A multi-directional rail shuttle warehousing transfer device

Abstract

The present application relates to warehouse transfer technical field, specifically, it is a kind of multidirectional track shuttle type warehouse transfer equipment.It includes shuttle car body, shuttle car body includes frame, the side of multiple running wheels is provided with auxiliary wheel assembly, auxiliary wheel assembly includes support mechanism and wheel body structure, wheel body structure is installed on support mechanism, and the surface of wheel body structure is ladder-shaped, auxiliary wheel assembly is equipped with sensing piece, in normal driving state, lifting structure makes running wheel drop to contact bearing with rail, at this time, adjacent support mechanism drops with it, make one end of wheel body structure drop to contact with the upper surface of rail, the wheel body structure as lateral limit wheel at this time, when sensing piece detects that rail is sunken due to deflection deformation, support mechanism drives wheel body structure to move to the middle side of rail, until the certain outer diameter of its ladder-shaped profile matches the height of rail surface after sinking, the profile area is attached to rail surface and bears load, make wheel body structure temporarily switch to auxiliary wheel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of warehousing and transfer technology, and more specifically, to a multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer device. Background Technology

[0002] In modern automated warehousing systems, large-span racks are widely used in e-commerce, cold chain, manufacturing and other fields because they can maximize the use of storage space. Multi-directional rail shuttles, as core handling equipment, can flexibly switch between rack aisles with their multi-directional travel capability, and can complete the storage and retrieval of goods across aisles without relying on external transfer equipment, which greatly improves the efficiency of warehousing operations. Existing large-span racking tracks adopt a segmented splicing structure to adapt to the span requirements of the racking and the convenience of on-site installation. In addition, because multi-directional shuttles need to adapt to the needs of traveling in transverse aisles, the sides of the racking tracks they run on are usually unobstructed (i.e., the tracks themselves have no lateral limiting structure). Four-directional shuttles rely on the close contact between the bottom drive wheels and the track surface to achieve support and travel. However, in segmented track structures, the track segments are only connected at the ends, failing to form an overall load-bearing system. In practical applications, due to the weight of the track itself, the long-term pressure from the fully loaded shuttle, and the continuous vibration generated during the shuttle's travel and turning, the track is prone to irreversible deflection deformation, resulting in irregular differences in the vertical height of the track surface. When a single track segment undergoes deflection deformation, when the shuttle travels to this area, one or more wheels will form contact gaps with the track surface, compromising the stability of the four-wheel support and causing the shuttle to travel in a bumpy manner. Therefore, a multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment is urgently needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer device. Through the coordinated configuration of stepped multi-stage wheels, sensors, and telescopic adjustment components, it can adaptively support and compensate for track deflection during shuttle operation, enabling the shuttle to stably perform cargo storage and retrieval and cross-lane turning operations. This solves the problems mentioned in the background art, namely: Sectional track is prone to deflection and deformation due to connection defects, causing the shuttle car to bounce and resonate.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the warehousing and transfer equipment includes a shuttle body that travels on guide rails between adjacent shelves in the warehouse. The guide rails include transverse and longitudinal rails. The shuttle body includes a frame, and a wheel set is provided at the bottom of the frame. The wheel set includes Y-axis wheels for traveling on the longitudinal rails and X-axis wheels for traveling on the transverse rails. Both the X-axis wheels and the Y-axis wheels are formed by combining travel wheels. The frame also has a lifting structure inside for controlling the raising and lowering of the travel wheels. Auxiliary wheel assemblies are provided on the periphery of each of the multiple traveling wheels. The auxiliary wheel assembly includes a support mechanism and a wheel structure. The wheel structure is mounted on the support mechanism and the surface of the wheel structure is stepped. The support mechanism is connected to the lifting structure so as to move synchronously with the corresponding traveling wheel. The auxiliary wheel assembly is equipped with a sensor. Under normal driving conditions, the lifting structure lowers the driving wheel to contact the rail and bear the load. At this time, the adjacent support mechanism also lowers, causing one end of the wheel structure to lower to contact the upper surface of the rail. At this time, the wheel structure acts as a lateral limiting wheel and transmits the lateral vibration in a gradient to achieve graded unloading. When the sensor detects that the rail has sunk due to deflection, the support mechanism drives the wheel structure to move towards the middle of the rail until a certain outer diameter of its stepped profile matches the height of the sunken rail surface. This profile area fits the rail surface and bears the load, causing the wheel structure to temporarily switch to an auxiliary wheel.

[0005] In the above technical solution, the auxiliary wheel assembly serves as a lateral limiting wheel, a vibration-graded stress relief wheel, and an adaptive support for deflection deformation. Under normal operating conditions, it can buffer lateral vibration and improve driving stability through its stepped wheel structure. When the track deflects, it can quickly switch to an auxiliary support wheel to fill the contact gap between the wheel and the rail surface, ensuring the horizontal force on the vehicle body. At the same time, relying on the linkage design with the lifting structure, it can adapt to the steering switching requirements of multi-directional shuttle cars, effectively reducing the risk of bumps and resonance when the shuttle car body is running on segmented spliced ​​tracks.

[0006] Based on this, the support mechanism includes an extension rod, which is a bent structure. One end of the extension rod is connected to the lifting structure, and the other end extends out of the surface of the frame. An inner cavity is opened at the bottom of the end of the extension rod that extends out of the frame. A telescopic adjustment component is fixedly installed in the inner cavity. The wheel structure includes a connecting rod that is slidably disposed in the inner cavity. The movable end of the telescopic adjustment component is fixedly connected to the surface of the connecting rod. The wheel structure also includes a multi-stage wheel rotatably mounted on the lower surface of the connecting rod. The multi-stage wheel has multiple coaxial wheel bodies sleeved along the axial direction, and the diameter of the wheel body increases in a stepwise manner from the side closer to the center of the rail to the side farther away, so that the multi-stage wheel forms a stepped profile with a smaller inner diameter and a larger outer diameter.

[0007] The extension rod connects the auxiliary wheel assembly to the lifting structure. The telescopic adjustment component drives the multi-stage wheel to move linearly through the drive connecting rod, which can adjust the distance between the wheel structure and the rail to meet the position compensation requirements when the track deflects. The stepped coaxial structure of the multi-stage wheel, with the inner smaller diameter wheel and the outer larger diameter wheel, can act as a lateral limit wheel during normal operation by using the inner smaller diameter wheel and use the diameter gradient to achieve graded unloading of lateral vibration.

[0008] In another technical solution, the sensing element includes a deflection detection sensor, which is located at the bottom of the frame and is used to detect the deflection deformation of the rail. The sensing element also includes a contact sensing ring, which is embedded in the inner wall of the support platform.

[0009] This technical solution integrates a deflection detection sensor into the wheel structure, enabling it to directly capture minute displacements of rail deflection deformation at close range. This quickly triggers the support mechanism to drive the multi-stage wheels for position compensation. Meanwhile, a contact sensing ring is embedded inside the support platform, allowing it to perceive the contact state, contact pressure, and load-bearing conditions between the multi-stage wheels and the rail surface in real time. This ensures the precise positioning of the lateral limit wheels during normal operation and confirms the effective contact and stable load-bearing of the corresponding levels of the multi-stage wheels with the rail surface under rail deformation compensation conditions, thereby enhancing the equipment's adaptability to complex rail conditions.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. In this multi-directional track shuttle storage and transfer equipment, through the multi-stage wheel structure with a stepped profile, under normal driving conditions, the innermost small-diameter bearing platform of the multi-stage wheel can fit against the track surface to act as a lateral wheel, while the other large-diameter stages extend out of the track, which can assist in limiting the driving wheels and improve the guiding accuracy of the shuttle body along the track. Meanwhile, in response to high-frequency, small-amplitude lateral vibrations caused by track joints and ground micro-vibrations, the stepped structure of the multi-stage wheels allows the vibration impact to exhibit gradient transmission characteristics according to the contact sequence. The vibration first acts on the inner small-diameter layer, and then is gradually transmitted to the outer large-diameter layer through the contact surface between the layers, realizing graded unloading of vibration energy, reducing the transmission efficiency of lateral vibration to the shuttle body, and reducing the risk of resonance between the rack and the shuttle body.

[0011] 2. In this multi-directional track shuttle storage and transfer equipment, when the track undergoes deflection deformation leading to inward bending, the sensor can detect the track surface sinking status in real time. The support mechanism then drives the multi-stage wheels to move towards the middle of the track until a certain stage wheel body that matches the height of the sinking track surface fits into the track surface. At this time, the multi-stage wheels temporarily switch to auxiliary wheels, cooperating with the other traveling wheels to form stable support, effectively filling the gap of single wheel suspension. After the shuttle car body travels to the normal track area, the multi-stage wheels reset, without interfering with the normal travel and steering of the equipment, realizing adaptive compensation for track deflection deformation and improving the adaptability of the equipment under complex track conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shuttle vehicle body in this invention; Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the multi-directional operation of the shuttle vehicle body in this invention; Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the wheel assembly and the guide rail during the operation of the shuttle vehicle body in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the multi-stage wheel in this invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the support mechanism in this invention; Figure 7 This is a lateral displacement diagram of the multi-stage wheel in this invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the positions of the multi-stage wheels and the traveling wheels in this invention; Figure 9 This is a front view of the shuttle vehicle body during operation in this invention; Figure 10 For the present invention Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure at point A; Figure 11 This is a diagram showing the operating structure of the shuttle car body when the rails undergo deflection deformation in this invention.

[0013] The meanings of the labels in the diagram are as follows: 1. Shuttle car body; 11. Frame; 12. Running wheels; 13. Rails; 2. Auxiliary wheel assembly; 21. Support mechanism; 22. Wheel structure; 211. Extension rod; 212. Inner cavity; 213. Telescopic adjustment component; 214. Limiting rod; 221. Multi-stage wheel; 222. Connecting rod; 223. Support platform; 224. Outer cover. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0015] In modern automated warehousing, the segmented splicing tracks of large-span racks cannot form an integral force-bearing system due to the end connections. Over time, they are affected by their own weight, shuttle loads, and vibrations, which can easily lead to irreversible deflection due to stress concentration and material plastic fatigue. Combined with track installation and material tolerances, this results in uneven track surface height, causing shuttle bumps and deviations in steering accuracy. At the same time, track vibration can easily cause resonance, affecting the stability and lifespan of the equipment. Currently, existing solutions to this problem mostly focus on strengthening the materials of the track and drive wheels. Some existing technologies attempt to use soft elastic materials (such as rubber or polyurethane) to make drive wheels, trying to use the initial elastic deformation of the material to fill the gap between the track and the wheels when the track deflects. However, in the actual operation of the shuttle, the wheels need to bear the static load of a fully loaded cargo and the dynamic load from frequent starts, stops, and turns. The compressive strength and creep resistance of these soft materials are much lower than those of metallic materials. When the car body forms a three-point support due to local track subsidence, the load is concentrated on a few wheels. Under continuous high pressure, the soft wheels are prone to material yielding, resulting in irreversible plastic deformation and loss of elastic recovery ability. At this time, even if the wheel on the gap side contacts the track, its excessive compression or plastic deformation will cause the car body to tilt and become unstable, making it impossible to achieve effective gap compensation and horizontal support. In view of this, the present invention provides a multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer device, see reference. Figures 1-4 As shown, the device includes a shuttle body 1, which travels on guide rails between adjacent shelves in the warehouse. The guide rails include transverse rails and longitudinal rails. The shuttle body 1 includes a frame 11, and a wheel set is provided at the bottom of the frame 11. The wheel set includes Y-axis wheels for traveling on the longitudinal rails and X-axis wheels for traveling on the transverse rails. Both the X-axis wheels and the Y-axis wheels are formed by combining travel wheels 12. The frame 11 is also equipped with a lifting structure for controlling the lifting of the driving wheels 12. It can realize the independent lifting and switching of the X-axis wheels and Y-axis wheels to meet the multi-directional driving needs. Auxiliary wheel assemblies 2 are provided on the periphery of multiple driving wheels 12. The auxiliary wheel assembly 2 includes a support mechanism 21 and a wheel structure 22. The wheel structure 22 is mounted on the support mechanism 21. The surface of the wheel structure 22 is stepped. The support mechanism 21 is connected to the lifting structure so as to move synchronously with the corresponding driving wheel 12, so that the movement of the auxiliary wheel assembly 2 and the driving wheel 12 is coordinated and does not interfere with the shuttle's steering and track changing. The auxiliary wheel assembly 2 is equipped with sensors. Under normal driving conditions, the lifting structure lowers the driving wheel 12 in the required driving direction to contact the rail 13 for load bearing. At this time, the adjacent support mechanism 21 also lowers, causing one end of the wheel structure 22 to lower to contact the upper surface of the rail 13. At this time, the wheel structure 22 acts as a lateral limiting wheel and transmits lateral vibration in a gradient to achieve graded unloading, effectively weakening the vibration transmission caused by the rail joint and ground micro-vibration, and reducing the resonance risk between the car body and the rack. If the sensor detects that the rail 13 has sunk due to deflection, the support mechanism 21 drives the wheel structure 22 to move towards the middle of the rail 13 until a certain outer diameter of its stepped profile matches the height of the sunken rail surface. This profile area fits the rail surface and bears the weight, allowing the wheel structure 22 to temporarily switch to an auxiliary wheel, filling the contact gap between the traveling wheel 12 and the rail surface, ensuring stable support for the four wheels of the vehicle body, and reducing driving bumps and tilting.

[0016] The above-mentioned lifting structure (not shown in the figure) works as is well known to those skilled in the art. It can be driven by hydraulic, pneumatic or electric screw. The core includes a drive source, a lifting bracket, a guide component and a limiting component. The drive source is fixed inside the frame 11 and its output end is rigidly connected to the lifting bracket. The X-axis wheel and the Y-axis wheel are respectively mounted on independent lifting brackets. The guide component is arranged vertically along the frame 11 and slides with the lifting bracket to limit the lifting direction and prevent deviation. During operation, the controller triggers the corresponding drive source action, which drives the lifting bracket to move the wheel body up and down along the guide assembly. This achieves the switching between the target wheel body descending to fit and bear weight with the rail surface and the non-target wheel body rising to deviate from the rail, thereby completing the conversion between the X-axis and Y-axis travel modes. The limiting component can precisely control the wheel body lifting stroke, ensuring the fitting accuracy between the wheel body and the rail surface and the horizontal posture of the vehicle body, thus meeting the action requirements of the multi-directional shuttle car for cross-rail operation.

[0017] In the above description, the wheel structure 22 needs to be assembled with the shuttle body 1 via the support mechanism 21, see reference. Figure 5 and combined Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the support mechanism 21 is assembled with the shuttle body 1 and the wheel structure 22 through the extension rod 211. Specifically, the extension rod 211 has a bent structure, one end of which is connected to the lifting structure inside the frame 11, and the other end extends horizontally out of the outer surface of the frame 11. Furthermore, an inner cavity 212 is opened at the bottom of the end of the extension rod 211 that extends out of the frame 11. The telescopic adjustment component 213 is fixedly installed in the inner space of the inner cavity 212. The connecting rod 222 in the wheel structure 22 is slidably disposed in the inner cavity 212. The movable end of the telescopic adjustment component 213 is fixedly connected to the side wall surface of the connecting rod 222, so that the telescopic adjustment component 213 can be directly transmitted to the connecting rod 222, thereby driving the connecting rod 222 to make linear reciprocating motion along the extension direction of the inner cavity 212.

[0018] The bending structure of the extension rod 211 allows the wheel structure 22 to be positioned to the side of the rail 13, without occupying the working space of the bottom running wheel 12 of the frame 11. At the same time, it ensures the relative position of the wheel structure 22 and the rail 13. The connection method between the telescopic adjustment component 213 and the connecting rod 222 enables precise control of the lateral movement of the wheel structure 22, meeting the movement requirements of the wheel structure 22 towards the center of the rail 13 when the track deflects. The connection relationship between the support mechanism 21 and the lifting structure allows the auxiliary wheel assembly 2 to rise and fall synchronously with the running wheel 12, adapting to the switching action of the X-axis wheel and Y-axis wheel of the multi-directional shuttle, without interfering with the normal driving and steering of the shuttle body 1.

[0019] It should be noted that the above-mentioned telescopic adjustment component 213 adopts multi-stage electric push rod control. During operation, the built-in drive motor outputs torque, which is converted into linear telescopic motion through a gear or lead screw transmission mechanism. This causes the multi-stage nested push rod to extend or retract axially step by step, driving the connecting rod 222, which is fixedly connected to the movable end of the push rod, to move linearly back and forth along the inner cavity 212 of the extension rod 211. This, in turn, drives the wheel structure 22 to move or reset towards the center of the rail 13.

[0020] Recombined Figure 7 As shown, the multi-stage wheel 221 is rotatably connected to the lower end surface of the connecting rod 222, and the multi-stage wheel 221 is composed of multiple coaxially arranged wheel bodies sleeved along the axial direction. The specific number of wheel bodies can be determined according to the rail 13. Figure 8 As shown, the diameter of each wheel increases sequentially from the side closest to the center of the rail 13 to the side furthest from the center of the rail 13, making the multi-stage wheel 221 have a stepped profile with smaller inner diameter and larger outer diameter. Furthermore, the outer circumferential surface of each wheel body of the multi-stage wheel 221 serves as a support platform 223, such as... Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, in the normal driving state of the shuttle car, the bearing platform 223 of the innermost wheel body closest to the center of the rail 13 is used as the lateral limiting wheel.

[0021] Back Figure 8 It can be seen that, in the direction perpendicular to the plane where the rail 13 is located, the projection of the multi-stage wheel 221 does not overlap with the projection of the adjacent traveling wheel 12 and is staggered. Furthermore, the bottom surface of the innermost support platform 223 of the multi-stage wheel 221 is at the same horizontal height as the traveling bottom surface of the adjacent traveling wheel 12 used to contact the rail 13. The staggered arrangement of the multi-stage wheel 221 and the traveling wheel 12 can avoid structural interference between the multi-stage wheel 221 and the traveling wheel 12 during driving or turning, ensuring the smooth operation of the shuttle. The horizontal height of the innermost support platform 223 is consistent with the traveling bottom surface of the traveling wheel 12, which can ensure that under normal driving conditions, the support platform 223 fits against the surface of the rail 13 and plays the role of limiting the lateral limit wheel.

[0022] Furthermore, during the operation of the shuttle body 1, lateral vibrations are caused by track joints or ground micro-vibrations. They first act on the inner small-diameter wheels of the multi-stage wheels 221 that are in contact with the surface of the track 13. Since the coaxial wheels are rigidly connected and arranged in a stepped coaxial manner, the vibration energy is transmitted to the outer large-diameter wheels through the contact end faces between the wheels. During the transmission process, each stage of the wheel will consume a portion of the vibration energy due to its own mass inertia and structural stiffness. The small-diameter wheels first receive and initially dissipate the high-frequency small-amplitude vibrations, and the subsequent large-diameter wheels further absorb the remaining vibration energy. The vibration energy is consumed in layers during the step-by-step transmission, rather than being directly transmitted to the frame 11, thereby achieving graded unloading of vibration energy.

[0023] Since the multi-stage wheel 221 needs to balance the rigid load-bearing requirements when used as an auxiliary support wheel with the vibration buffering and rail surface contact requirements when used as a lateral limiting wheel, the multi-stage wheel 221 adopts a composite structure of a rigid inner wheel and a flexible outer cover 224. The rigid inner wheel is the core load-bearing component of the multi-stage wheel 221. The structure of the rigid inner wheel can ensure that the multi-stage wheel 221 can bear part of the load of the shuttle body 1 when used as an auxiliary driving wheel 12, meeting the rigid support requirements and preventing plastic deformation due to load. The flexible outer cover 224 allows the support platform 223 to adapt slightly to the changes in the flatness of the rail 13 surface, improving the fit with the rail surface. At the same time, during the transmission of lateral vibration, the flexible material can further absorb some vibration energy, enhancing the effect of graded unloading. In addition, the flexible contact can reduce the rigid wear between the multi-stage wheel 221 and the rail 13, extending the service life of the wheel body and the rail 13. Moreover, the flexible deformation of the outer cover 224 is within a controllable range and will not affect the detection accuracy of the contact sensing ring on the contact pressure, ensuring the accuracy of the signal feedback of the sensing element.

[0024] The aforementioned outer covering 224 is preferably made of polyurethane, nitrile rubber or hydrogenated nitrile rubber, to suit the long-term reciprocating operation of warehousing and transfer equipment.

[0025] Considering that when the telescopic adjustment component 213 drives the connecting rod 222 to make linear reciprocating motion along the inner cavity 212, the connecting rod 222 is prone to radial offset or swing, which causes the multi-stage wheel 221 to fail to accurately align with the surface of the rail 13. Therefore, a limit rod 214 is fixedly installed inside the inner cavity 212, and the connecting rod 222 is slidably sleeved on the limit rod 214 on one side inside the inner cavity 212. The limiting rod 214 is fixedly arranged in the internal space of the inner cavity 212 along the linear movement direction of the connecting rod 222. The end of the connecting rod 222 that extends into the inner cavity 212 has a through hole that matches the limiting rod 214. The connecting rod 222 is slidably sleeved on the limiting rod 214 through the through hole. The axial direction of the limiting rod 214 is consistent with the telescopic adjustment component 213. When the telescopic adjustment component 213 drives the connecting rod 222 to move, the connecting rod 222 can reciprocate linearly along the axial direction of the limiting rod 214. The sleeve structure between the limiting rod 214 and the connecting rod 222 does not affect the transmission of the driving force of the telescopic adjustment component 213.

[0026] Specifically, the sensing element (not shown in the figure) comprises two components: a deflection detection sensor and a contact sensing ring. The deflection detection sensor is integrated into the bottom of the frame 11, with the detection probe facing the surface of the rail 13, and is used to collect the vertical displacement data of the rail 13 in real time to determine whether the rail 13 has undergone deflection deformation and the magnitude of the deformation. The contact sensing ring is a ring structure, embedded inside the support platform 223 in the multi-stage wheel 221, and is flush with the surface of the support platform 223. It is used to detect the contact state and contact pressure value between the support platform 223 and the surface of the rail 13. Both sensing elements are electrically connected to the controller of the shuttle body 1, and can transmit the detected signals to the controller in real time.

[0027] The deflection detection sensor is built into the bottom of the frame 11 to achieve close-range detection with the rail 13. It can accurately capture the minute deflection deformation of the rail 13 and ensure the accuracy of the judgment of the deformation state of the rail 13. The contact sensing ring is embedded in the support platform 223 and can provide real-time feedback on the contact between the support platform 223 and the surface of the rail 13. The deflection detection sensor and the contact sensing ring work together to form a detection closed loop, providing accurate data support for the controller to issue action commands. When the deflection sensor detects deflection deformation in rail 13, it immediately sends a deformation signal to the controller, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the controller then instructs the telescopic adjustment member 213 in the support mechanism 21 to move, driving the connecting rod 222 to move the multi-stage wheel 221 towards the middle side of the rail 13 until a certain stage bearing platform 223 contacts the surface of the sunken rail 13. At this time, the contact sensing ring detects that the contact pressure has reached the preset threshold and sends a signal to the controller. The controller instructs the telescopic adjustment member 213 to stop moving, and the stage bearing platform 223 then bears part of the load, causing the wheel structure 22 to switch to an auxiliary driving wheel 12, which together with the other driving wheels 12 maintains the balance of the vehicle body. When the shuttle travels to the normal track section, the deflection detection sensor detects that the vertical displacement of the rail 13 surface has returned to the preset normal range. At the same time, the contact sensing ring detects that the contact pressure between the bearing platform 223 and the rail surface has dropped below the threshold. The two types of sensors then transmit a normal rail surface signal to the controller. After receiving the signal, the controller instructs the telescopic adjustment component 213 in the support mechanism 21 to move in the opposite direction, driving the connecting rod 222 and the multi-stage wheel 221 to move away from the center of the rail 13 until the multi-stage wheel 221 returns to the initial installation position on the side of the rail 13. At this time, only the innermost bearing platform 223 of the multi-stage wheel 221 is in contact with the surface of the rail 13, and it switches back to the function of lateral vibration gradient transmission and graded unloading. It no longer participates in the load-bearing of the vehicle body as an auxiliary driving wheel 12. The whole process relies on the real-time feedback of the sensors and the command control of the controller to realize the precise switching of the wheel structure 22 between the auxiliary support state and the lateral limit wheel state, adapting to the normal track driving conditions.

[0028] The working principle of the contact sensing ring is well known to those skilled in the art. Its threshold change principle is as follows: the contact sensing ring has a built-in preset dual pressure threshold range, namely an auxiliary support threshold and a limiting contact threshold. The auxiliary support threshold is the minimum pressure value required when the multi-stage wheel 221 acts as the auxiliary traveling wheel 12 to bear the load. The limiting contact threshold is the pressure value when the multi-stage wheel 221 acts as a lateral limiting wheel and normally contacts the rail surface. When the rail 13 undergoes deflection, the telescopic adjustment component 213 drives the multi-stage wheel 221 to move towards the center of the rail 13. After the corresponding bearing platform 223 contacts the sunken rail surface, the pressure gradually increases. When the pressure reaches the auxiliary support threshold, the contact... The sensor loop sends a stop signal to the controller to lock the position of the multi-stage wheel 221 to achieve stable load bearing. When the shuttle car travels to the normal track section, the flat track surface eliminates the load bearing requirement of the bearing platform 223, and the contact pressure gradually decreases. When the pressure drops to the limit contact threshold, the contact sensor loop sends a reset signal to the controller, triggering the telescopic adjustment component 213 to reverse its movement, driving the multi-stage wheel 221 back to the initial position on the side of the rail 13, restoring the lateral limit wheel function. The gradual transition of the rail 13 surface, the timeliness of the control action, and the setting of the limit contact threshold ensure that the multi-stage wheel 221 is not squeezed by the normal track surface during the state switching process.

[0029] Working principle: First, the shuttle car, according to the preset travel direction, drives the X-axis or Y-axis wheels in the corresponding direction to descend through the lifting structure inside the frame 11, so that they contact the rail 13 to bear weight. At the same time, the wheels in the non-target direction rise and derail from the rail, completing the travel mode switch. The auxiliary wheel assembly 2, which moves synchronously with the travel wheel 12, descends with the lifting structure, so that the innermost bearing platform 223 of the multi-stage wheel 221 is in contact with the surface of the rail 13, acting as a lateral limiting wheel to assist in limiting the travel wheel 12. At this time, if the lateral vibration is caused by the rail joint or ground micro-vibration, the vibration first acts on the inner small-diameter wheel, and then is transmitted to the outer large-diameter wheel through the coaxial stepped wheel. The vibration energy is consumed in layers by the inertia of the wheel mass and the structural stiffness, realizing the vibration graded unloading and ensuring the stability of normal travel.

[0030] During operation, the deflection detection sensor integrated at the bottom of the frame 11 collects the vertical displacement data of the rail 13 in real time. The contact sensing ring embedded in the support platform 223 synchronously detects the contact state and contact pressure. The two form a detection closed loop and transmit signals to the controller. If the rail 13 is detected to be deflected, the controller immediately commands the multi-stage electric push rod in the support mechanism 21 to move, driving the connecting rod 222 to move the multi-stage wheel 221 along the guide rod 214 towards the middle of the rail 13 until it contacts a certain support platform 223 that matches the height of the sunken rail surface. When the contact pressure reaches the preset auxiliary support threshold, the contact sensing ring feeds back a signal, the controller commands the electric push rod to stop moving, and the multi-stage wheel 221 switches to auxiliary driving wheel 12, which works with other driving wheels 12 to bear the load and maintain the balance of the vehicle body.

[0031] When the shuttle car travels to the normal track section, the deflection detection sensor detects that the rail surface has returned to flatness, and the contact sensing ring detects that the contact pressure has dropped below the limit contact threshold. Both types of sensors transmit normal signals to the controller simultaneously. The controller instructs the electric push rod to move in the opposite direction, driving the multi-stage wheel 221 to reset along the limit rod 214 to the initial position on the side of the rail 13. Only the innermost bearing platform 223 remains in contact with the rail surface, and it switches back to the lateral limit wheel to continue to undertake the functions of lateral limit and lateral vibration graded unloading, completing the entire working condition adaptive switching cycle.

[0032] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely preferred examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A multi-directional track shuttle-type warehouse transfer device, comprising a shuttle body (1), wherein the shuttle body (1) travels on guide rails between adjacent shelves in a warehouse, the guide rails including transverse rails and longitudinal rails, the shuttle body (1) including a frame (11), the bottom of the frame (11) being provided with a wheel set, the wheel set including Y-axis wheels for traveling on the longitudinal rails and X-axis wheels for traveling on the transverse rails, characterized in that: Both the X-axis wheel and the Y-axis wheel are formed by combining the driving wheels (12), and the interior of the frame (11) is also provided with a lifting structure for controlling the lifting of the driving wheels (12); Auxiliary wheel assemblies (2) are provided on the periphery of each of the multiple driving wheels (12). The auxiliary wheel assembly (2) includes a support mechanism (21) and a wheel structure (22). The wheel structure (22) is mounted on the support mechanism (21), and the surface of the wheel structure (22) is stepped. The support mechanism (21) is connected to the lifting structure so as to move synchronously with the corresponding driving wheel (12). The auxiliary wheel assembly (2) is equipped with a sensor. Under normal driving conditions, the lifting structure lowers the driving wheel (12) to contact the rail (13) to bear the load. At this time, the adjacent support mechanism (21) also lowers, causing one end of the wheel structure (22) to lower to contact the upper surface of the rail (13). At this time, the wheel structure (22) acts as a lateral limiting wheel and transmits the lateral vibration in a gradient to achieve graded unloading. When the sensor detects that the rail (13) sinks due to deflection, the support mechanism (21) drives the wheel structure (22) to move towards the middle of the rail (13) until a certain outer diameter in its stepped profile matches the height of the rail surface after sinking. This profile area fits the rail surface and bears the weight, so that the wheel structure (22) is temporarily switched to an auxiliary wheel.

2. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support mechanism (21) includes an extension rod (211), which is a bent structure. One end of the extension rod is connected to the lifting structure, and the other end extends out of the surface of the frame (11).

3. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The extension rod (211) has an inner cavity (212) at the bottom of one end extending out of the frame (11), and a telescopic adjustment component (213) is fixedly installed in the inner cavity (212). The wheel structure (22) includes a connecting rod (222) that is slidably disposed in the inner cavity (212), and the movable end of the telescopic adjustment member (213) is fixedly connected to the surface of the connecting rod (222).

4. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The wheel structure (22) also includes a multi-stage wheel (221) rotatably disposed on the lower surface of the connecting rod (222). The multi-stage wheel (221) has multiple coaxial wheel bodies sleeved along the axial direction, and the diameter of the wheel body increases in a stepwise manner from the side closer to the center of the rail (13) to the side farther away, so that the multi-stage wheel (221) forms a stepped profile with a smaller inner diameter and a larger outer diameter.

5. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: In the multi-stage wheel (221), the surface of each wheel body is a support platform (223). Under normal driving conditions, the innermost support platform (223) is a lateral limiting wheel.

6. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The multi-stage wheel (221) is staggered from the adjacent traveling wheel (12) in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the rail (13), and the bottom surface of the inner bearing platform (223) of the multi-stage wheel (221) is at the same horizontal height as the traveling bottom surface of the adjacent traveling wheel (12).

7. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The multi-stage wheel (221) includes a rigid inner wheel and an outer cover (224) covering the outer periphery of the rigid inner wheel, the outer cover (224) being made of a flexible material.

8. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: A limiting rod (214) is fixedly installed inside the inner cavity (212), and the connecting rod (222) is slidably sleeved on the limiting rod (214) on one side inside the inner cavity (212).

9. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensing element includes a deflection detection sensor, which is located at the bottom of the frame (11) and is used to detect the deflection deformation of the rail (13).

10. The multi-directional track shuttle-type warehousing and transfer equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The sensing element also includes a contact sensing ring, which is embedded in the inner wall of the support platform (223).

Images