Sorting system

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a sorting system. The sorting system comprises a sorting mechanism, a goods shelf, a carrying robot and a material box connection conveying line. The goods shelves are arranged in two rows and comprise a plurality of storage layers arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Each storage layer comprises a plurality of material box grid openings, and each material box grid opening is used for storing a material box to be loaded; the sorting mechanism is arranged between the two rows of goods shelves and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and convey the goods to be sorted into material boxes of the goods shelves; the material box connection conveying line is arranged adjacent to the goods shelf and is configured to convey empty material boxes towards the goods shelf or convey full material boxes in the direction away from the goods shelf. And the carrying robot is configured to pick and place full material boxes or empty material boxes between the goods shelf and the material box connection conveying line. By applying the embodiment of the invention, automatic replacement of the material box of the sorting system can be realized, and the sorting efficiency and the space utilization rate of the sorting system are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of logistics warehousing, in particular to a sorting system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous improvement of the intelligence of logistics and warehousing technology, processes such as packaging and handling can be completed by intelligent robots. However, the sorting process still requires human participation. For example, during the sorting process, workers need to take the full material boxes from the shelves of the sorting equipment to the next link, and also need to add the empty material boxes to the vacant positions, which reduces the sorting efficiency.

[0003] At present, relevant technologies are mainly focused on researching sorting equipment to improve sorting efficiency. However, after the sorting equipment has loaded the goods to be sorted into the boxes, manual replacement of the boxes is still required, which limits the sorting efficiency. In addition, the height of the sorting equipment shelves is limited by the height of the staff, resulting in low space utilization. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of the embodiment of the utility model is to provide a sorting system to realize automatic replacement of material boxes and improve sorting efficiency and space utilization. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] The embodiment of the utility model provides a sorting system, including: a sorting mechanism, a shelf, a handling robot and a material box connection conveyor line;

[0006] The shelves are arranged in two rows, including a plurality of storage layers arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; each storage layer includes a plurality of material box openings, and each material box opening is used to store a material box to be loaded;

[0007] The sorting mechanism is disposed between two rows of shelves and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the material boxes of the shelves;

[0008] The material box connecting conveyor line is arranged adjacent to the shelf and is configured to convey empty material boxes toward the shelf or convey full material boxes in a direction away from the shelf;

[0009] The handling robot is configured to pick up and place full or empty bins between the shelf and the bin connection conveyor line.

[0010] In some embodiments, the material box connecting conveyor line is arranged in two rows and respectively docked with the two rows of shelves, so that the handling robot can pick up and place full or empty boxes between the shelves and the material box connecting conveyor line based on the shelves.

[0011] In some embodiments, one or more docking positions are provided on the material box docking conveyor line; the transport robot is configured to transport the full material box on the shelf to the docking position of the material box docking conveyor line, or to transport the empty material box on the docking position of the material box docking conveyor line to the shelf.

[0012] In some embodiments, the portion of the material box docking conveyor line other than the docking position is a conveying section; the conveying section is used to convey empty material boxes to the docking position, or to receive full material boxes conveyed from the docking position and then convey them in a direction away from the shelf.

[0013] In some embodiments, when the handling robot needs to place the full material box at the docking position, the docking position stops rolling, and starts rolling again after the placement is completed, and cooperates with the conveying section to transport the full material box away; when the empty material box is transported to the docking position, the docking position stops rolling, and starts rolling again after the handling robot takes the empty material box away, until the next empty material box is transported to the docking position; when the material box on the conveying section is transported to the area adjacent to the docking position, if the docking position is in a stopped rolling state, the area of ​​the conveying section that supports the material box stops rolling, and after the docking position starts rolling, the area that supports the material box also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box.

[0014] In some embodiments, the material box connecting conveyor line is arranged on a side of the shelf away from the sorting mechanism; wherein the connecting positions of the material box connecting conveyor line are arranged parallel to the length direction of the shelf and at intervals.

[0015] In some embodiments, the material box connecting conveyor line is arranged at one end of the shelf in the length direction; a accommodating space is arranged at the bottom of the shelf near one end of the material box connecting conveyor line; and the connecting position of the material box connecting conveyor line is extended in the accommodating space.

[0016] In some embodiments, each of the material box connecting conveyor lines includes a full material box connecting conveyor line and an empty material box connecting conveyor line arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; the transport robot is configured to transport the full material box on the shelf to the full material box connecting conveyor line, or to transport the empty material box on the empty material box connecting conveyor line to the shelf.

[0017] In some embodiments, the shelf includes: a plurality of beams spaced apart in a vertical direction; so that the transport robot is installed on the outside of the shelf based on the beams.

[0018] In some embodiments, the transport robot includes: a column gantry, a transport mechanism and at least one sliding guide rail; the column gantry is installed along the vertical direction of the shelf; the transport mechanism is arranged on the column gantry, and is used to pick up and place boxes at different heights on the shelf or the box connecting conveyor line; the at least one sliding guide rail is fixedly installed on the beam; the column gantry is slidably connected to the at least one sliding guide rail, so that the column gantry and the transport mechanism can slide horizontally along the beam to pick up and place different boxes in the length direction of the shelf or the box connecting conveyor line.

[0019] In some embodiments, the transport mechanism includes: a lifting assembly and a picking assembly; the lifting assembly is disposed on the column gantry and is configured to drive the picking assembly to move in a vertical direction; the picking assembly is installed on the lifting assembly and is configured to extend from the column gantry toward the shelf or the material box connecting conveyor line to pick up and place the material box on the shelf or the material box connecting conveyor line.

[0020] In some embodiments, there are multiple transport robots, and there is at least one transport robot for picking up and placing boxes between each row of the shelves and the box connection conveyor line, wherein each of the transport robots is used to transport boxes within a predetermined length range of the shelves.

[0021] In some embodiments, the sorting mechanism includes: an infeed table, a lifting mechanism, a guide mechanism and a shuttle sorting vehicle; the lifting mechanism is arranged at both ends of the shelf, and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf; the infeed table is arranged on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism, and is connected to the lifting mechanism; the guide mechanism is arranged between two rows of the shelves, and includes a plurality of shuttle rails corresponding to the height of each storage layer, and the shuttle rails are connected to the lifting mechanism, so that the shuttle sorting vehicle can move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf;

[0022] The shuttle sorting vehicle is used to switch between shuttle rails at different heights through the lifting mechanism to sort the goods to be sorted at the infeed table into material boxes with material box openings at different heights, and to sort the goods to be sorted at the infeed table into material boxes with different material box openings in the length direction through the guiding mechanism.

[0023] The sorting system provided by the embodiment of the utility model realizes the automatic replacement of the material boxes of the sorting system by means of a handling robot that picks and places material boxes between the shelf and the material box connection conveyor line, thereby improving the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box replacement method. In addition, the replacement of the material boxes by the handling robot instead of the manual box replacement can make the height of the shelf exceed the height limit of the staff, expand the number of material box grids that can be configured on the shelf, and improve the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the material box connection conveyor line can transport empty material boxes toward the shelf, or transport full material boxes away from the shelf, thereby realizing the automatic transmission of empty and full material boxes, further improving the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0024] Of course, any product implementing the present invention does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0026] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sorting system of the first embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 1b for Figure 1a A schematic front view of the sorting system shown;

[0028] Figure 1c for Figure 1a A schematic top view of the sorting system shown;

[0029] Figure 1d for Figure 1a A schematic side view of the sorting system shown;

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1a The schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the material box and the conveyor line shown;

[0031] Figure 3a for Figure 1a A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transport robot shown;

[0032] Figure 3b for Figure 1a A schematic diagram of a front view of the transport robot shown;

[0033] Figure 3c for Figure 1a A schematic top view of the transport robot shown;

[0034] Figure 3d for Figure 1a A schematic side view of the handling robot shown;

[0035] Figure 4 It is a schematic top view of a sorting system according to the second embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Reference numerals:

[0037] Sorting mechanism 100; infeed table 110; lifting mechanism 120; guiding mechanism 130; shuttle guide rail 131; shuttle sorting vehicle 140;

[0038] Shelf 200; storage layer 210; material box opening 211; accommodating space 220; beam 230;

[0039] Transport robot 300; column door frame 310; door column 311; transport mechanism 320; lifting component 321; picking component 322; sliding guide rail 330;

[0040] Material box connecting conveyor line 400; connecting position 410; conveying section 420; full material box connecting conveyor line 430; empty material box connecting conveyor line 440;

[0041] Material box 500. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on this application belong to the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0043] As mentioned in the background technology, with the continuous improvement of the intelligence of logistics and warehousing technology, processes such as packaging and handling can be completed by intelligent robots. However, the sorting process still requires human participation. For example, in the sorting process, the staff needs to take the full material boxes from the shelves of the sorting equipment to the next link, and also need to add the empty material boxes to the vacant positions, which reduces the sorting efficiency.

[0044] At present, relevant technologies are mainly focused on researching sorting equipment to improve sorting efficiency. However, after the sorting equipment has finished filling the boxes with the goods to be sorted, manual replacement of the boxes is still required, which limits the sorting efficiency. In addition, the height of the shelves of the sorting equipment is limited by the height of the staff, resulting in low space utilization.

[0045] In order to realize automatic replacement of material boxes and improve sorting efficiency and space utilization, the first embodiment of the present application provides a sorting system, which is described in detail below.

[0046] See also Figure 1a to Figure 1d , Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sorting system of the first embodiment of the present application; Figure 1b for Figure 1a A schematic front view of the sorting system shown; Figure 1c for Figure 1a A schematic top view of the sorting system shown; Figure 1d for Figure 1a Schematic side view of the sorting system shown.

[0047] like Figure 1a to Figure 1d As shown, the sorting system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a sorting mechanism 100, a shelf 200, a transport robot 300 and a material box connecting conveyor line 400.

[0048] The shelves 200 are arranged in two rows, including a plurality of storage layers 210 spaced apart in the vertical direction; each storage layer 210 includes a plurality of material box openings 211, and each material box opening 211 is used to store a material box 500 to be loaded.

[0049] The sorting mechanism 100 is disposed between two rows of shelves 200 , and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the material box 500 of the shelf 200 .

[0050] The material box connecting conveyor line 400 is disposed adjacent to the shelf 200 and is configured to convey the empty material box 500 toward the shelf 200 or convey the full material box 500 in a direction away from the shelf 200 .

[0051] The transport robot 300 is configured to pick up and place full boxes 500 or empty boxes 500 between the shelf 200 and the box docking conveyor line 400 .

[0052] The embodiment of the present application provides such a sorting system, which realizes the automatic replacement of the material boxes 500 of the sorting system by the transport robot 300 for picking up and placing the material boxes 500 between the shelf 200 and the material box connecting conveyor line 400, and improves the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box changing method. In addition, the transport robot 300 replaces the manual box changing, which can make the height of the shelf 200 exceed the height limit of the staff, expand the number of material box grids 211 that can be configured on the shelf 200, and improve the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 can transport empty material boxes 500 toward the shelf 200, or transport full material boxes 500 in the direction away from the shelf 200, realizing the automatic transmission of empty material boxes 500 and full material boxes 500, and further improving the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0053] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 1a and Figure 1cAs shown, the material box connecting conveyor lines 400 are arranged in two rows, respectively docked with two rows of shelves 200, so that the handling robot 300, based on the shelf 200, picks and places full material boxes 500 or empty material boxes 500 between the shelf 200 and the material box connecting conveyor lines 400.

[0054] Specifically, Figure 1a to Figure 1c Only a section of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 located at the shelf 200 is shown. The actual material box connecting conveyor line 400 is set in the logistics warehousing system according to the transmission path of the material box, and the material box 500 is transmitted between the sorting system and other links.

[0055] In some embodiments, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is spaced apart from the shelf 200, the handling robot 300 is disposed on the shelf 200, and the picking component of the handling robot 300 picks and places the material box 500 in the space between the material box connecting conveyor line 400 and the shelf 200. There may be multiple handling robots 300, and there is at least one handling robot 300 for picking and placing the material box 500 between each row of shelves 200 and the material box connecting conveyor line 400, wherein each handling robot 300 is used to carry the material box 500 within a predetermined length interval of the shelf 200.

[0056] In the case where the shelf 200 is long, 2, 3 or more handling robots 300 may be arranged for each row of shelves 200. The shelf 200 is divided into a plurality of sections along the length direction corresponding to the number of handling robots 300. Each handling robot 300 is responsible for handling the material boxes 500 within a length section on the shelf 200. It should be noted that the length section may be divided according to the distribution area of ​​the material boxes 500 to be handled on the shelf 200, so the length section may not be fixed. By applying this embodiment, the efficiency of the handling robot 300 in handling the material boxes 500 may be improved.

[0057] Figure 1a to Figure 1c In the embodiment shown in the figure, taking the number of the transport robots 300 as 2 as an example, each transport robot 300 is used to dock with a row of shelves 200 and a material box docking conveyor line 400.

[0058] Specifically, Figure 1a to Figure 1c It is only shown that the arrangement direction of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is parallel to the length direction of the shelf 200. The actual arrangement direction of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 depends on the specific scenario, and this application does not limit this.

[0059] By applying the embodiment of the present application, two material box connection conveyor lines 400 are set up to connect with two rows of shelves 200 respectively, which can improve the empty material box 500 replenishment efficiency and full material box 500 conveying efficiency of the sorting system.

[0060] Figure 1aIn the embodiment shown, Figure 1a to Figure 1c As shown, one or more docking positions 410 are arranged on the material box docking conveyor line 400; the docking positions 410 are arranged in the interval corresponding to the long side of the material box docking conveyor line 400 and the shelf 200; each docking position 410 can be arranged closely together or at intervals, and the present application does not limit the distance between each docking position 410.

[0061] The transport robot 300 is configured to transport a full box 500 on the shelf 200 to a docking position 410 of the box docking conveyor line 400 , or to transport an empty box 500 on the docking position 410 of the box docking conveyor line 400 to the shelf 200 .

[0062] By applying the embodiment of the present application, one or more docking positions 410 are set on the material box docking conveyor line 400. The handling robot 300 does not need to move along the length direction of the material box docking conveyor line 400 to pick up and place the material box 500. It only needs to move in the horizontal direction of the shelf 200 and dock with the docking position 410 to complete the picking and placing of the material box 500, thereby improving the efficiency of the handling robot 300 in picking up and placing the material box 500 and improving the sorting capacity of the sorting system.

[0063] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, see Figure 2 , Figure 2 for Figure 1a The three-dimensional structure diagram of the material box connection conveyor line is shown in FIG. Figure 1c and Figure 2 As shown, the portion of the material box docking conveyor line 400 other than the docking position 410 is the conveying section 420;

[0064] The conveying section 420 is used to convey the empty container 500 to the docking position 410 , or to convey the full container 500 on the docking position 410 in a direction away from the shelf 200 .

[0065] Specifically, the sorting system also includes a control device, which can control the operation of the sorting mechanism 100, the transport robot 300 and the material box connection conveyor line 400.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the material box docking conveyor line 400 can be a roller conveyor line, and the docking position 410 and the conveying section 420 both include multiple rollers, which can be used for rolling transmission. The material box docking conveyor line 400 also includes a driving device (not shown in the figure), and the docking position 410 and the conveying section 420 are both provided with a detection device (not shown in the figure). The control device can control the driving device to start or stop the rotation of the rollers of the docking position 410 or the conveying section 420 according to the detection information fed back by the detection device of the docking position 410 and the conveying section 420. The specific transmission process is described in detail in the subsequent description.

[0067] Using the embodiment of the present application, the material box docking conveyor line 400 includes an independent docking position 410 and a conveying section 420, and the docking position 410 and the conveying section 420 can cooperate to carry out the transmission of the material box 500; when the material box 500 is temporarily placed on the docking position 410 and cannot roll, it will not affect the transmission of the conveying section 420, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box docking conveyor line 400.

[0068] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 2 As shown, when the handling robot 300 needs to place the full container 500 at the docking position 410, the docking position 410 stops rolling, and starts rolling again after the placement is completed, and cooperates with the conveying section 420 to transport the full container 500 away.

[0069] When the empty material box 500 is transported to the docking position 410 , the docking position 410 stops rolling, and after the transport robot 300 takes the empty material box 500 away, it starts rolling again until the next empty material box 500 is transported to the docking position 410 .

[0070] When the material box 500 on the conveying section 420 is transported to the area adjacent to the docking position 410, if the docking position 410 is in a stopped rolling state, the area of ​​the conveying section 420 carrying the material box 500 stops rolling. After the docking position 410 starts rolling, the area carrying the material box 500 also starts rolling and continues to transport the material box 500.

[0071] Specifically, the control device of the sorting system is communicatively connected with both the transport robot 300 and the material box docking conveyor line 400. The control device can independently control the start and stop of the docking position 410 of the material box docking conveyor line 400 to cooperate with the transport robot 300, so that the transport robot 300 can pick up and place the material box 500 on the docking position 410 when the docking position 410 is in a stopped rolling state.

[0072] When the handling robot 300 is about to place a full material box 500, the control device sends a command to the material box docking conveyor line 400, instructing the docking position 410 of the material box docking conveyor line 400 to stop rolling, and the roller at the docking position 410 is in a stationary state. After the full material box 500 is placed, the docking position 410 is instructed to start rolling, and cooperate with the conveying section 420 to send the full material box 500 to the next processing link, such as outbound or review and packaging workstation; when the empty material box 500 is transported to the docking position 410, the roller at the docking position 410 stops rolling. After the handling robot 300 takes away the empty material box 500, the material box docking conveyor line 400 transports the next empty material box 500 to the docking position 410 to wait for the handling robot 300 to pick it up.

[0073] A photoelectric sensor may be provided in the area of ​​the conveying section 420 adjacent to the downstream docking position 410. When a full material box 500 is being placed at the downstream docking position 410 or an empty material box 500 is placed on the docking position 410, the roller at the docking position 410 is stationary, and the area on the conveying section 420 away from the docking position 410 remains in a rolling state. When the photoelectric sensor detects that a material box 500 is transported to the area adjacent to the downstream docking position 410, the adjacent area carrying the material box 500 stops rolling. After the docking position 410 starts rolling, the adjacent area carrying the material box 500 also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box 500.

[0074] It should be noted that when the docking position 410 stops rolling, the sorting system only suspends the transportation of the loading boxes 500 in a partial area adjacent to the docking position 410 on the conveying section 420 upstream of the docking position 410, and does not affect the transportation of the loading boxes 500 in a partial area on the conveying section 420 far from the docking position 410.

[0075] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the docking position 410 and the conveying section 420 are independent of each other but cooperate with each other. When the docking position 410 needs to receive a full material box 500 or the handling robot 300 needs to take away an empty material box 500, the stillness of the docking position 410 will not affect the transmission of the material box 500 already on the conveying section 420, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box docking conveyor line 400.

[0076] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 1a and Figure 2 As shown, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 includes a full material box connecting conveyor line 430 and an empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; the transport robot 300 is configured to transport the full material box 500 on the shelf 200 to the full material box connecting conveyor line 430, or to transport the empty material box 500 on the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 to the shelf 200.

[0077] Specifically, a row of material box docking conveyor lines 400 includes a full material box docking conveyor line 430 and an empty material box docking conveyor line 440; the specific structures of the full material box docking conveyor line 430 and the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 are the same, and both are composed of one or more docking positions 410 and conveying sections 420.

[0078] The full-box connecting conveyor line 430 can be arranged above or below the empty-box connecting conveyor line 440. The present application does not limit the upper and lower positional relationship between the full-box connecting conveyor line 430 and the empty-box connecting conveyor line 440. Figure 1a and Figure 2As shown, the full-box connecting conveyor line 430 is arranged above the empty-box connecting conveyor line 440 , and a gap is left between the two conveyor lines to provide appropriate space for the empty-box connecting conveyor line 440 to transport the empty boxes 500 .

[0079] like Figure 2 As shown, as the material box connecting conveyor line 400 extends in the direction away from the shelf 200, the full material box connecting conveyor line 430 and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 separate and extend to different workstations. The full material box connecting conveyor line 430 transports the full material box 500 to the review and packaging workstation, and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 extends to the empty material box transfer station, and transports the empty material box 500 at the empty material box transfer station to the docking position 410 of the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440, so that the handling robot 300 can take it away and replenish it on the empty material box grid 211.

[0080] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is divided into a full material box connecting conveyor line 430 and an empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, so that the full material box connecting conveyor line 430 and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 have clear division of labor, and the two tasks of transporting the full material box 500 to the next processing link and transporting the empty material box 500 to the docking position 410 can be carried out simultaneously, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box connecting conveyor line 400; after the handling robot 300 places the full material box 500 on the full material box connecting conveyor line 430, it can then take away the empty material box 500 on the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440, thereby simplifying the moving route of the handling robot 300 and improving the working efficiency of the handling robot 300.

[0081] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 1a to Figure 1d As shown, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is arranged on a side of the shelf 200 away from the sorting mechanism 100; wherein, the connecting position 410 of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is arranged parallel to the length direction of the shelf 200 and spaced apart.

[0082] Specifically, Figure 1a to Figure 1d As shown, the two rows of material boxes connecting the conveyor lines 400 are correspondingly arranged on the outside of the two rows of shelves 200, that is, the side away from the sorting mechanism 100.

[0083] It should be noted that Figure 1a to Figure 1d It is only shown that the arrangement direction of the material box docking conveyor line 400 is parallel to the length direction of the shelf 200. The actual arrangement of the material box docking conveyor line 400 needs to be determined according to the specific scenario. The docking position 410 needs to be set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 200 to allow the handling robot 300 to pick up and place the material box 500 at the docking position 410. The conveying section 420 can be arranged according to the location of the processing link to which the full material box 500 is to be transported and the location of the empty material box replenishment station. This application does not limit this.

[0084] By using the embodiment of the present application, the material box docking conveyor line 400 is set on the outside of the shelf 200, and the docking position 410 is set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 200 and spaced apart, without occupying the space of the shelf 200. More material box openings 211 can be set on the shelf 200, thereby improving the sorting capacity of the sorting system.

[0085] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 1a to Figure 1d As shown, the shelf 200 includes: a plurality of beams 230 arranged along the vertical direction; so that the transport robot 300 is installed on the outside of the shelf 200 based on the beams 230.

[0086] Specifically, multiple transport robots 300 are respectively installed on the crossbeams 230 outside the two rows of shelves 200. Multiple transport robots 300 slide along the crossbeams 230 to achieve horizontal movement along the shelves 200, so that multiple transport robots 300 can simultaneously pick up and place boxes between the shelves 200 and the box connection conveyor line 400, which can improve the transport efficiency. The specific coordination method is detailed in the subsequent description.

[0087] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, see Figure 3a to Figure 3d , Figure 3a for Figure 1a A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transport robot shown; Figure 3b for Figure 1a A schematic diagram of a front view of the transport robot shown; Figure 3c for Figure 1a A schematic top view of the transport robot shown; Figure 3d for Figure 1a A schematic side view of the transport robot is shown.

[0088] like Figure 3a to Figure 3c As shown, the transport robot 300 includes: a column gantry 310 , a transport mechanism 320 and at least one sliding guide rail 330 .

[0089] The column door frame 310 is installed along the vertical direction of the shelf 200.

[0090] The transport mechanism 320 is disposed on the column gantry 310 and is used to pick up and place the shelves 200 or the material boxes 500 at different heights on the material box connection conveyor line 400 .

[0091] At least one sliding guide rail 330 is fixedly mounted on the beam 230; the column gantry 310 is slidably connected to at least one sliding guide rail 330 so that the column gantry 310 and the transport mechanism 320 slide horizontally along the beam 230 to pick up and place different material boxes 500 in the length direction of the shelf 200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 400.

[0092] Specifically, Figure 1a and Figure 1b As shown, the transport robot 300 is fixed on the shelf 200 by two sliding rails 330 spaced apart from each other. The transport robot 300 can move along the length direction of the shelf 200 based on the two sliding rails 330 .

[0093] By using the embodiment of the present application, the handling robot 300 can move horizontally in the length direction of the shelf 200 to pick up and place each material box 500 in the length direction of the shelf 200 or the material box 500 on the docking position 410 of the material box docking conveyor line 400. In addition, the picking component 322 of the handling robot 300 can move up and down along the height direction of the shelf 200 or the material box docking conveyor line 400 to pick up and place the material boxes 500 at different height storage layers 210 on the shelf 200, the full material box docking conveyor line 430 or the empty material box docking conveyor line 440. The specific method of picking up and placing the material box 500 is described in detail in the subsequent description.

[0094] Figure 1a In the embodiment shown, Figure 3a to Figure 3d As shown, the transport mechanism 320 of the transport robot 300 includes: a lifting component 321 and a picking component 322 .

[0095] The lifting assembly 321 is disposed on the column gantry 310 and is configured to drive the picking assembly 322 to move in the vertical direction.

[0096] The picking component 322 is installed on the lifting component 321, and is configured to face the shelf 200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 400, extend the column door frame 310 to pick up and place the material box 500 on the shelf 200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 400.

[0097] Specifically, the column gantry 310 includes two door columns 311, and the lifting component 321 can drive the picking component 322 to move up and down in the vertical direction of the shelf 200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 400 through a driving motor arranged on the column gantry 310, a driving wheel and a driven wheel arranged on the top and bottom of the two door columns 311, and two synchronous belts sleeved on the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0098] The form of the picking component 322 includes but is not limited to a fork arm type, a suction cup type, a roller type, a hook arm, etc.

[0099] The picking component 322 can be installed on a synchronous belt, and the picking component 322 can include a telescopic structure with a bidirectional telescopic direction. It can move toward the shelf 200 or move away from the shelf 200, and extend into the shelf 200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 400 through the telescopic structure to pick up and place the material box 500.

[0100] By applying the embodiments of the present application, the handling robot 300 can, based on the sliding guide rail 330, realize picking up and placing the boxes 500 on the shelf 200 or the box connecting conveyor line 400 in the horizontal direction; and based on the lifting component 321, realize picking up and placing the boxes 500 on the storage layers 210 of different heights on the shelf 200, the full box connecting conveyor line 430 or the empty box connecting conveyor line 440 in the vertical direction.

[0101] The following is based on Figure 1a In the illustrated embodiment, the handling robot 300 is described in detail for picking up and placing the material box 500 .

[0102] Specifically, the control device of the sorting system can control the operation of the sorting mechanism 100 , the transport robot 300 and the material box docking conveyor line 400 .

[0103] The process of carrying a full material box 500 specifically includes the following steps:

[0104] In step A, the transport robot 300 moves along the length direction of the shelf 200 to the row where the target full container 500 is located based on the sliding guide rail 330 .

[0105] In step B, the lifting component 321 drives the picking component 322 to move along the height direction of the shelf 200 to the row where the target full container 500 is located.

[0106] Among them, the execution order of step A and step B is not specific, and step A can be executed first, and then step B; or step B can be executed first, and the picking component 322 moves to the row where the target material box 500 is located, and then step A is executed, and the transport robot 300 moves to the column where the target full material box 500 is located based on the sliding guide rail 330; step A and step B can also be executed at the same time, and the movement of the picking component 322 in the vertical direction and the movement of the transport robot 300 in the horizontal direction are carried out simultaneously.

[0107] In step C, the picking component 322 is extended toward the full material box 500 under the action of the telescopic structure, and is retracted after picking up the full material box 500.

[0108] Step D: Based on the sliding rail 330 and the lifting assembly 321, the picking assembly 322 carries the full material box 500 and moves to the docking position 410 of the full material box docking conveyor line 430. The horizontal movement based on the sliding rail 330 and the vertical movement based on the lifting assembly 321 can be performed simultaneously, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of the handling robot 300.

[0109] In step E, the picking component 322 extends toward the docking position 410 of the full-box docking conveyor line 430 under the action of the telescopic structure, and places the full box 500 on the docking position 410 .

[0110] The subsequent working process of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is as follows: the full material box connecting conveyor line 430 transports the full material box 500 to the next processing link, and at the same time the control device issues an instruction to replenish the empty material box 500 for the empty material box slot 211 of the shelf 200, and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 440 carries out the work of transporting the empty material box 500.

[0111] The process of transporting the empty material box 500 specifically includes the following steps:

[0112] In step F, based on the sliding guide rail 330 and the lifting assembly 321 , the picking assembly 322 moves to the docking position 410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 .

[0113] In step G, the picking component 322 is extended toward the docking position 410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 under the action of the telescopic structure, and is retracted after picking up the empty material box 500.

[0114] Step H, based on the sliding guide rail 330 and the lifting assembly 321, the picking assembly 322 moves to the front of the empty material box grid 211.

[0115] In step I, the picking component 322 is extended toward the empty material box opening 211 under the action of the telescopic structure, and the empty material box 500 is placed in the empty material box opening 211 and then retracted.

[0116] The subsequent working process of the material box docking conveyor line 400 is as follows: after the handling robot 300 takes away the empty material box 500, the control device controls the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 to continue to transport the next empty material box 500 to the docking position 410 to wait for the handling robot 300 to pick it up.

[0117] After the handling robot 300 executes step E, it can directly move the picking component 322 to the docking position 410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 based on the lifting component 321, and then execute steps G to step I to complete the picking and placing of the material box 500.

[0118] By using the embodiment of the present application, the handling robot 300 is only used to dock with the shelf 200 and the material box docking conveyor line 400, and the full material box is taken away and the empty material box is replenished instead of manual work, so as to realize the automation of the material box flow of the sorting system, and improve the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box changing method. In addition, by replacing the manual box changing method for the shelf 200 with the handling robot 300, the design height of the shelf 200 breaks through the height limit of the staff, expands the number of material box grids 211 that can be configured on the shelf 200, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the material box docking conveyor line 400 can transport the empty material box 500 toward the shelf 200, or transport the full material box 500 in the direction away from the shelf 200, so as to realize the automatic transmission of the empty material box 500 and the full material box 500, and further improve the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0119] Figure 1a In the illustrated embodiment, the sorting mechanism 100 is disposed between two rows of shelves 200 , and is capable of receiving goods to be sorted and transporting the goods to be sorted to the material boxes 500 of the shelves 200 .

[0120] Specifically, Figure 1a to Figure 1d As shown, the sorting mechanism 100 includes: a supply platform 110, a lifting mechanism 120, a guiding mechanism 130 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 140.

[0121] The lifting mechanism 120 is disposed at both ends of the shelf 200 , and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf 200 .

[0122] The induction table 110 is disposed on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism 120 and is connected to the lifting mechanism 120 .

[0123] The guide mechanism 130 is arranged between two rows of shelves 200, and includes a plurality of shuttle rails 131 corresponding to the height of each storage layer 210. The shuttle rails 131 are connected to the lifting mechanism 120 to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf 200.

[0124] The shuttle sorting vehicle 140 is used to switch between shuttle rails 131 at different heights through the lifting mechanism 120 to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform 110 into the material boxes 500 with material box openings 211 at different heights, and to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform 110 into the material boxes 500 with different material box openings 211 in the length direction through the guiding mechanism 130.

[0125] Specifically, the induction table 110 can be connected to the cargo conveying line, and the cargo conveying line can transport the cargo to be sorted to the induction table 110, or the staff can put the cargo to be sorted at the induction table 110 for the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 to pick up the cargo.

[0126] The control device is in communication connection with the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 , and the control device can send instructions to control the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 to drop each to-be-sorted cargo into a corresponding material box 500 .

[0127] The control device is communicatively connected with the lifting mechanism 120, and the control device can send instructions to control the lifting mechanism 120 to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 to move along the height direction of the shelf 200 to the height of the storage layer 210 where the corresponding material box 500 is located. The shuttle sorting vehicle 140 continues to move along the shuttle rail 131 at the storage layer 210 where the corresponding material box 500 is located to the corresponding material box 500, and puts the goods into the material box 500.

[0128] The above operations are continuously repeated. When a certain material box 500 on the shelf 200 is filled with goods, or the goods on the order bound to the material box 500 have been sorted, the material box 500 is regarded as a full material box 500. The control device is connected to the handling robot 300 for communication, and controls the handling robot 300 to move the full material box 500 on the shelf 200 to the docking position 410 of the full material box docking conveyor line 430. The full material box docking conveyor line 430 transports the full material box away from the sorting system, and then the handling robot 300 moves the empty material box 500 at the docking position 410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 440 to the empty material box grid 211 on the shelf 200.

[0129] By using the embodiment of the present application, the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 is moved in the height and length direction of the shelf 200 through the lifting mechanism 120 and the guide mechanism 130. The sorting mechanism 100 is arranged between two rows of shelves 200, which can save space and improve space utilization; the shuttle sorting vehicle 140 can take into account the order sorting of the upper material boxes 500 of the two rows of shelves 200 through the shuttle guide rail 131, thereby improving the working efficiency of the sorting system.

[0130] As mentioned earlier, Figure 1a In the sorting system of the first embodiment shown, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is arranged on the side of the shelf 200 away from the sorting mechanism 100. In other embodiments of the sorting system, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 can be arranged at one end of the shelf 200 in the length direction.

[0131] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a top view of the sorting system of the second embodiment of the present application. In the sorting system of the second embodiment of the present application, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is arranged at one end of the shelf 200 in the length direction; the shelf 200 is provided with a receiving space 220 at the bottom near one end of the material box connecting conveyor line 400; the connecting position 410 of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 is extended and arranged in the receiving space 220.

[0132] Specifically, in this embodiment, the number of lifting mechanisms 120 is 1, and the two rows of material box docking conveyor lines 400 are respectively arranged at the ends of the two rows of shelves 200 away from the lifting mechanisms 120, and their respective docking positions 410 are respectively arranged at the bottom accommodating spaces 220 of the two rows of shelves 200.

[0133] In order to provide a receiving space 220 for the docking position 410 , the shelf 200 may be raised so that the bottom thereof has a sufficient height to accommodate the docking position 410 .

[0134] If the shelf 200 is not elevated, the length of one or two storage layers 210 at the bottom of the shelf 200 that may interfere with the material box connection conveyor line 400 can also be shortened, that is, the bottom one or two storage layers 210 are shortened in the direction of the lifting mechanism 120, and two columns are set at the shortened end for support. These two columns and the two columns of the shelf 200 close to the material box connection conveyor line 400 form a accommodating space 220, thereby accommodating the docking position 410.

[0135] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the docking position 410 of the material box docking conveyor line 400 is set at the bottom of the shelf 200, which can save the distance of the transport robot 300 moving to the docking position 410, improve the efficiency of the transport robot 300 in taking and placing the material box 500, and improve the sorting capacity of the sorting system; save the deployment area of ​​the sorting system and improve space utilization.

[0136] In addition, in the second embodiment, except for the number of lifting mechanisms 120, the location of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 and the structure of the shelf 200, the remaining structures of the sorting mechanism 100, the structure and installation method of the transfer robot 300, and the structure of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 can be the same as those of the present invention. Figure 1a The sorting mechanism 100, the handling robot 300 and the material box connecting conveyor line 400 in the first embodiment shown are completely identical and will not be described in detail here.

[0137] That is to say, Figure 4 The second embodiment shown is Figure 1a The first embodiment shown mainly differs in the number of lifting mechanisms 120, the location of the material box connecting conveyor line 400 and the structure of the shelf 200, and the other settings can be consistent.

[0138] In practical applications, no matter the first embodiment or the second embodiment, or the modified solutions of the above two embodiments are adopted, the material box 500 can be picked up and placed between the shelf 200 and the material box connecting conveyor line 400 by the handling robot 300, so as to realize the automatic replacement of the material box 500 of the sorting system, and improve the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box changing method. In addition, the handling robot 300 replaces the manual box changing, so that the height of the shelf 200 can break through the height limit of the staff, expand the number of material box grids 211 that can be configured on the shelf 200, and improve the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the material box connecting conveyor line 400 can transport the empty material box 500 toward the shelf 200, or transport the full material box 500 in the direction away from the shelf 200, so as to realize the automatic transmission of the empty material box 500 and the full material box 500, and further improve the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0139] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sorting system, characterized in that: include: A sorting mechanism (100), a shelf (200), a handling robot (300), and a material box connection conveyor line (400); The shelves (200) are arranged in two rows, and include a plurality of storage layers (210) arranged at intervals in a vertical direction; each storage layer (210) includes a plurality of material box openings (211), and each material box opening (211) is used to store a material box (500) to be loaded; The sorting mechanism (100) is arranged between two rows of shelves (200), and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to a material box (500) of the shelf (200); The material box connecting conveyor line (400) is arranged adjacent to the shelf (200) and is configured to convey an empty material box (500) toward the shelf (200) or convey a full material box (500) in a direction away from the shelf (200); The transport robot (300) is configured to pick up and place full boxes (500) or empty boxes (500) between the shelf (200) and the box connection conveyor line (400).

2. The sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material box connecting conveyor lines (400) are arranged in two rows and are respectively connected to the two rows of shelves (200), so that the transport robot (300) can pick up and place full material boxes (500) or empty material boxes (500) between the shelves (200) and the material box connecting conveyor lines (400) based on the shelves (200).

3. The sorting system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material box docking conveyor line (400) is provided with one or more docking positions (410); The transport robot (300) is configured to transport a full material box (500) on the shelf (200) to a docking position (410) of the material box docking conveyor line (400), or to transport an empty material box (500) on the docking position (410) of the material box docking conveyor line (400) to the shelf (200).

4. The sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The portion of the material box docking conveyor line (400) other than the docking position (410) is a conveying section (420); The conveying section (420) is used to convey an empty material box (500) to the docking position (410), or to receive a full material box (500) conveyed from the docking position (410) and then convey it in a direction away from the shelf (200).

5. The sorting system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the transport robot (300) needs to place the full material box (500) at the docking position (410), the docking position (410) stops rolling, and starts rolling again after the placement is completed, cooperating with the conveying section (420) to transport the full material box (500) away; When the empty material box (500) is transported to the docking position (410), the docking position (410) stops rolling, and after the transport robot (300) takes away the empty material box (500), it starts rolling again until the next empty material box (500) is transported to the docking position (410); When the material box (500) on the conveying section (420) is transported to an area adjacent to the docking position (410), if the docking position (410) is in a stopped rolling state, the area of ​​the conveying section (420) carrying the material box (500) stops rolling, and after the docking position (410) starts rolling, the area carrying the material box (500) also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box (500).

6. The sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material box connecting conveyor line (400) is arranged on a side of the shelf (200) away from the sorting mechanism (100); wherein the connecting position (410) of the material box connecting conveyor line (400) is arranged parallel to the length direction of the shelf (200) and spaced apart.

7. The sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material box connecting conveyor line (400) is arranged at one end of the shelf (200) in the length direction; a receiving space (220) is arranged at the bottom of the shelf (200) close to one end of the material box connecting conveyor line (400); and a connecting position (410) of the material box connecting conveyor line (400) is extended and arranged in the receiving space (220).

8. The sorting system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Each of the material box connecting conveyor lines (400) includes a full material box connecting conveyor line (430) and an empty material box connecting conveyor line (440) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; the transport robot (300) is configured to transport the full material box (500) on the shelf (200) to the full material box connecting conveyor line (430), or to transport the empty material box (500) on the empty material box connecting conveyor line (440) to the shelf (200).

9. The sorting system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shelf (200) comprises: a plurality of beams (230) arranged at intervals in a vertical direction; so that the transport robot (300) is installed on the outside of the shelf (200) based on the beams (230).

10. The sorting system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The transport robot (300) comprises: a column gantry (310), a transport mechanism (320) and at least one sliding guide rail (330); The upright door frame (310) is installed along the vertical direction of the shelf (200); The transport mechanism (320) is arranged on the column door frame (310) and is used to take and place the material boxes (500) at different heights on the shelf (200) or the material box connecting conveyor line (400); The at least one sliding guide rail (330) is fixedly mounted on the crossbeam (230); the column door frame (310) is slidably connected to the at least one sliding guide rail (330), so that the column door frame (310) and the transport mechanism (320) slide horizontally along the crossbeam (230) to pick up and place different material boxes (500) in the length direction of the shelf (200) or the material box connecting conveyor line (400).

11. The sorting system according to claim 10, characterized in that: The transport mechanism (320) comprises: a lifting component (321) and a picking component (322); The lifting assembly (321) is disposed on the column door frame (310) and is configured to drive the picking assembly (322) to move in a vertical direction; The picking component (322) is installed on the lifting component (321), and is configured to face the shelf (200) or the material box connecting conveyor line (400), extend the column door frame (310) to pick up and place the material box (500) on the shelf (200) or the material box connecting conveyor line (400).

12. The sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple transport robots (300), and at least one transport robot (300) is provided for picking up and placing boxes (500) between each row of the shelves (200) and the box connecting conveyor line (400), wherein each transport robot (300) is used to transport boxes (500) within a predetermined length range of the shelves (200).

13. The sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting mechanism (100) comprises: a supply platform (110), a lifting mechanism (120), a guiding mechanism (130) and a shuttle sorting vehicle (140); The lifting mechanism (120) is arranged at both ends of the shelf (200) and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (140) to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf (200); The induction table (110) is arranged on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism (120) and is connected to the lifting mechanism (120); The guide mechanism (130) is arranged between two rows of shelves (200), and comprises a plurality of shuttle rails (131) corresponding to the height of each storage layer (210); the shuttle rails (131) are connected to the lifting mechanism (120) to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle (140) to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf (200); The shuttle sorting vehicle (140) is used to switch between shuttle guide rails (131) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (120) to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (110) into material boxes (500) with material box openings (211) at different heights, and to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (110) into material boxes (500) with different material box openings (211) in the length direction through the guiding mechanism (130).

Images