Workbin transfer system and workbin transfer method

Abstract

The invention discloses a workbin transfer system and a workbin transfer method. The workbin transfer system comprises a first walking robot, a transfer goods shelf and a second walking robot used for carrying the transfer goods shelf. The first walking robot comprises a first walking chassis, the first walking chassis is fixedly provided with a stand column door frame and a material box carrying mechanism which ascends and descends along the stand column door frame, and the material box carrying mechanism ascends and descends along the stand column door frame so that the first walking robot can obtain material boxes from the various material box transfer-out devices; the transfer goods shelf comprises storage components arranged in multiple layers, and the transfer goods shelf can store material boxes through the storage components; the second walking robot comprises a second walking chassis, a jacking mechanism arranged in a lifting mode relative to the second walking chassis is arranged on the second walking chassis, and after the transfer goods shelf receives the workbins obtained by the first walking robot, the second walking robot can lift the transfer goods shelf away from the ground through the jacking mechanism and carry the transfer goods shelf to walk. Therefore, the transfer operation of the material box is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of warehousing technology, and in particular to a bin transfer system and bin transfer method. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of logistics technology, more and more smart warehouses have begun to be used. Smart warehousing technology can not only reduce manual labor, but also improve logistics efficiency.

[0003] In smart warehouses, there is a need to transfer bins between different devices, such as between storage shelves and conveyor lines, and between conveyor lines and sorting points. In related solutions, a bin buffer device is usually set up at a fixed location in the warehouse, and then bin handling robots can be used to transfer the bins.

[0004] However, the material bin buffer device in the above solution needs to be fixed to the ground, so it can usually only be installed at the end of equipment such as conveyor lines, which has problems such as limited application scenarios, poor flexibility and inconvenience of use. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address at least one aspect of the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a bin transfer system and a bin transfer method. The bin transfer system can use a first walking robot to transfer bins from a bin transfer device to a transfer shelf, and then a second walking robot carries the transfer shelf to move, thereby realizing the transfer of bins. It can be flexibly applied to various bin transfer scenarios and is easy to use.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a material bin transfer system, the material bin transfer system comprising:

[0007] The first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. The column gantry is equipped with a material box handling mechanism that is raised and lowered along it.

[0008] The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, and the second walking chassis is provided with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it;

[0009] A transfer rack, the transfer rack including storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the storage components being used to place material boxes;

[0010] Wherein, when the first walking chassis travels to the material box transfer device, the material box handling mechanism is used to obtain the material box from the material box transfer device; when the first walking chassis travels to the transfer shelf, the material box handling mechanism is used to transfer the obtained material box to the storage component;

[0011] The second walking robot is used to lift the transfer rack off the ground via the lifting mechanism and carry the transfer rack while walking.

[0012] In one embodiment, preferably, the first walking robot further includes a buffer component;

[0013] Among them, on one side of the column frame, several of the buffer components are fixedly installed on the column frame and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the hopper;

[0014] The material box handling mechanism is installed on the other side of the column gantry in a vertically lifting manner;

[0015] The bin transport mechanism is configured to transport bins obtained from the bin transfer device to the buffer component on any layer, and to transport bins placed at the buffer component on any layer to the storage component.

[0016] In one embodiment, preferably, the bin handling mechanism includes a lifting assembly and a fork assembly;

[0017] The lifting assembly is vertically mounted on the column mast, and the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly, so that the fork assembly is used to transfer the material box into the lifting assembly and to transfer the material box out of the lifting assembly.

[0018] In one embodiment, preferably, the buffer component and the bin transport mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the first walking robot in the front-rear direction;

[0019] The fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly along the front-rear direction of the first walking robot; or, the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly along the left-right direction of the first walking robot.

[0020] In one embodiment, preferably, the storage component includes a storage plate mounted on the transfer rack, the storage plate having its two ends at the same height along its length.

[0021] In one embodiment, preferably, the storage component includes a sliding plate installed on the transfer rack, the sliding plate being inclined at both ends along its length with one end higher and the other lower;

[0022] The high end of the sliding plate is used to receive the material box, and the low end of the sliding plate is provided with a limiting mechanism to prevent the material box from sliding down.

[0023] In one embodiment, preferably, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction;

[0024] The lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered.

[0025] When the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking rack:

[0026] The limiting mechanism of each layer is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on that layer because the unlocking mechanism of that layer is triggered by the first docking shelf at the same time, so that the material boxes on the sliding plates of each layer slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

[0027] In one embodiment, preferably, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite inclination directions;

[0028] The lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered.

[0029] When the second walking robot, carrying the transfer rack, docks with the docking end of the second docking rack:

[0030] For the sliding plate whose lower end faces the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, so that the material box on the sliding plate of this layer slides down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and

[0031] For the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of that layer, is released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on the second sliding plate by the triggering of its corresponding unlocking mechanism by the transfer shelf, so that the material box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf.

[0032] In one embodiment, preferably, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction;

[0033] The transfer rack is equipped with a high-low flipping mechanism that is linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end when the high-low flipping mechanism is triggered.

[0034] When the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking rack:

[0035] The sliding plates on each layer are simultaneously flipped at their high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, so that the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

[0036] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a material bin transfer method, the material bin transfer method comprising:

[0037] The first walking robot is driven to walk to the bin transfer device and obtain a bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. The column gantry is equipped with a bin transport mechanism that is raised and lowered along it. The bin transport mechanism is used to obtain a bin from the bin transfer device.

[0038] After the first walking robot acquires the material box, it continues to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located and transfers the acquired material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material box;

[0039] After the transfer rack acquires the material box, the second walking robot is driven to walk under the transfer rack and carry the transfer rack. The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, which is equipped with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer rack off the ground when the second walking chassis is under the transfer rack.

[0040] In one embodiment, preferably, the step of driving the first walking robot to the bin transfer device and obtaining the bin from the bin transfer device includes:

[0041] Drive the first walking robot to the material box transfer device;

[0042] The material box of the material box transfer device is transferred to the buffer component of the first walking robot by the material box handling mechanism; wherein, on one side of the column gantry, a number of buffer components are fixedly installed on the column gantry and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the material box, and the material box handling mechanism is installed vertically on the other side of the column gantry.

[0043] In one embodiment, preferably, the step of continuing to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located and transferring the acquired material box to the transfer shelf after the first walking robot acquires the material box includes:

[0044] After the first walking robot acquires the material box, it continues to move to the transfer area.

[0045] The positional relationship between the first walking robot and the transfer rack is adjusted so that the extension and retraction direction of its fork assembly is perpendicular to the receiving end of the transfer rack; wherein, the buffer component and the bin handling mechanism are respectively disposed on both sides of the first walking robot in the front-rear direction, and the bin handling mechanism includes a lifting component that is vertically mounted on the column mast and a fork assembly that is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component, the fork assembly being horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the front-rear direction of the first walking robot; or, the fork assembly being horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the left-right direction of the first walking robot.

[0046] In one embodiment, preferably, the storage component includes a sliding plate installed on the transfer rack, the two ends of the sliding plate being inclined at one end higher and the other lower along its length direction, so that the high end of the sliding plate forms a receiving end for receiving the material box, and the low end of the sliding plate is provided with a limiting mechanism to prevent the material box from sliding down.

[0047] In one embodiment, preferably, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0048] The second walking robot continues to drive the transfer rack to the first docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked with the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0049] Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the first docking shelf, and dock the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking shelf, so that the limiting mechanism of each layer of the transfer shelf is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box of that layer due to the simultaneous triggering of the unlocking mechanism of that layer by the first docking shelf, and so that the material boxes on the sliding plates of each layer slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

[0050] In one embodiment, preferably, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0051] The second walking robot continues to carry the transfer rack to the second docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite inclination directions, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0052] Adjust the second walking robot to align the transfer rack with the docking end of the second docking rack, so that:

[0053] For the sliding plate whose lower end faces the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, and the material box on this sliding plate slides down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and,

[0054] For the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of that layer, is released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on the second sliding plate by the triggering of the transfer shelf due to the corresponding unlocking mechanism, and the material box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf.

[0055] In one embodiment, preferably, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0056] The second walking robot continues to carry the transfer rack to the third docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the transfer rack is provided with a high-low flipping mechanism linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end due to the triggering of the high-low flipping mechanism;

[0057] Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the third docking shelf, and dock the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking shelf, so that the sliding plates of each layer of the transfer shelf will flip simultaneously at the high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, and the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate will slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

[0058] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a material bin transfer device, the material bin transfer device comprising:

[0059] A bin acquisition module is used to drive a first walking robot to a bin transfer device and acquire a bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis, and a bin transport mechanism is installed on the column gantry and is raised and lowered along it, and the bin transport mechanism is used to acquire a bin from the bin transfer device.

[0060] The material box transfer module is used to continue driving the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located after the first walking robot acquires the material box and transfers the acquired material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material boxes;

[0061] The bin-carrying module is used to drive the second walking robot to walk under the transfer shelf and carry the transfer shelf after the transfer shelf obtains the bin; wherein, the second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, the second walking chassis is provided with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it, the lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer shelf off the ground when the second walking chassis is located under the transfer shelf.

[0062] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the bin transfer method described above.

[0063] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0064] This application provides a bin transfer system and a bin transfer method. The bin transfer system includes a first traveling robot, a transfer rack, and a second traveling robot for carrying the transfer rack. The first traveling robot includes a first traveling chassis, on which a column gantry and a bin transport mechanism that moves up and down along the column gantry are fixedly mounted. The bin transport mechanism allows the first traveling robot to acquire bins from various bin transfer devices by moving up and down along the column gantry. The transfer rack includes multi-layered storage components, allowing the transfer rack to store bins. The second traveling robot includes a second traveling chassis, on which a lifting mechanism is provided for relative lifting. When the transfer rack receives a bin acquired by the first traveling robot, the second traveling robot can use the lifting mechanism to lift the transfer rack off the ground and carry it, thereby realizing the bin transfer operation.

[0065] As can be seen, the material box transfer system in this embodiment can complete the material box transfer operation through the first walking robot and the second walking robot carrying the transfer rack. This means that the material box transfer operation is not limited to the material box buffer device fixed on the ground. It can be flexibly applied to various scenarios of material box transfer, is easy to use, and has high transfer efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0066] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0067] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first walking robot in the embodiments of this application.

[0068] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second walking robot in the embodiments of this application.

[0069] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second walking robot carrying the transfer rack in the embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first walking robot docking laterally with the transfer shelf in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in which the first walking robot and the transfer shelf are docked in the forward direction in an embodiment of this application.

[0072] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer rack described in this application, where the storage component is a sliding plate.

[0073] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer rack and the first docking rack in one embodiment of this application, wherein the transfer rack is provided with two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction.

[0074] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure after the material bins on the transfer rack are transferred to the first docking rack.

[0075] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer rack and the second docking rack in one embodiment of this application, wherein the transfer rack is provided with sliding plates on both sides with opposite inclination directions.

[0076] Figure 10 for Figure 9A schematic diagram of the structure after the material boxes of the intermediate transfer rack and the second docking rack are transferred to each other.

[0077] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer rack and the third docking rack in one embodiment of this application, wherein the transfer rack is provided with two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction.

[0078] Figure 12 for Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure after the material bins on the transfer rack are transferred to the third docking rack.

[0079] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of the material box transfer method described in the embodiments of this application.

[0080] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the material box transfer device described in the embodiments of this application.

[0081] In the attached figures, the following labels are used:

[0082] 10 - The First Walking Robot

[0083] 11-First traveling chassis, 12-Column gantry, 13-Bag handling mechanism, 14-Buffer component,

[0084] 20 - The Second Walking Robot

[0085] 21-Second traveling chassis, 22-Lifting mechanism,

[0086] 30-Transfer rack, 31-Storage component, 32-Limiting mechanism, 33-Unlocking mechanism, 34-High / low tilting mechanism, 35-Tilting arm.

[0087] 311-Sliding plate,

[0088] 50 - First docking rack, 51 - First sliding plate

[0089] 60 - Second docking rack, 61 - Second sliding plate,

[0090] 70 - Third docking rack, 71 - Third sliding plate

[0091] 80-material bin,

[0092] 91-Bin acquisition module, 92-Bin transfer module, 93-Bin carrying module. Detailed Implementation

[0093] To better understand the above technical solutions, exemplary embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0094] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first walking robot. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second walking robot. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the second walking robot carrying the transfer rack. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 A material box transfer system includes a first walking robot 10, a second walking robot 20, and a transfer rack 30. The first walking robot 10 includes a first walking chassis 11, and a column gantry 12 extending along the height direction is fixedly installed above the first walking chassis 11. A material box handling mechanism 13 is installed on the column gantry 12 and is arranged to move up and down along it. The second walking robot 20 includes a second walking chassis 21, and the second walking chassis 21 is provided with a lifting mechanism 22 that is arranged to move up and down relative to it. The transfer rack 30 includes storage components 31 arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components 31 are used to place material boxes 80.

[0095] When the first walking chassis 11 moves to the bin transfer device, the bin handling mechanism 13 is used to obtain the bin 80 from the bin transfer device; when the first walking chassis 11 moves to the transfer shelf 30, the bin handling mechanism 13 is used to transfer the obtained bin 80 to the storage component 31; the second walking robot 20 is used to lift the transfer shelf 30 off the ground through the lifting mechanism 22 and carry the transfer shelf 30 to move.

[0096] Overall, this embodiment completes the transfer operation of the material box through a first walking robot, a transfer shelf, and a second walking robot.

[0097] The first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, on which a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed. Then, a bin transport mechanism is installed vertically on the column gantry. In this case, it can be understood that, for example, if the bin transfer device is a multi-layered storage shelf, the first walking robot can first walk to the storage shelf, and then the bin transport mechanism can move up and down along the column gantry to the height of the target storage location. In this way, the bin transport mechanism can retrieve the bin from the target storage location.

[0098] The transfer rack includes multi-layered storage components, similar to the multi-layered storage positions of a storage rack. These storage components are used to store material boxes. In other words, after the first walking robot acquires a material box, it can walk to the side of the transfer rack. Then, the material box handling mechanism can lift and lower along the column gantry to the height of a certain storage component. In this way, the material box handling mechanism can transfer the acquired material box to the transfer rack.

[0099] The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, on which a lifting mechanism that can be raised and lowered relative to the chassis is installed. It can be understood that after the transfer rack obtains the material box, the second walking robot can first walk to the bottom of the transfer rack, and then the second walking robot uses the lifting mechanism to lift the transfer rack off the bottom surface. Thus, the second walking robot can carry the transfer rack to transfer the material box obtained by the transfer rack to other devices or areas.

[0100] It is understood that the area where the transfer rack is placed in this embodiment is the transfer area. The transfer area can be located anywhere in the warehouse, such as a special area outside the storage rack area. Alternatively, the transfer area can also be located below the storage rack, that is, the transfer rack is directly located below the storage rack, which can shorten the walking distance of the first walking robot.

[0101] Furthermore, the hopper transfer device in this embodiment can also be a conveyor line, machine, or other similar device.

[0102] This application provides a bin transfer system and a bin transfer method. The bin transfer system includes a first traveling robot, a transfer rack, and a second traveling robot for carrying the transfer rack. The first traveling robot includes a first traveling chassis, on which a column gantry and a bin transport mechanism that moves up and down along the column gantry are fixedly mounted. The bin transport mechanism allows the first traveling robot to acquire bins from various bin transfer devices by moving up and down along the column gantry. The transfer rack includes multi-layered storage components, allowing the transfer rack to store bins. The second traveling robot includes a second traveling chassis, on which a lifting mechanism is provided for relative lifting. When the transfer rack receives a bin acquired by the first traveling robot, the second traveling robot can use the lifting mechanism to lift the transfer rack off the ground and carry it, thereby realizing the bin transfer operation.

[0103] As can be seen, the material box transfer system in this embodiment can complete the material box transfer operation through the first walking robot and the second walking robot carrying the transfer rack. This means that the material box transfer operation is not limited to the material box buffer device fixed on the ground. It can be flexibly applied to various scenarios of material box transfer, is easy to use, and has high transfer efficiency.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the first walking robot 10 further includes a buffer component 14; wherein, on one side of the column gantry 12, a plurality of buffer components 14 are fixedly installed on the column gantry 12 and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the height difference between adjacent buffer components 14 is greater than the height of the hopper 80; the hopper transport mechanism 13 is installed vertically on the other side of the column gantry 12; the hopper transport mechanism 13 is configured to transport the hopper 80 obtained from the hopper transfer device to the buffer component 14 of any layer, and to transport the hopper 80 placed at the buffer component 14 of any layer to the storage component 31.

[0105] That is, in order to increase the number of material boxes that the first walking robot can transfer, the first walking robot can be fixedly installed with multiple layers of buffer components along the column gantry. After the material box handling mechanism obtains the material box, it can first buffer the material box on the buffer structure. In this way, the first walking robot can obtain multiple material boxes at one time and transfer the multiple material boxes obtained to the transfer shelf as needed or all at once, thereby improving the material box transfer efficiency.

[0106] In one possible implementation, the bin handling mechanism 13 includes a lifting assembly and a fork assembly; wherein the lifting assembly is vertically mounted on the column mast 12, and the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly, so that the fork assembly is used to transfer the bin 80 into the lifting assembly and to transfer the bin 80 out of the lifting assembly.

[0107] It is understood that the lifting assembly includes, for example, a lifting chassis, and the bin handling mechanism is specifically installed on the column mast by lifting the bin up and down. Then, the fork assembly is installed on the lifting assembly in a horizontal telescopic manner. Thus, it is understood that the fork assembly can transfer the bin into the lifting assembly and transfer the bin out of the lifting assembly by horizontal telescopic movement, for example, directly to the aforementioned buffer component, or directly to the storage component of the transfer rack.

[0108] The fork components mentioned above include, for example, fork arm forks, suction cup forks, roller forks, hook arm forks, etc., and this embodiment does not limit them.

[0109] In one specific embodiment, the buffer component 14 and the bin transport mechanism 13 are respectively disposed on both sides of the first walking robot 10 in the front-back direction; wherein, the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the front-back direction of the first walking robot 10; or, the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the left-right direction of the first walking robot 10.

[0110] The column gantry on the first walking robot can be set at the middle position of the first walking chassis, and then the buffer component and the hopper transport mechanism can be set along the front and rear direction of the first walking chassis.

[0111] In addition, the fork assembly can be horizontally telescopic along the front-rear direction of the first walking robot, so that when docking with the transfer rack, it can be understood that the front of the first walking robot needs to be docked with the receiving end of the transfer rack, i.e., a forward docking.

[0112] For example, the fork assembly can be horizontally telescopic along the left and right directions of the first walking robot. In this way, when docking with the transfer rack, it can be understood that the side of the first walking robot needs to be docked with the receiving end of the transfer rack, i.e., lateral docking.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the storage component 31 of the transfer rack 30 includes a storage plate installed on the transfer rack, with both ends of the storage plate at the same height along its length; that is, the storage component of the transfer rack is a horizontally installed storage plate, and both sides of the storage plate can be used as receiving ends.

[0114] In one possible implementation, the storage component 31 includes a sliding plate 311 installed on the transfer rack 30. The two ends of the sliding plate 311 are inclined with one end higher and the other lower along its length direction. The higher end of the sliding plate 31 is used to receive the material box 80, and the lower end of the sliding plate 311 is provided with a limiting mechanism 32 to prevent the material box 80 from sliding down.

[0115] See Figure 6 That is, the transfer rack in this embodiment can be in the form of a flow rack. The storage component includes a sliding plate. The sliding plate is inclined along the length direction with one end higher and the other end lower. Furthermore, a limiting mechanism is provided at the lower end of the sliding plate. In this way, when the material box handling mechanism of the first walking robot puts the material box into the sliding plate from the higher end, the material box will slide down along the lower end of the sliding plate and be blocked by the limiting mechanism.

[0116] Furthermore, it is understood that one or more hoppers can be placed on the slide plate along its width.

[0117] Regarding the transfer rack 30 where the storage component 31 is a sliding plate 311, in one specific embodiment, the transfer rack 30 is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates 311 with the same inclination direction; wherein, the lower end of the sliding plate 311 is also provided with an unlocking mechanism 33 that is linked with the limiting mechanism 32, and the linkage between the unlocking mechanism 33 and the limiting mechanism 32 includes: the limiting mechanism 32 releases the restriction on the sliding of the material box 80 due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism 33;

[0118] When the second walking robot 20 carries the transfer rack 30 and mates the lower end of the sliding plate 311 with the receiving end of the first docking rack 50:

[0119] The limiting mechanism 32 of each layer is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box 80 of that layer because the unlocking mechanism 33 of that layer is triggered by the first docking shelf 50, so that the material box 80 on each sliding plate 311 slides down to the first sliding plate 51 of the first docking shelf 50 which is docked with the sliding plate 311 of that layer along the same straight line.

[0120] This embodiment provides a possible structural form in which the storage component of the transfer rack is a sliding plate.

[0121] Among them, see Figure 7 and Figure 8 The transfer rack is equipped with at least two layers of sliding plates, each with the same tilt direction, for example... Figure 7 In this configuration, the sliding plates are arranged with the lower end on the left and the higher end on the right. Furthermore, the lower end of the sliding plate is equipped with an unlocking mechanism, which can be linked with the aforementioned limiting mechanism. In other words, the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered.

[0122] Specifically, when the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking rack, it is understood that the unlocking mechanisms of each layer will be triggered simultaneously by the first docking rack. In this way, the limiting mechanisms of each layer will be released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on that layer due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism of that layer. This allows the material boxes on each sliding plate to slide down to the first sliding plate aligned with that layer along the same straight line, thereby realizing the one-time release of all the material boxes from the transfer rack, that is, releasing the material boxes from each layer to the first sliding plate of each layer of the first docking rack at the same time.

[0123] It is understood that the linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism mentioned above includes mechanical linkage and electrical linkage. For example, regarding mechanical linkage, the unlocking mechanism is a telescopic rod that protrudes horizontally from the lower end of the sliding plate, and the limiting mechanism is a telescopic rod that protrudes vertically from the lower end of the sliding plate. When the transfer rack is connected to the first docking rack, the unlocking mechanism retracts due to the force of the first docking rack. At this time, the limiting mechanism and the unlocking mechanism are connected by transmission, and the limiting mechanism will descend due to the retraction of the unlocking mechanism, thereby releasing the restriction on the sliding of the material box.

[0124] For example, regarding electrical linkage, the unlocking mechanism is a device such as a sensor, and the limiting mechanism is still a telescopic rod that is vertically protruding from the lower end of the sliding plate. The difference is that the limiting mechanism is driven to rise and fall by a motor, and the motor will only drive the limiting mechanism to fall after receiving a sensing signal from the sensor, thereby releasing the restriction on the sliding of the material box.

[0125] In summary, regardless of the type of linkage, the aforementioned limiting mechanism will release the restriction on the material box sliding when its corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered.

[0126] Regarding the transfer rack 30 where the storage component 31 is a sliding plate 311, in another specific embodiment, the transfer rack 30 is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates 311 with opposite inclination directions; wherein, the lower end of the sliding plate 311 is also provided with an unlocking mechanism 33 that is linked with the limiting mechanism 32, and the linkage between the unlocking mechanism 33 and the limiting mechanism 32 includes: the limiting mechanism 32 releases the restriction on the sliding of the material box 80 due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism 33;

[0127] When the second walking robot 20, carrying the transfer rack 30, docks with the docking end of the second docking rack 60:

[0128] For the sliding plate 311 with its lower end facing the second docking shelf 60, the limiting mechanism 32 of this layer is released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box 80 by the corresponding unlocking mechanism 33 triggered by the second docking shelf 60, so that the material box 80 on the sliding plate 311 slides down to the second sliding plate 61 of the second docking shelf 60, which is aligned with the sliding plate 311 along the same straight line; and...

[0129] For the sliding plate 311 with the high end facing the second docking shelf 60, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate 61 of the second docking shelf 60, which is aligned with the sliding plate 311 along the same straight line, is released from the sliding restriction of the material box 80 on the second sliding plate 61 by the triggering of the transfer shelf 30, so that the material box 80 on the second sliding plate 61 slides down to the sliding plate 311 with the high end facing the second docking shelf 60.

[0130] This embodiment provides another possible structural form for the storage component of the transfer rack being a sliding plate.

[0131] Among them, see Figure 9 and Figure 10 The transfer rack is equipped with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite inclination directions, for example... Figure 9 In the middle section, the lower sliding plate is tilted with the lower end on the left and the higher end on the right, and the upper sliding plate is tilted with the higher end on the left and the lower end on the right. Furthermore, the lower end of the sliding plate is equipped with an unlocking mechanism, which can be linked with the limiting mechanism of the same layer. That is, the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered. The linkage setting is similar to that described above and will not be repeated here.

[0132] Specifically, when the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and docks with the docking end of the second docking rack, it can be understood that the unlocking mechanism of the lower sliding plate, that is, the sliding plate with the lower end facing the second docking rack, will be triggered by the second docking rack. As a result, the limiting mechanism of the sliding plate will release the restriction on the sliding of the material box, which will cause the material box on the sliding plate to slide down to the second sliding plate of the second docking rack that is docked with the sliding plate along the same straight line.

[0133] At the same time, for the upper sliding plate, that is, the sliding plate with the high end facing the second docking shelf, the transfer shelf will trigger the unlocking mechanism on the second docking shelf corresponding to that layer, and cause the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate on the second docking shelf that is connected to the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line to release the restriction on the sliding of the material box. This causes the material box on the second sliding plate on the second docking shelf that is connected to the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line to slide down to the sliding plate.

[0134] In other words, the transfer rack and the second docking rack in this embodiment can simultaneously realize the mutual transfer of material boxes, or in other words, the transfer rack can simultaneously realize the release and retrieval of material boxes. Specifically, the material box is released by the sliding plate of the lower end facing the second docking rack, and the material box is retrieved by the sliding plate of the higher end facing the second docking rack.

[0135] Regarding the transfer rack 30 where the storage component 31 is a sliding plate 311, in another specific embodiment, the transfer rack 30 is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates 311 with the same inclination direction; wherein, the transfer rack 30 is provided with a high-low flipping mechanism 34 that is linked to the sliding plate 311 at the high end, and the linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism 34 and the sliding plate 311 includes: the sliding plates 311 of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end due to the triggering of the high-low flipping mechanism 34;

[0136] When the second walking robot 20 carries the transfer rack 30 and docks the high end of the sliding plate 31 with the receiving end of the third docking rack 70:

[0137] The sliding plates 311 of each layer are triggered by the high-low flipping mechanism 34 and the third docking rack 70, and the high and low ends of the sliding plates 311 of each layer are flipped at the same time, so that the material boxes 80 on each layer sliding plate 311 slide down to the third sliding plate 71 of the third docking rack 70, which is docked with the sliding plate 311 of that layer along the same straight line after the flipping.

[0138] This embodiment presents another possible structural form for the storage component of the transfer rack being a sliding plate.

[0139] Among them, see Figure 11 and Figure 12 The transfer rack is equipped with at least two layers of sliding plates, each with the same tilt direction, for example... Figure 11 In this configuration, the sliding plates are arranged with the lower end on the right and the higher end on the left. Furthermore, the higher end of the sliding plate is equipped with a high-low flipping mechanism, which can be linked with the sliding plate. That is, the sliding plates of each layer will flip simultaneously at the higher and lower ends when the high-low flipping mechanism is triggered.

[0140] Specifically, when the second traveling robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking rack, it can be understood that the high-low flipping mechanism will be triggered by the third docking rack. See below for further details. Figure 12 When the high-low flipping mechanism is triggered, the sliding plates of each layer will flip simultaneously at both the high and low ends. In other words, after flipping, the transfer rack becomes a sliding plate with the low end facing the third docking rack. This causes the material boxes on each sliding plate to slide down to the third sliding plate that is docked with that layer along the same straight line, thereby realizing the one-time release of all the material boxes of the transfer rack, that is, releasing the material boxes of each layer to the third sliding plate of each layer of the third docking rack at the same time.

[0141] It is understood that, similar to the linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism, the linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate mentioned in this embodiment can also include mechanical linkage and electrical linkage. For example, regarding mechanical linkage, the high-low flipping mechanism is a telescopic rod that protrudes horizontally from the high end of the sliding plate. It is connected to the flipping arm in a transmission manner. The flipping arm is fixedly connected to each layer of sliding plates. When the transfer rack is docked with the third docking rack, the high-low flipping mechanism retracts due to the force of the third docking rack. At this time, the flipping arm is connected to the high-low flipping mechanism in a transmission manner, and the flipping arm will flip each layer of sliding plates in a high-low manner due to the retraction of the high-low flipping mechanism, thereby releasing the material box from the sliding plate.

[0142] For example, regarding electrical linkage, the high-low flipping mechanism is a device such as a sensor. The flipping arm is driven by a motor. The motor will only drive the flipping arm to flip each layer of sliding plates to a high-low position after receiving the sensing signal from the sensor, thereby releasing the sliding plates from the material box.

[0143] Based on the aforementioned bin transfer system, this application also discloses a bin transfer method, which includes:

[0144] S1. Drive the first walking robot to the bin transfer device and obtain the bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. A bin transport mechanism is installed on the column gantry and is raised and lowered along it. The bin transport mechanism is used to obtain the bin from the bin transfer device.

[0145] S2. After the first walking robot acquires the material box, it continues to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located and transfers the acquired material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material box;

[0146] S3. After obtaining the material box from the transfer rack, drive the second walking robot to walk under the transfer rack and carry the transfer rack. The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, which is equipped with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer rack off the ground when the second walking chassis is under the transfer rack.

[0147] That is, in step S1, the first walking robot needs to be driven to walk to the bin transfer device, and then the bin can be obtained from the bin transfer device through the bin handling mechanism of the first walking robot.

[0148] In step S2, after acquiring the material box, the first walking robot can transfer the acquired material box to the transfer shelf placed in the transfer area; it is understood that the transfer area may include the area below the storage shelf.

[0149] In step S3, after the transfer of the material box is completed between the first walking robot and the transfer shelf, the second walking robot can carry the transfer shelf and move by means of the lifting mechanism.

[0150] In one possible implementation, step S1 includes:

[0151] S101. Drive the first walking robot to the material box transfer device;

[0152] S102. The material box from the material box transfer device is transferred to the buffer component of the first walking robot by the material box handling mechanism; wherein, on one side of the column gantry, several buffer components are fixedly installed on the column gantry and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the material box, and the material box handling mechanism is installed on the other side of the column gantry in a vertically lifting manner.

[0153] In one specific embodiment, step S2 includes:

[0154] S201. After the first walking robot obtains the material box, continue to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area;

[0155] S202. Adjust the positional relationship between the first traveling robot and the transfer rack so that the extension and retraction direction of its fork assembly is perpendicular to the receiving end of the transfer rack; wherein, the buffer component and the bin handling mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the first traveling robot in the front-rear direction, and the bin handling mechanism includes a lifting component that is vertically mounted on the column mast and a fork assembly that is horizontally extended and retracted on the lifting component. The fork assembly is horizontally extended and retracted on the lifting component in the front-rear direction of the first traveling robot; or, the fork assembly is horizontally extended and retracted on the lifting component in the left-right direction of the first traveling robot.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the storage component includes a sliding plate installed on a transfer rack. The two ends of the sliding plate are inclined at one end higher and the other end lower along its length, so that the high end of the sliding plate forms a receiving end for receiving the material box, and the low end of the sliding plate is provided with a limiting mechanism to prevent the material box from sliding down.

[0157] In one specific embodiment of the transfer rack where the storage component is a sliding plate, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0158] S401. Continue to drive the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the first docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked with the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0159] S501. Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the first docking shelf, and dock the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking shelf so that the limiting mechanism of each layer of the transfer shelf is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box of that layer due to the simultaneous triggering of the unlocking mechanism of that layer by the first docking shelf, and so that the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

[0160] In another specific embodiment of the transfer rack where the storage component is a sliding plate, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0161] S402. Continue to drive the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the second docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite tilt directions, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked with the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0162] S502. Adjust the second walking robot to align the transfer rack with the docking end of the second docking rack, so that:

[0163] For the sliding plate with its lower end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, allowing the material box on this layer to slide down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and,

[0164] For the sliding plate facing the second docking shelf at the high end, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate that is aligned with the sliding plate at the high end of the second docking shelf is released from the restriction on the sliding box on the second sliding plate by the corresponding unlocking mechanism triggered by the transfer shelf, and the box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate facing the second docking shelf at the high end.

[0165] In another specific embodiment of the transfer rack where the storage component is a sliding plate, the bin transfer method further includes:

[0166] S403. Continue to drive the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the third docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the transfer rack is provided with a high-low flipping mechanism that is linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end due to the triggering of the high-low flipping mechanism.

[0167] S503. Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the third docking shelf, and dock the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking shelf so that the sliding plates of each layer of the transfer shelf will flip simultaneously at the high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, and so that the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate will slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

[0168] Based on the aforementioned bin transfer system, this application also discloses a bin transfer device, which includes:

[0169] The bin acquisition module 91 is used to drive the first walking robot to walk to the bin transfer device and acquire the bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. The column gantry is equipped with a bin transport mechanism that is raised and lowered along it. The bin transport mechanism is used to acquire the bin from the bin transfer device.

[0170] The material box transfer module 92 is used to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located after the first walking robot obtains the material box and transfers the obtained material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material box;

[0171] The material box carrying module 93 is used to drive the second walking robot to walk under the transfer shelf and carry the transfer shelf after the material box is obtained from the transfer shelf; wherein, the second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, and the second walking chassis is provided with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer shelf off the ground when the second walking chassis is located under the transfer shelf.

[0172] The bin acquisition module includes:

[0173] The outbound walking unit is used to drive the first walking robot to the material box transfer device;

[0174] The bin acquisition unit is used to transfer the bins from the bin transfer device to the buffer components of the first walking robot through the bin handling mechanism; wherein, on one side of the column mast, several buffer components are fixedly installed on the column mast and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the bin, and the bin handling mechanism is installed vertically on the other side of the column mast.

[0175] The material box transfer module includes:

[0176] The return travel unit is used to continue driving the first traveling robot to the transfer area after the first traveling robot obtains the material box;

[0177] The front and side adjustment unit is used to adjust the positional relationship between the first traveling robot and the transfer rack, so that the extension and retraction direction of its fork assembly is perpendicular to the receiving end of the transfer rack; wherein, the buffer component and the bin handling mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the first traveling robot in the front-rear direction. The bin handling mechanism includes a lifting component that is vertically and vertically mounted on the column mast and a fork assembly that is horizontally and telescopically mounted on the lifting component. The fork assembly is horizontally and telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the front-rear direction of the first traveling robot; or, the fork assembly is horizontally and telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the left-right direction of the first traveling robot.

[0178] The material box transfer device also includes:

[0179] The first walking unit is used to continue driving the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the first docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0180] The first docking unit is used to adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the first docking shelf, docking the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking shelf, so that the limiting mechanism of each layer of the transfer shelf is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box of that layer due to the simultaneous triggering of the unlocking mechanism of that layer by the first docking shelf, and so that the material boxes on each sliding plate slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

[0181] The material box transfer device also includes:

[0182] The second walking unit is used to continue driving the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the second docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite tilt directions, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism.

[0183] The second docking unit is used to adjust the second traveling robot to dock the transfer rack with the docking end of the second docking rack, so that:

[0184] For the sliding plate with its lower end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, allowing the material box on this layer to slide down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and,

[0185] For the sliding plate facing the second docking shelf at the high end, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate that is aligned with the sliding plate at the high end of the second docking shelf is released from the restriction on the sliding box on the second sliding plate by the corresponding unlocking mechanism triggered by the transfer shelf, and the box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate facing the second docking shelf at the high end.

[0186] The material box transfer device also includes:

[0187] The third walking unit is used to continue driving the second walking robot to carry the transfer rack to the third docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the transfer rack is provided with a high-low flipping mechanism linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end due to the triggering of the high-low flipping mechanism.

[0188] The third docking unit is used to adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the third docking shelf, docking the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking shelf, so that the sliding plates of each layer of the transfer shelf will flip simultaneously at the high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, and the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate will slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

[0189] In addition, this application also discloses a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the aforementioned bin transfer method.

[0190] The basic principles of this application have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the application to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0191] The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems involved in this application are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc., are open-ended terms meaning “including but not limited to,” and are used interchangeably with them. The terms “or” and “and” as used herein refer to the terms “and / or,” and are used interchangeably with them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “such as” as used herein refers to the phrase “such as but not limited to,” and is used interchangeably with it.

[0192] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, equipment, and methods of this application, the components or steps can be disassembled and / or recombined. These disassemblies and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions of this application.

[0193] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0194] The above description has been given for illustrative and descriptive purposes. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A material bin transfer system, characterized in that, The material bin transfer system includes: The first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. The column gantry is equipped with a material box handling mechanism that is raised and lowered along it. The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, and the second walking chassis is provided with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it; A transfer rack, the transfer rack including storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the storage components being used to place material boxes; Wherein, when the first walking chassis travels to the material box transfer device, the material box handling mechanism is used to obtain the material box from the material box transfer device; when the first walking chassis travels to the transfer shelf, the material box handling mechanism is used to transfer the obtained material box to the storage component; The second walking robot is used to lift the transfer rack off the ground via the lifting mechanism and carry the transfer rack while walking.

2. The material bin transfer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first walking robot also includes a buffer component; Among them, on one side of the column frame, several of the buffer components are fixedly installed on the column frame and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the hopper; The material box handling mechanism is installed on the other side of the column gantry in a vertically lifting manner; The bin transport mechanism is configured to transport bins obtained from the bin transfer device to the buffer component on any layer, and to transport bins placed at the buffer component on any layer to the storage component.

3. The material bin transfer system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bin handling mechanism includes a lifting assembly and a fork assembly; The lifting assembly is vertically mounted on the column mast, and the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly, so that the fork assembly is used to transfer the material box into the lifting assembly and to transfer the material box out of the lifting assembly.

4. The material bin transfer system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The buffer component and the bin transport mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the first walking robot in the front-rear direction; The fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly along the front-rear direction of the first walking robot; or, the fork assembly is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting assembly along the left-right direction of the first walking robot.

5. The material bin transfer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage component includes a storage plate installed on the transfer rack, with both ends of the storage plate being set at the same height along its length.

6. The material bin transfer system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage component includes a sliding plate installed on the transfer rack, wherein the two ends of the sliding plate are inclined with one end higher and the other lower along its length. The high end of the sliding plate is used to receive the material box, and the low end of the sliding plate is provided with a limiting mechanism to prevent the material box from sliding down.

7. The material bin transfer system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction; The lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered. When the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking rack: The limiting mechanism of each layer is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on that layer because the unlocking mechanism of that layer is triggered by the first docking shelf at the same time, so that the material boxes on the sliding plates of each layer slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

8. The material bin transfer system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite inclination directions; The lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down when the unlocking mechanism is triggered. When the second walking robot, carrying the transfer rack, docks with the docking end of the second docking rack: For the sliding plate whose lower end faces the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, so that the material box on the sliding plate of this layer slides down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and For the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of that layer, is released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on the second sliding plate by the triggering of its corresponding unlocking mechanism by the transfer shelf, so that the material box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf.

9. The material bin transfer system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same inclination direction; The transfer rack is equipped with a high-low flipping mechanism that is linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end when the high-low flipping mechanism is triggered. When the second walking robot carries the transfer rack and aligns the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking rack: The sliding plates on each layer are simultaneously flipped at their high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, so that the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

10. A method for transferring a material bin, characterized in that, The material bin transfer method includes: The first walking robot is driven to walk to the bin transfer device and obtain a bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis. The column gantry is equipped with a bin transport mechanism that is raised and lowered along it. The bin transport mechanism is used to obtain a bin from the bin transfer device. After the first walking robot acquires the material box, it continues to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located and transfers the acquired material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material box; After the transfer rack acquires the material box, the second walking robot is driven to walk under the transfer rack and carry the transfer rack. The second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, which is equipped with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it. The lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer rack off the ground when the second walking chassis is under the transfer rack.

11. The material bin transfer method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of driving the first walking robot to the bin transfer device and obtaining the bin from the bin transfer device includes: Drive the first walking robot to the material box transfer device; The material box of the material box transfer device is transferred to the buffer component of the first walking robot by the material box handling mechanism; wherein, on one side of the column gantry, a number of buffer components are fixedly installed on the column gantry and arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, the height difference between adjacent buffer components is greater than the height of the material box, and the material box handling mechanism is installed vertically on the other side of the column gantry.

12. The bin transfer method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The step of continuing to drive the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located after the first walking robot acquires the material box and transferring the acquired material box to the transfer shelf includes: After the first walking robot acquires the material box, it continues to move to the transfer area. The positional relationship between the first walking robot and the transfer rack is adjusted so that the extension and retraction direction of its fork assembly is perpendicular to the receiving end of the transfer rack; wherein, the buffer component and the bin handling mechanism are respectively disposed on both sides of the first walking robot in the front-rear direction, and the bin handling mechanism includes a lifting component that is vertically mounted on the column mast and a fork assembly that is horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component, the fork assembly being horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the front-rear direction of the first walking robot; or, the fork assembly being horizontally telescopically mounted on the lifting component in the left-right direction of the first walking robot.

13. The bin transfer method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The storage component includes a sliding plate installed on the transfer rack. The two ends of the sliding plate are inclined at one end higher and the other end lower along its length, so that the high end of the sliding plate forms a receiving end for receiving the material box, and the low end of the sliding plate is provided with a limiting mechanism to prevent the material box from sliding down.

14. The bin transfer method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The material bin transfer method also includes: The second walking robot continues to drive the transfer rack to the first docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked with the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism. Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the first docking shelf, and dock the lower end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the first docking shelf, so that the limiting mechanism of each layer of the transfer shelf is simultaneously released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box of that layer due to the simultaneous triggering of the unlocking mechanism of that layer by the first docking shelf, and so that the material boxes on the sliding plates of each layer slide down to the first sliding plate of the first docking shelf that is docked with the sliding plate of that layer along the same straight line.

15. The material bin transfer method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The material bin transfer method also includes: The second walking robot continues to carry the transfer rack to the second docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with opposite inclination directions, and the lower end of the sliding plate is also provided with an unlocking mechanism that is linked to the limiting mechanism. The linkage between the unlocking mechanism and the limiting mechanism includes: the limiting mechanism releases the restriction on the material box from sliding down due to the triggering of the unlocking mechanism. Adjust the second walking robot to align the transfer rack with the docking end of the second docking rack, so that: For the sliding plate whose lower end faces the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism of this layer is released from restricting the sliding of the material box on this layer because the corresponding unlocking mechanism is triggered by the second docking shelf, and the material box on this sliding plate slides down to the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of this layer along the same straight line; and, For the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf, the limiting mechanism on the second sliding plate of the second docking shelf, which is aligned with the sliding plate of that layer, is released from the restriction on the sliding of the material box on the second sliding plate by the triggering of the transfer shelf due to the corresponding unlocking mechanism, and the material box on the second sliding plate slides down to the sliding plate with its high end facing the second docking shelf.

16. The material bin transfer method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The material bin transfer method also includes: The second walking robot continues to carry the transfer rack to the third docking rack; wherein, the transfer rack is provided with at least two layers of sliding plates with the same tilt direction, and the transfer rack is provided with a high-low flipping mechanism linked to the sliding plate at the high end of the sliding plate. The linkage between the high-low flipping mechanism and the sliding plate includes: the sliding plates of each layer flip simultaneously at the high end and the low end due to the triggering of the high-low flipping mechanism; Adjust the positional relationship between the second walking robot and the third docking shelf, and dock the high end of the sliding plate with the receiving end of the third docking shelf, so that the sliding plates of each layer of the transfer shelf will flip simultaneously at the high and low ends due to the high-low flipping mechanism being triggered by the third docking shelf, and the material boxes on each layer of the sliding plate will slide down to the third sliding plate of the third docking shelf, which is docked along the same straight line as the sliding plate of that layer after the flipping.

17. A material bin transfer device, characterized in that, The material box transfer device includes: A bin acquisition module is used to drive a first walking robot to a bin transfer device and acquire a bin from the bin transfer device; wherein, the first walking robot includes a first walking chassis, and a column gantry extending along the height direction is fixedly installed on the top of the first walking chassis, and a bin transport mechanism is installed on the column gantry and is raised and lowered along it, and the bin transport mechanism is used to acquire a bin from the bin transfer device. The material box transfer module is used to continue driving the first walking robot to the transfer area where the transfer shelf is located after the first walking robot acquires the material box and transfers the acquired material box to the transfer shelf; wherein, the transfer shelf includes storage components arranged in multiple layers along the height direction, and the storage components are used to place the material boxes; The bin-carrying module is used to drive the second walking robot to walk under the transfer shelf and carry the transfer shelf after the transfer shelf obtains the bin; wherein, the second walking robot includes a second walking chassis, the second walking chassis is provided with a lifting mechanism that is raised and lowered relative to it, the lifting mechanism is used to lift the transfer shelf off the ground when the second walking chassis is located under the transfer shelf.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of the bin transfer method as described in any one of claims 10 to 16.

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