, for carrying requirements that need to be processed in priority, the material control system 800 generates a normal carrying task and sends it to the carrying control system 700.

[0104] Similarly, for each carrying requirement that cannot generate a batch carrying task, the carrying control system 700 generates a normal carrying task.

[0105] As shown in the accompanying Figure 13 The carrying method of the embodiment includes the following processes:

[0106] When the carrying control system 700 receives a carrying task sent by the material control system 800;

[0107] Since the carrying task can be a normal carrying task that only needs to carry one material 400, or a batch carrying task that needs to carry multiple materials 400, the carrying control system 700 needs to determine whether the carrying task is a batch carrying task;

[0108] When it is determined that the handling task is a normal handling task, the handling control system 700 determines a normal crane 005 to execute the handling task and instructs the normal crane 005 to complete the handling task.

[0109] When it is determined that the handling task is a batch handling task, the handling control system 700 determines a load crane 300 to execute the batch handling task and a corresponding unloading crane 200 and instructs the unloading crane 200 to follow the load crane 300 to move to each material 400 to be handled in the batch handling task in sequence to load each material 400 to a different placement position 221 of the load crane 300.

[0110] After all the materials 400 to be handled are loaded onto the load crane 300, the handling control system 700 again performs path planning and instructs the unloading crane to follow the load crane 300 to move to a terminal point where each material 400 is to be unloaded for unloading of the materials 400.

[0111] Here, the specific process of determining the loading sequence, unloading sequence and path planning of each material to be handled in the batch handling task can refer to the content described in Embodiment 2, and of course, can also be implemented in other manners, which is not limited herein.

[0112] The present application has various embodiments, and all the technical solutions formed by equivalent transformation or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A material handling system, including a track suspended in the air, characterized in that: The track is movably equipped with loading and unloading cranes and cargo cranes for collaborative operation; The cargo crane includes a first moving mechanism that moves on the track and a cargo loading component disposed on the first moving mechanism, the cargo loading component including multiple placement positions; The loading and unloading crane includes a second moving mechanism that moves on the track and a loading and unloading mechanism disposed on the second moving mechanism. The loading and unloading crane can cooperate with the cargo crane to load and unload materials at multiple placement positions on the cargo crane. The cargo-carrying assembly includes a frame; When a cargo unit is provided on the frame, the cargo unit includes multiple placement positions; When the frame is provided with multiple cargo units, each cargo unit includes at least one placement position; One of the cargo units includes at least one carrier plate with at least one placement position. The carrier plate is connected to a telescopic mechanism that drives it to move along a second direction to move the placement position on the carrier plate to the outside of the frame. The second direction is perpendicular to a first direction, and the first direction is the extension direction of the axis of the first moving wheel of the first moving mechanism. Each of the cargo units includes two staggered and close-to-each-other carrier plates, each carrier plate having a placement position. The two sides of the carrier plates are movably disposed in guide grooves provided on the frame. Each carrier plate is connected to a telescopic mechanism that drives it to move along a second direction so that the placement position on the carrier plate moves to the outside of the frame. The guide groove is provided with rollers attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the carrier plate; the guide groove is provided with rollers attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the carrier plate.

2. A material handling system, including a track suspended in the air, characterized in that: The track is movably equipped with loading and unloading cranes and cargo cranes for collaborative operation; The cargo crane includes a first moving mechanism that moves on the track and a cargo loading component disposed on the first moving mechanism, the cargo loading component including multiple placement positions; The loading and unloading crane includes a second moving mechanism that moves on the track and a loading and unloading mechanism disposed on the second moving mechanism. The loading and unloading crane can cooperate with the cargo crane to load and unload materials at multiple placement positions on the cargo crane. The cargo-carrying assembly includes a frame; When a cargo unit is provided on the frame, the cargo unit includes multiple placement positions; When the frame is provided with multiple cargo units, each cargo unit includes at least one placement position; One of the cargo units includes a sliding frame on which at least one carrier plate is disposed, and the sliding frame is connected to a traversing mechanism that drives it to move in a second direction so that the carrier plate on it is located outside the frame; The sliding frame is provided with a lower layer carrier plate and an upper layer carrier plate distributed vertically. The lower layer carrier plate is located at the rear end of the sliding frame, and the upper layer carrier plate is driven by a transverse module to move between the front end and the rear end of the sliding frame. The upper carrier plate is movably disposed in the sliding grooves on the support rails on both sides of the sliding frame and / or the sliding strip on the outer side of the support rail is movably embedded in the guide groove on the inner side of the support beam.

3. The material handling system according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: When the placement position can be moved to the outside of the frame, the loading and unloading mechanism includes at least a gripping mechanism, which is mounted on a lifting mechanism that drives its lifting and lowering. When the placement position cannot be moved outside the frame, the loading and unloading mechanism includes a gripping mechanism, which is mounted on a lifting mechanism that drives its lifting and lowering, and the lifting mechanism is connected to a translation mechanism that drives its translation at least along a first direction.

4. The material handling method of the material handling system according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The process includes the following: The material handling control system receives multiple material handling tasks, each of which requires the handling of one material. The handling control system instructs a cargo crane to move sequentially to the material location to be transported for each handling task, and loads multiple materials onto different placement positions of the cargo crane using loading and unloading cranes and / or ordinary cranes. The handling control system controls the cargo crane to move sequentially to the destination of each material to be transported, and unloads the materials on the cargo crane to the corresponding destination through the loading and unloading crane.

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