Warehousing unit, warehousing system, construction method of warehousing system and stereoscopic warehouse

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage unit, a storage system, a construction method of the storage system and a stereoscopic warehouse. A drawer assembly; the drawer assembly is movably installed on the goods shelf and used for storing material boxes. The material box is used for containing target materials; at least one transfer assembly; the transfer assembly is used for transferring the containing material boxes. A grabbing assembly; the grabbing assembly executes a discharging action or a discharging action according to the target control instruction; under the condition that the discharging action is executed, the grabbing assembly is used for transferring one or more material boxes on the transfer assembly to the drawer assembly; and under the condition that the discharging action is executed, the grabbing assembly is used for transferring one or more material boxes on the drawer assembly to the transfer assembly. According to the storage unit, the drawer type design is adopted, the grabbing assembly can grab a plurality of material boxes at a time, the warehouse-in and warehouse-out efficiency is greatly improved, the storage capacity is far higher than that of a traditional fluency strip type warehouse under the same size, and the storage efficiency and the storage capacity are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automated warehousing and logistics technology, and in particular to a storage unit, a storage system, a method for constructing a storage system, and an automated warehouse. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of electronic technology, the demand for printed circuit boards (PCBs) is increasing. Mechanical drilling of PCBs requires a large number of micro-tools. How to automatically store these micro-tools and achieve efficient warehousing is a major challenge for every PCB manufacturer.

[0003] Miniature cutting tools are stored in material boxes. Existing automated warehouses generally use shelves or flow racks to place the material boxes. Shelves are difficult to store in multiple rows. Although each flow rack can store multiple material boxes, the first-in-first-out principle must be followed and the grippers cannot pick up multiple boxes at once. Existing solutions still have room for improvement in terms of storage density, number of storage specifications, and operating efficiency.

[0004] The aforementioned problems have led to industry pain points such as unstable operation, limited storage types, and low inbound and outbound efficiency in automated storage and retrieval systems for micro-tools. There is an urgent need to design a new type of automated storage and retrieval system that is stable, efficient, has high storage density, and high degree of flexibility to solve the automated storage needs of micro-tools. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a storage unit, storage system, construction method of storage system and automated warehouse that can effectively solve the problems of low storage density and poor inbound and outbound efficiency of existing micro tool automated warehouses.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a storage unit, comprising:

[0007] Shelves;

[0008] A drawer assembly; the drawer assembly is movably mounted on the shelf, and the drawer assembly is used to store a material box; the material box is used to hold the target material;

[0009] At least one transfer component; the transfer component is used to transfer and place the material box;

[0010] A gripping component; the gripping component performs a feeding or discharging action according to a target control command; when performing a feeding action, the gripping component is used to transfer one or more material boxes on the transfer component to the drawer component; when performing a discharging action, the gripping component is used to transfer one or more material boxes on the drawer component to the transfer component.

[0011] In one embodiment, the number of shelves is greater than or equal to 2; wherein the shelves located on both sides of the gripping component are symmetrically arranged; and each shelf is equipped with multiple drawer components.

[0012] In one embodiment, the size of the target material is smaller than the size of the material box;

[0013] The drawer assembly includes an inner stop bar, an outer stop bar, a stator, and a preset number of material box slots;

[0014] When the drawer assembly is in the storage state, the inner guide bar is in contact with the stator;

[0015] When the drawer assembly is in the pulled-out state, the outer stop bar is in contact with the stator.

[0016] In one embodiment, the material box slots of each drawer assembly are arranged in multiple rows and columns; the number of single-column or single-row material box slots of the drawer assembly is greater than or equal to the number of material box grippers of the gripping assembly.

[0017] In one embodiment, the transfer assembly includes a transfer table and a guide rail; the guide rail is partially disposed on the shelf; the transfer table includes multiple material box slots;

[0018] The transfer platform and the guide rail are movably connected, and the transfer platform moves with the guide rail.

[0019] In one embodiment, the gripping component includes a stacker crane and stacker crane grippers; the stacker crane grippers include drawer grippers and bin grippers;

[0020] The stacker crane and the stacker crane grippers are detachably connected;

[0021] When the stacker crane performs a feeding or discharging action according to the target control command, the stacker crane moves the stacker crane gripper to the gripping area corresponding to the target material box, and the stacker crane gripper completes the material box transfer.

[0022] The drawer gripper is used to move the drawer assembly, and the tin box gripper is used to move the tin box.

[0023] In one embodiment, the number of bin grippers of the stacker crane is less than or equal to the number of single-row or single-column bin slots of the transfer assembly.

[0024] In one embodiment, the target control instructions include a single-box inbound instruction, a multi-box inbound instruction, a single-box outbound instruction, and a multi-box outbound instruction;

[0025] The gripping component is used to perform a material release action according to the single box warehousing instruction or the multi-box warehousing instruction; wherein, when the material release action is performed according to the multi-box warehousing instruction, the gripping component simultaneously grips the material box on the transfer component and transfers the material box sequentially to different drawer components or simultaneously to the same drawer component in a preset order.

[0026] The material discharge action is performed according to the single box discharge instruction or the multiple box discharge instruction; wherein, when the material discharge action is performed according to the multiple box discharge instruction, the gripping component sequentially grips the boxes on different drawer components or grips multiple boxes on the same drawer component in a preset order, and simultaneously transfers the boxes to the transfer component.

[0027] Secondly, this application also provides a warehousing system, including at least two warehousing units as described in the first aspect, wherein two adjacent warehousing units are joined together.

[0028] Thirdly, this application also provides a method for constructing a warehousing system, including:

[0029] Obtain the design standard parameters of the warehousing system, wherein the design standard parameters include warehouse volume, shelf volume, and material box volume;

[0030] The target parameters are determined based on the design standard parameters; wherein, the target parameters include the target spacing between material boxes, the material box slot distribution parameters of the drawer assembly, the material box slot distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, the guide rail distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, and the target number of storage units; the target number is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2;

[0031] Construct storage units as described in the first aspect according to the target parameters until the number of storage units reaches the target number;

[0032] By splicing adjacent storage units, a target storage system is obtained, wherein the volume occupied by the target storage system is less than or equal to the design standard parameters.

[0033] Fourthly, this application also provides an automated warehouse, including the storage system described in the second aspect.

[0034] In summary, this application proposes a storage unit, a storage system, a method for constructing the storage system, and an automated warehouse, comprising: shelves; drawer assemblies; drawer assemblies movably installed on the shelves, and used to store material boxes; material boxes used to hold target materials; at least one transfer assembly; the transfer assembly used to transfer material boxes; and a gripping assembly; the gripping assembly performs a dispensing or discharging action according to a target control command; when performing a dispensing action, the gripping assembly is used to transfer one or more material boxes from the transfer assembly to the drawer assembly; when performing a discharging action, the gripping assembly is used to transfer one or more material boxes from the drawer assembly to the transfer assembly. The storage unit proposed in this application adopts a drawer-type design, and the gripping assembly can grip multiple material boxes at a time, significantly improving inbound and outbound efficiency. Furthermore, its storage capacity is far higher than that of traditional flow rack warehouses of the same size, effectively improving storage efficiency and storage capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of a storage unit in another embodiment;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a top view of the structure of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gripping component of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0040] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the drawer assembly of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer component of a storage unit in one embodiment;

[0042] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for constructing a warehousing system in one embodiment.

[0043] Summary of attached image labels:

[0044] Shelf-10, Drawer assembly-20, Inner baffle-21, Outer baffle-22, Stator-23, Material box slot-24, Transfer assembly-30, Transfer table-31, Guide rail-32, Gripping assembly-40, Stacker crane-41, Stacker crane gripper-42, Mounting plate-41, Drawer gripper-42, Material box gripper-43. Detailed Implementation

[0045] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0046] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0047] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, a storage unit is provided, including: a rack, a shelf 10, a drawer assembly 20, a transfer assembly 30, and a gripping assembly 40.

[0048] In this embodiment, the rack serves as the supporting structure for the storage unit, used to set up and install the shelving 10, the transfer assembly 30, and the gripping assembly 40. The shelving 10 is used to install the drawer assembly 20. It should be noted that the material composition and specific structure of the rack and shelving 10 can be adaptively designed according to the needs of the actual application scenario. In this embodiment, as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, multiple drawer assemblies 20 can be installed on a single shelf 10. The drawer assemblies 20 are arranged in preset rows and columns on the shelf 10, forming a high-density storage layout to fully utilize storage space and store more target materials. In practical applications, the number of drawer assemblies 20 on the shelf 10 is greater than the number of transfer assemblies 30. For example, a single shelf 10 includes 20 mounting layers, and each mounting layer can install 5 drawer assemblies 20. It should be noted that the number of mounting layers on the shelf 10 and the number of drawer assemblies that can be installed on each mounting layer can be limited according to the needs of the actual application scenario. The number of transfer assemblies 30 can be determined based on the number of external interaction nodes between the storage unit and the storage unit. For example, if the storage unit interacts with 4 external interaction nodes, then at least 4 transfer assemblies 30 should be installed within the storage unit.

[0049] In practical applications, the transfer component 30 serves as a transfer station for material boxes. It can move along a preset path between external interaction nodes and the storage unit, and effectively cooperates with the gripping component 40 to perform corresponding material release or dispensing actions. When the gripping component 40 performs material release or dispensing actions, the transfer component 30 can be used to place the material boxes to be stored and the material boxes to be retrieved. It should be noted that the preset path can be set according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0050] In this embodiment, the drawer assembly 20 is movably mounted on the shelf 10 and is used to store material boxes. The material boxes are used to hold target materials. Specifically, the drawer assembly 20 can also be called a storage tray, and it is drawer-shaped to hold multiple material boxes. In practical applications, the number of material boxes that the drawer assembly 20 can hold is related to its preset volume, quantity, and distribution parameters. The larger the preset volume of a single drawer assembly 20, the more material boxes it can hold. The larger the number of drawer assemblies 20, the more material boxes the storage unit can hold. With a fixed volume for a single storage unit, the higher the density of the drawer assemblies 20, the more material boxes the storage unit can hold.

[0051] It should be noted that the drawer assembly 20 being movably mounted on the shelf 10 means that the drawer assembly 20 can be pulled out and moved to cooperate with the gripping assembly 40 in performing corresponding feeding and discharging actions. In practical applications, if any drawer assembly 20 malfunctions, the malfunctioning drawer assembly 20 can be completely removed from the shelf 10 and replaced with a new one.

[0052] In this embodiment, the target material refers to a micro-material with a size smaller than a preset size parameter, such as a micro-tool. In practical applications, micro-tools refer to tools with extremely small size and high precision, specifically designed for micro-machining or precision operations. Micro-tools are typically used to manufacture tiny parts, process high-hardness materials, or operate in confined spaces. It should be noted that micro-materials can be materials with a diameter or feature size between 0.01 mm and 10 mm, or materials with a diameter less than 1 mm or less than 0.1 mm. The actual size of the target material can be determined according to the needs of the actual application scenario. Similarly, the size of the material box can also be designed according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0053] In this embodiment, the number of transfer components 30 in the storage unit is at least one, and the transfer components 30 are used to transfer and place material boxes. In practical application scenarios, the transfer components 30 can move inside and outside the warehouse to which the storage unit belongs, so as to cooperate with the gripping components 40 to perform the completed material release and discharge actions inside and outside the warehouse.

[0054] In this embodiment, the gripping component 40 performs a feeding or discharging action according to a target control command. When performing a feeding action, the gripping component 40 transfers one or more material boxes from the transfer component 30 to the drawer component 20. When performing a discharging action, the gripping component 40 transfers one or more material boxes from the drawer component 20 to the transfer component 30.

[0055] In one embodiment, the gripping component 40 is communicatively connected to the controller of the storage system. The controller of the storage system issues corresponding target control commands to the gripping component 40, so that the gripping component 40 performs a feeding or discharging action according to the target control commands.

[0056] In another embodiment, the gripping component 40 can automatically generate target control commands based on the status of the transfer component 30 and / or the drawer component 20, and execute corresponding material feeding or discharging actions according to the target control commands. For example, if the transfer component 30 transports a certain number of material boxes from outside the warehouse to a designated location inside the warehouse, the gripping component 40 generates corresponding target control commands based on the material boxes loaded on the transfer component 30 at the designated location, and the gripping component 40 executes corresponding material feeding actions according to the target control commands. If the transfer component 30 moves from an idle area inside the warehouse to a designated location inside the warehouse, the gripping component 40 generates corresponding target control commands based on the gripping information corresponding to the designated location, and the gripping component 40 retrieves the material boxes from the drawer component 20 corresponding to the gripping information according to the target control commands, cooperating with the transfer component 30 to execute corresponding discharging actions.

[0057] In practical applications, the actual generation method of the target control commands can be configured according to the needs of the specific application scenario. The actual signal type of the target control commands can also be configured according to the needs of the specific application scenario.

[0058] In this embodiment, the material release action can also be referred to as the material storage action, the material holding action, or the material feeding action, etc. It should be noted that the material release action refers to the action of transferring the material box on the transfer component 30 to the drawer component 20. Similarly, the material discharge action can also be referred to as the material retrieval action, the material picking action, etc., and the material storage action refers to the action of transferring the material box on the drawer component 20 to the transfer component 30.

[0059] In this embodiment, the gripping component 40 can move one or more material boxes in a single feeding or picking action. The actual number of material boxes moved in a single feeding or picking action can be set according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0060] Based on the above structure, this embodiment provides a storage unit that adopts a drawer-type material box storage structure. Micro-tools are placed in the material boxes for storage, and each drawer assembly 20 can hold multiple material boxes, which greatly improves the storage density of micro-tools. Corresponding gripping components 40 and transfer components 30 are set up, which can realize the transfer of material boxes inside and outside the warehouse through automated control process. The gripping components 40 can realize the transfer of single or multiple material boxes, effectively improving the execution efficiency of the storage process. Unlike the existing flow rack storage structure, it can achieve higher density and higher efficiency storage of micro-tools.

[0061] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the gripping component 40 includes a stacker crane 41 and a stacker crane gripper 42.

[0062] In this embodiment, as Figure 5 As shown, the stacker crane gripper 42 includes a mounting plate 421, a drawer gripper 422, and a box gripper 423. Specifically, in this embodiment, the stacker crane gripper 42 can adopt an integrated gripper structure, with both the drawer gripper 422 and the box gripper 423 mounted on the mounting plate 421. The drawer pull-out and box gripping functions are achieved through different components on the structure of a single stacker crane gripper 42. In this embodiment, the drawer gripper 422 and the box gripper 423 can also be implemented using separate robotic arms to achieve the drawer pull-out and box gripping functions respectively. It should be noted that the actual shape and structure of the stacker crane gripper 42 can be adaptively replaced according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0063] In this embodiment, the number of box grippers 423 is less than or equal to the number of single-row or single-column box slots in the transfer component 30. In another embodiment, the number of box grippers 423 is less than or equal to the number of single-row or single-column box slots in the drawer component 20. Specifically, the box grippers 423 can grip one box, multiple boxes, a row of boxes, or a column of boxes in a single gripping operation. In practical applications, the number of box grippers 423 can be configured by considering cost, efficiency, and stability requirements. For example, if the transfer component 30 has six box slots in a row or column, the number of box grippers 423 can be set to one, two, three, or six to balance cost, efficiency, and stability. The cost is lowest when the number of box grippers 423 is one or two. The gripping efficiency is highest when the number of box grippers 423 is six. A balance between cost and efficiency can be effectively achieved when the number of box grippers 423 is three. In one embodiment, the material box gripper 423 can grip a row or column of material boxes at a time, enabling the simultaneous gripping and placement of multiple material boxes, thereby greatly improving the gripping efficiency of material box warehousing and material box retrieval.

[0064] In this embodiment, the stacker crane 41 and the stacker crane grippers 42 are detachably connected. Specifically, the stacker crane grippers 42 are detachably connected to the stacker crane 41, and the structure of the stacker crane grippers 42 can be designed in various styles, such as an integrated structure of drawer grippers 422 and material box grippers 423. The number of material box grippers 423 corresponds to the number of material box slots in a single row, or the number of material box grippers 423 corresponds to the number of material box slots in a single row. Users can replace the type of stacker crane grippers 42 according to the needs of actual application scenarios to adapt to the storage and retrieval of material boxes in actual production environments.

[0065] In this embodiment, the stacker crane 41 can drive the stacker crane gripper 42 to move precisely in the horizontal (x-axis) and vertical (z-axis) directions. The drawer gripper 422 is used to pull out the drawer assembly 20, and the box gripper 423 is used to grasp and transfer the box.

[0066] In this embodiment, when the stacker crane 41 and the stacker crane gripper 42 perform a feeding or discharging action according to the target control, the stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the gripping area corresponding to the target material box, and the stacker crane gripper 42 completes the material box transfer. It should be noted that before the stacker crane 41 and the stacker crane gripper 42 perform the feeding and discharging actions, the drawer assembly 20 is in a storage state. The complete interactive process of the stacker crane gripper 42 completing the material box transfer is as follows: the drawer assembly 20 is in a storage state, the drawer gripper 422 grips the designated position of the drawer assembly 20 and moves in a first designated direction, so that the drawer assembly 20 changes to a pull-out state. After the drawer assembly 20 changes to a pull-out state, the material box gripper 423 picks up and puts in the material box; after the material box is picked up and put in the material box, the drawer assembly 20 is in a pull-out state. At this time, the drawer gripper 422 grips the designated position of the drawer assembly 20 again and moves in a second designated direction, so that the drawer assembly 20 changes to a storage state. The first specified direction and the second specified direction are opposite directions.

[0067] In one specific embodiment, the process of the gripping component 40 placing a material box into the drawer component 20 is as follows: After the material box gripper 423 grips the material box, the stacker crane 41 moves the stacker crane gripper 42 to the working area of ​​the drawer component 20 where the material box is to be stored. The drawer gripper 422 extends and clamps the drawer component 20. The stacker crane 41, in coordination with the movement of the drawer gripper 422, pulls the drawer component 20 out to the interaction position. After the drawer component 20 is pulled out to the interaction position, the drawer gripper 422 is released, and the stacker crane 41 moves the stacker crane gripper 42 freely to the material box slot corresponding to the storage location number inside the drawer component 20. The material box gripper 423 extends and lowers the material box. After the material box is placed, the drawer gripper 422 re-clamps the drawer component 20, and the stacker crane 41, in coordination with the movement of the drawer gripper 422, pushes the drawer component 20 back to the storage position.

[0068] The process of the gripping component 40 retrieving the material box from the drawer component 20 is as follows: The stacker crane 41 moves the stacker crane gripper 42 to the working area of ​​the drawer component 20 where the material box is to be retrieved. The drawer gripper 422 extends and locks onto the drawer component 20. The stacker crane 41, in coordination with the movement of the drawer gripper 422, pulls the drawer component 20 out to the interaction position. After the drawer gripper 422 is released, the stacker crane 41 moves the stacker crane gripper 42 freely to the material box slot above the corresponding storage location number inside the drawer component 20. The material box gripper 423 extends and grips the material box. After gripping the material box, the drawer gripper 422 re-locks onto the drawer component 20. The stacker crane 41, in coordination with the movement of the drawer gripper 422, pushes the drawer component 20 back to the storage position.

[0069] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the number of shelves 10 is greater than or equal to 2. The shelves 10 located on both sides of the gripping assembly 40 are symmetrically arranged. Each shelf 10 is equipped with multiple drawer assemblies 20.

[0070] In this embodiment, there are multiple shelves 10 within a single storage unit. In practical applications, there are at least two shelves 10 within a single storage unit, and these two shelves 10 are stacked on both sides of the gripping component 40 to achieve a high-density storage layout. In practical applications, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the racks 10 can be symmetrically arranged along the central axis of the stacker crane 41. Each rack 10 has multiple drawer assemblies 20 in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0071] In one embodiment, the target material is smaller than the size of the container. In this embodiment, the target material can be any material smaller than the container size. It should be noted that the actual type of the target material can be selected based on the specific application scenario. In this embodiment, the target material can be a miniature cutting tool.

[0072] like Figure 6 As shown, the drawer assembly 20 includes an inner stop bar 21, an outer stop bar 22, a stator 23, and a preset number of material box slots 24. It should be noted that the material box slots 24 of the drawer assembly are not labeled in the following embodiment description. When the drawer assembly 20 is in the stored state, the inner stop bar 21 abuts against the stator 23. When the drawer assembly 20 is in the pulled-out state, the outer stop bar 22 abuts against the stator 23.

[0073] In this embodiment, the number of material box slots can be set according to the needs of the actual application scenario, such as... Figure 6As shown, the material box slots of each drawer assembly 20 are arranged in multiple rows and columns. The arrangement of the material box slots in multiple rows and columns can be set to an n-row × m-column arrangement, such as 6×3, 6×4, or 5×4, etc. It should be noted that n and m are both positive integers. The actual distribution and number of material box slots can be configured according to the needs of the actual application scenario.

[0074] In this embodiment, the storage state of the drawer assembly 20 refers to the state when the drawer assembly 20 is closed, and the pull-out state of the drawer assembly 20 refers to the state when the drawer assembly 20 is pulled out and filled. When the drawer assembly 20 is in the storage state, the inner stop bar 21 is in contact with the stator 23. When the drawer assembly 20 is in the pull-out state, the outer stop bar 22 is in contact with the stator 23. Based on the above structure, this embodiment can ensure the stability of the drawer structure by setting the inner stop bar 21, the outer stop bar 22, and the stator 23. Moreover, through the limiting effect of the inner stop bar 21 and the outer stop bar 22, it is ensured that the gripping component 40 can stably place the material box assembly into the material box slot and accurately store it, preventing the drawer assembly 20 from being excessively pulled out or excessively pushed in during the pull-out control process.

[0075] In one embodiment, such as Figure 7 As shown, the transfer assembly 30 includes a transfer table 31 and a guide rail 32. The guide rail 32 is partially mounted on the shelf 10. The transfer table 31 includes multiple material box slots. It should be noted that the material box slots of the transfer table 31 are the same as the material box slots of the transfer assembly 30. The structure and function of the material box slots of the transfer table 31 can be referred to the material box slots of the drawer assembly 20 in the aforementioned embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] In this embodiment, the transfer platform 31 and the guide rail 32 are movably connected, and the transfer platform 31 moves with the guide rail 32.

[0077] In this embodiment, the guide rail 32 is partially mounted on the shelf 10, and also partially mounted in the material handling area outside the warehouse, so that the transfer station 31 can move inside and outside the warehouse along with the guide rail 32. It should be noted that, in one embodiment, the guide rail 32 partially mounted on the shelf 10 can guide the transfer station 31 to a designated placement area and a designated idle area. In the designated idle area, the transfer station 31 does not participate in the material handling and discharging actions of the gripping component 40. In the designated placement area, the transfer station 31 participates in the material handling and discharging actions of the gripping component 40.

[0078] It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the actual setting method of the guide rail 32, which can be determined according to the type of shelf 10 in the actual application scenario and the actual environment in the warehouse.

[0079] In one embodiment, the target control instructions include single-box inbound instructions, multi-box inbound instructions, single-box outbound instructions, and multi-box outbound instructions. In this embodiment, the grasping component 40 can execute single-box inbound operations, multi-box inbound operations, single-box outbound operations, and multi-box outbound operations.

[0080] The gripping component 40 is used to perform material release operations according to a single-box receiving instruction or a multi-box receiving instruction. Specifically, when performing material release operations according to a multi-box receiving instruction, the gripping component 40 simultaneously grips the boxes on the transfer component 30 and transfers the boxes sequentially to different drawer components 20 or simultaneously to the same drawer component 20 in a preset order.

[0081] The material dispensing action is performed according to a single-box or multiple-box dispensing instruction. In the case of dispensing according to a multiple-box dispensing instruction, the gripping component 40 sequentially grips the boxes on different drawer components 20 or multiple boxes on the same drawer component 20 in a preset order, and simultaneously transfers the boxes to the transfer component 30.

[0082] Specifically, the actual execution steps of each target control command are described according to the different operating modes of the grasping component 40:

[0083] First, the operation process of the gripping component 40 performing single-box warehousing is as follows: The robot places a single box of material to be warehoused in the material box slot of the transfer table 31. The transfer table 31 moves along the guide rail 32 to the material retrieval position inside the storage unit. The storage unit receives the single-box warehousing instruction, and the stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the material retrieval position. The single material box gripper 423 extends and grips the single material on the transfer table 31. The stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the target drawer component 20. The drawer gripper 422 pulls out the target drawer component 20, and the material box gripper 423 descends simultaneously, placing the material box in the material box slot of the target drawer component 20. After the material box is placed, the drawer gripper 422 returns the drawer component 20 to the shelf 10, completing the single-box warehousing. The host computer updates the material box storage information.

[0084] Second, the operation process of the gripping component 40 performing multi-box warehousing is as follows: The robot places multiple boxes of materials to be warehoused in sequence into the material box slots of the transfer platform 31. The transfer platform 31 moves along the guide rail 32 to the material retrieval position inside the storage unit. The storage unit receives the multi-box warehousing instruction, and the stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the material retrieval position. Multiple material box grippers 423 extend simultaneously to grab a row of material boxes on the transfer platform 31 at once. The host computer assigns a corresponding drawer component 20 storage position to each material box. If multiple material boxes correspond to the same drawer component 20 storage position, the stacker crane 41 drives... The material box gripper 423 moves to the position of the drawer assembly 20, the drawer gripper 422 pulls out the drawer assembly 20, and the material box gripper 423 descends simultaneously, placing multiple material boxes into multiple material box slots of the drawer assembly 20 at the same time; if the storage locations corresponding to multiple material boxes are distributed in different drawer assemblies 20, the stacker crane 41 transfers the material boxes to the corresponding drawer assemblies 20 in a preset order, and the single-box warehousing operation process can be referred to for each placement process; after the material boxes are placed, the drawer gripper 422 pushes the drawer assembly 20 back to the shelf 10, completing the multi-box warehousing, and the host computer updates the material box storage information.

[0085] Third, the workflow for the single-box outbound operation performed by the gripping component 40 is as follows: the storage unit receives the single-box outbound instruction, and the host computer sends the storage location information of the single-box material to be outbound; the stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the position of the corresponding drawer component 20, the drawer gripper 422 pulls out the drawer component 20, and the box gripper 423 grips the target box; after the box is gripped, the stacker crane 41 drives the box gripper 423 to move to the position of the transfer platform 31 and places the box in the box slot of the transfer platform 31; the transfer platform 31 moves along the guide rail 32 to the outside of the storage unit, the robot takes away the box, completing the single-box outbound operation, and the host computer updates the box storage information.

[0086] Fourth, the workflow for the gripping component 40 to perform multi-box outbound operations is as follows: The storage unit receives a multi-box outbound instruction, and the host computer sends out storage location information for multiple materials to be outbound; the stacker crane 41 drives the stacker crane gripper 42 to move to the corresponding drawer component 20 position in a preset order, the drawer gripper 422 pulls out the drawer component 20 in sequence, and the box gripper 423 grabs the target box in sequence (if multiple boxes are located in the same drawer component 20, they can be grabbed simultaneously); after all multiple boxes are grabbed, the stacker crane 41 drives the box gripper 423 to move to the transfer platform 31 position, and places multiple boxes in the box slot of the transfer platform 31 at the same time; the transfer platform 31 moves along the guide rail 32 to the outside of the storage unit, the robot takes away the box, and the multi-box outbound operation is completed, and the host computer updates the box storage information.

[0087] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the material box storage information includes the material box number, the identification information of the drawer assembly 20 storing the material box, and the material box storage status, wherein the drawer assembly 20 identification information is the storage location information. The material boxes on the transfer station 31 are arranged in a preset order, which can be determined by a robot outside the storage unit or a host computer. This embodiment does not limit the robot equipment outside the storage unit; robot equipment capable of placing and transferring material boxes can be used according to the actual application scenario.

[0088] Based on the above structure, this embodiment provides a storage unit. By designing a stacker crane gripper structure with separate drawer grippers and box grippers, it achieves flexible drawer assembly pulling and simultaneous multi-box retrieval and placement, breaking through the limitations of single-box retrieval and placement in existing flow rack warehouses. Simultaneously, with the design of control commands for single / multi-box inbound and single / multi-box outbound operations, the operating mode can be flexibly selected according to operational needs, significantly shortening the inbound and outbound operation cycle. Simulation verification shows that the outbound operation cycle for retrieving multiple boxes is significantly shorter than that of a flow rack warehouse. The drawer-type box storage structure features a densely arranged multi-row, multi-column box slot in the drawer assembly. Through a symmetrical rack layout and modular storage unit splicing, the vertical spacing between boxes is effectively reduced without changing the rack volume ratio. Under the same warehouse size, the storage capacity is far higher than that of traditional flow rack warehouses. The box slot arrangement specifications of the drawer assembly can be flexibly designed according to storage needs. The stacker crane and stacker crane grippers are detachably connected, allowing for the replacement of grippers of different specifications to adapt to different boxes. The warehousing system adopts a modular storage unit splicing design, which can flexibly configure the number of units according to the warehouse volume and storage needs. At the same time, the retrieval of storage boxes is not restricted by the first-in, first-out (FIFO) principle, significantly increasing the number of storage specifications and the freedom of retrieval. The drawer assembly achieves dual stability in both the stored and pulled-out states through the contact and limiting of inner and outer rails and the stator, preventing storage boxes from shifting or falling during storage or retrieval. The transfer assembly is integrated with the shelving, and the transfer platform moves smoothly along the guide rails without shaking during storage box transfer. Combined with the precise positioning and gripping of the gripping assembly, this greatly improves the overall operational stability of the warehousing system.

[0089] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment also provides a warehousing system, which is composed of at least two warehousing units as described in the previous embodiments, horizontally spliced ​​together. The sides of the shelves of adjacent warehousing units are attached to each other and share a set of inbound and outbound connection mechanisms to achieve seamless connection of warehousing space.

[0090] The total storage capacity of this warehousing system is twice that of a single storage unit, enabling the storage of a large number of micro-tools. At the same time, the two storage units share the operating range of the stacker crane, which can move flexibly between the two storage units to realize cross-unit loading and unloading of material boxes, further improving the operational efficiency and space utilization of the warehousing system.

[0091] Based on the actual warehouse volume and storage requirements, more storage units can be horizontally spliced ​​together to form storage systems with different storage capacities, achieving modular expansion and adapting to the different production capacity needs of PCB manufacturers.

[0092] In one embodiment, to accurately measure the time consumed in each stage of an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS), the action time of each stacker crane during the inbound and outbound processes is determined, and combined with the quantity of materials transported by the stacker crane per unit time, the overall operational efficiency of the AS / RS is calculated. This embodiment also provides an efficiency evaluation method. Based on the obtained efficiency data, it can be compared and analyzed with the required indicators during the design phase, thereby enabling an assessment of whether the operational efficiency of the AS / RS meets the predetermined requirements in the early design stages.

[0093] This embodiment also provides an efficiency evaluation method. Based on the obtained efficiency data, it can be compared and analyzed with the requirements indicators in the design stage, so as to evaluate whether the operation efficiency of the automated warehouse meets the predetermined requirements in the early stage of design.

[0094] Specifically, the operational efficiency of an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) can be broken down into the inbound and outbound efficiency of the stacker crane. Both inbound and outbound operations can be decomposed into three core components: the stacker crane's picking, moving, and unloading actions; and the stacker crane's cycle time per task. Calculate using the following formula:

[0095]

[0096] in, For the stacker crane's material handling time, This refers to the time for the stacker crane to unload materials. This refers to the stacker crane's movement time. It's important to note that for the same task type on the same stacker crane, each picking and unloading action will not change regardless of the storage location. and It can be considered a constant value.

[0097] The material handling operation of a stacker crane can generally be broken down into the following steps: the stacker crane's grippers extend, the grippers clamp the material, the stacker crane lifts the material, and the stacker crane's grippers retract. The material unloading operation of a stacker crane can generally be broken down into the following steps: the stacker crane's grippers extend, the stacker crane lowers the material, the grippers release the material, and the stacker crane's grippers retract.

[0098] Define the stacker crane gripper extension and retraction time This represents the time spent on "stacking crane jaws extending" and "stacking crane jaws retracting"; stacker crane micro-lifting time. This represents the time spent by the stacker crane lifting materials and lowering materials; the time taken for the stacker crane's clamping cylinder to operate. This represents the time spent between "grippers gripping the material" and "grippers releasing the material"; the interval between actions. This represents the pause time between each pair of actions.

[0099] The stacker crane's unloading action time can be expressed by the following formula:

[0100]

[0101] The stacker crane's unloading action time can be expressed by the following formula:

[0102]

[0103] The specific values ​​for each time period are estimated based on the actual speed and stroke of the mechanical structure. It should be noted that the stacker crane's ejection and unloading action times in this embodiment are simplified definitions of action execution. This embodiment uses these defined action times for efficiency evaluation. In actual application scenarios, the stacker crane's ejection and unloading action times need to be determined based on the actual mechanical structure.

[0104] In practical applications, a stacker crane may operate at various locations within an automated warehouse. When moving to a nearby location, the stacker crane's movement time T_move is relatively small, while when moving to a distant location, the movement time T_move is relatively large. This difference can be significant and greatly impact efficiency calculations. To reasonably calculate T_move, we define the stacker crane's horizontal movement axis as the x-axis, its vertical movement axis as the z-axis, its travel on the x-axis as L_x, its travel on the z-axis as L_z, its velocity on the x-axis as V_x, its velocity on the z-axis as V_z, its acceleration on the x-axis as A_x, its acceleration on the z-axis as A_z, and its inlet / outlet position as O(O_x, O_z).

[0105] These parameters are known during the design phase of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS). If the stacker crane only picks up or places one material per operation, then T_move is simply the round-trip time to one storage location. If the stacker crane picks up or places multiple materials per operation, then T_move needs to represent the movement time between multiple storage locations. Multiple key points are set within the AS / RS, the number of which is determined by the stacker crane's task distribution. The key points are distributed across various areas of the AS / RS, separated from each other. Assuming there are two key points, A and B, then T_move represents the stacker crane movement time between A, B, and C. The movement time between A and B is calculated as follows:

[0106]

[0107]

[0108]

[0109] Similarly, the movement time between other key points can be calculated in the same way.

[0110] Assuming the stacker crane transports N materials in a single task, the overall operational efficiency E of the automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) can be obtained from the following formula:

[0111]

[0112] In summary, efficiency evaluation methods can be used to estimate the overall operational efficiency of a storage unit before or after it is actually put into use, and the structural characteristics of the storage unit can be optimized to obtain the storage unit with the highest operational efficiency.

[0113] In one embodiment, such as Figure 8 As shown, this embodiment also provides a method for constructing a warehousing system, including the following steps:

[0114] Step 801: Obtain the design standard parameters of the warehousing system. These parameters include warehouse volume, shelving volume, and storage box volume.

[0115] Step 802: Determine the target parameters based on the design standard parameters. These target parameters include the target spacing between material boxes, the material box slot distribution parameters of the drawer assembly, the material box slot distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, the guide rail distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, and the target number of storage units. The target number is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0116] Step 803: Construct storage units according to the target parameters until the number of storage units reaches the target number.

[0117] Step 804: Connect adjacent storage units to obtain the target storage system. The volume occupied by the target storage system is less than or equal to the design standard parameters.

[0118] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the length of the miniature prop storage box is... The width of the material box is The height of the material box is (Including tool height), the length, width, and height of the material box are all fixed values. The distance between two adjacent material boxes stored in the automated storage and retrieval system is... The distance between two adjacent material boxes is The distance between two adjacent material boxes is Therefore, the minimum volume occupied by a material box in an automated storage and retrieval system is:

[0119]

[0120] Assume the volume of the automated storage and retrieval system is The shelf volume is The formula for calculating the storage density of an automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) is:

[0121]

[0122] According to the storage density formula, there are two ways to increase the storage density of automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS). First, increase the volume ratio of the shelving. Second, reduce... , , The value of .

[0123] In this embodiment, the steps of increasing the proportion of shelf volume and reducing , , The value can be obtained during the execution of step 801, which retrieves the design standard parameters of the warehousing system.

[0124] During the execution of step 802, given the determined shelf volume and box volume, target parameters such as the target spacing between boxes, the box slot distribution parameters of the drawer assembly, the box slot distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, the guide rail distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, and the target number of storage units can be designed to ensure that a single storage unit in the storage system can maximize storage efficiency and storage capacity.

[0125] In this embodiment, the storage unit constructed in step 803 is the same as the storage unit in the aforementioned embodiment, and the target storage system constructed in step 804 is the same as the storage system in the aforementioned system embodiment.

[0126] Under the action of steps 801-802, the volume occupied by the warehousing system constructed in this embodiment is less than or equal to the design standard parameters.

[0127] In one embodiment, the method for constructing a warehousing system provided in this embodiment further includes:

[0128] Verify the inbound and outbound efficiency and storage density of the target warehousing system to ensure that the volume occupied by the warehousing system is less than or equal to the design standard parameters, and that the inbound and outbound efficiency and storage density meet the preset requirements.

[0129] For example, when verifying the efficiency of inbound and outbound operations, assume that the design parameters of the automated warehouse are as shown in Table 1 below:

[0130] Table 1

[0131]

[0132] Assuming the storage unit retrieves 6 boxes of materials from position O to key point A and then returns to position O in one go, efficiency simulation is performed. Assuming the coordinates of position A are (0,0), then according to the formula, T_OA equals 3.392s, and T_move equals 6.784s. Based on the actual mechanical structure of the storage unit provided in this embodiment and the material handling process of the existing flow-line micro-tool automated storage and retrieval system, T_up and T_down are calculated.

[0133] For a flow-line micro-tool automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS), each box of materials needs to be gripped individually, and the operation is sequential. Six boxes require six T_up operations, each with a calculated time of 6.4 seconds. For the storage unit provided in this embodiment, six boxes can be gripped at once, but with two grippers, there are two T_claw_move operations, increasing the number of micro-lifting operations and the number of action intervals. Based on the formula, T_up equals 12.3 seconds. Both storage units discharge all boxes from the stacker crane in one operation, with only one T_down operation, calculated to be 4 seconds.

[0134] Ultimately, the calculated cycle time T of the flow-line micro-tool automated storage and retrieval system is 49 seconds, while the cycle time T of the storage unit provided in this embodiment is 23 seconds. Comparing the cycle times of the two schemes further illustrates the high efficiency of the storage unit provided in this embodiment.

[0135] For example, when performing storage density verification, the storage unit provided in this embodiment has each drawer assembly designed with 6×3 material box slots, the stacker crane grippers with 6 material box grippers, and the transfer unit with 6×2 material box slots. The dimensions of the storage unit's rack are 8.0×2.2×2.6m (length×width×height). According to this design, a total of 38 drawer assemblies can be placed on the rack. A single storage unit includes two racks, each rack can hold 14 rows of drawer assemblies, and each drawer assembly can hold 6×3×50 micro-tools, resulting in a calculated inventory capacity of 960,000.

[0136] At the same size, the flow-line type micro-tool automated storage and retrieval system (AS / RS) has a storage capacity of only 700,000 units. Comparing the storage capacities of the two AS / RS solutions further illustrates the high storage density of the storage unit provided in this embodiment, while also ensuring that the types of storage are not limited by the mechanical structure.

[0137] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0138] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A storage unit, characterized in that, include: Shelves; Drawer assembly; The drawer assembly is movably mounted on the shelf and is used to store material boxes; The material box is used to hold the target material; At least one transfer component; the transfer component is used to transfer and place the material box; Crawler component; The gripping component performs a feeding or discharging action according to the target control command; when performing the feeding action, the gripping component is used to transfer one or more material boxes on the transfer component to the drawer component; when performing the discharging action, the gripping component is used to transfer one or more material boxes on the drawer component to the transfer component.

2. The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of shelves is greater than or equal to 2; wherein the shelves located on both sides of the gripping component are symmetrically arranged; each shelf is equipped with multiple drawer components.

3. The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size of the target material is smaller than the size of the material box; The drawer assembly includes an inner stop bar, an outer stop bar, a stator, and a preset number of material box slots; When the drawer assembly is in the storage state, the inner guide bar is in contact with the stator; When the drawer assembly is in the pulled-out state, the outer stop bar is in contact with the stator.

4. The storage unit according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material box slots of each drawer assembly are arranged in multiple rows and columns; the number of single-column or single-row material box slots of the drawer assembly is greater than or equal to the number of material box grippers of the gripping assembly.

5. The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer assembly includes a transfer platform and a guide rail; the guide rail is mounted on the shelf; the transfer platform includes multiple material box slots; The transfer platform and the guide rail are movably connected, and the transfer platform moves with the guide rail.

6. The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripping component includes a stacker crane and stacker crane grippers; the stacker crane grippers include drawer grippers and bin grippers; the number of bin grippers is less than or equal to the number of single-row or single-column bin slots in the transfer component. The stacker crane and the stacker crane grippers are detachably connected; When the stacker crane performs a feeding or discharging action according to the target control command, the stacker crane moves the stacker crane gripper to the gripping area corresponding to the target material box, and the stacker crane gripper completes the material box transfer. The drawer gripper is used to move the drawer assembly, and the tin box gripper is used to move the tin box.

7. The storage unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target control instructions include single-box inbound instructions, multi-box inbound instructions, single-box outbound instructions, and multi-box outbound instructions; The gripping component is used to perform a material release action according to the single box warehousing instruction or the multi-box warehousing instruction; wherein, when the material release action is performed according to the multi-box warehousing instruction, the gripping component simultaneously grips the material box on the transfer component and transfers the material box sequentially to different drawer components or simultaneously to the same drawer component in a preset order. The material discharge action is performed according to the single box discharge instruction or the multiple box discharge instruction; wherein, when the material discharge action is performed according to the multiple box discharge instruction, the gripping component sequentially grips the boxes on different drawer components or grips multiple boxes on the same drawer component in a preset order, and simultaneously transfers the boxes to the transfer component.

8. A warehousing system, characterized in that, It includes at least two storage units as described in any one of claims 1-7, and two adjacent storage units are joined together.

9. A method for constructing a warehousing system, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain the design standard parameters of the warehousing system, wherein the design standard parameters include warehouse volume, shelf volume, and material box volume; The target parameters are determined based on the design standard parameters; wherein, the target parameters include the target spacing between material boxes, the material box slot distribution parameters of the drawer assembly, the material box slot distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, the guide rail distribution parameters of the transfer assembly, and the target number of storage units; the target number is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2; Based on the target parameters, construct storage units as described in any one of claims 1-7 until the number of storage units reaches the target number; By splicing adjacent storage units, a target storage system is obtained, wherein the volume occupied by the target storage system is less than or equal to the design standard parameters.

10. An automated warehouse, characterized in that, Includes the warehousing system as described in claim 8.

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