Warehousing system

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a warehousing system which comprises a warehousing area, a plurality of fixed carriers are arranged in the warehousing area, and each fixed carrier is provided with a plurality of first goods allocations used for storing target goods; a plurality of movable carriers are arranged in the storage area, and each movable carrier is provided with a plurality of second goods locations used for storing target goods; the transfer robot is hung on one side of the fixed carrier and moves relative to the fixed carrier, and the transfer robot is constructed to transfer the target objects between the first goods allocation and the second goods allocation; and a transfer robot configured to transfer the movable carrier between the storage area and the target position in one state and configured to be separated from the movable carrier in the other state. According to the warehousing system, the occupied space of the roadway can be reduced, so that the storage density of the warehousing system is improved, multiple target objects can be carried at a time through the movable carrier between the fixed carrier and the work station, and the working efficiency of the warehousing system is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of warehousing and logistics, and specifically relates to a warehousing system. Background Art

[0002] In a warehousing system, items may be transferred between shelves and workstations in a storage area. Typically, in order to achieve the transfer of items between shelves and workstations, the warehousing system may include multiple types of robots.

[0003] Taking picking as an example, the first handling robot transfers the items to be picked from the storage location high up on the shelf to the cache location at the bottom, and then the second handling robot takes out the items to be picked from the cache location and transports them to the picking workstation, where they are then picked. Utility Model Content

[0004] The embodiment of the present application provides a warehousing system that can reduce the space occupied by the aisle to improve the storage density of the warehousing system, and multiple target items can be transported at one time between a fixed carrier and a workstation through a movable carrier, thereby improving the work efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0005] The present application provides a storage system, including:

[0006] A storage area, in which a plurality of fixed carriers are arranged, and the fixed carriers have a plurality of first cargo positions for storing target items;

[0007] A plurality of movable carriers are arranged in the storage area, and the movable carriers have a plurality of second cargo spaces for storing target items;

[0008] A transfer robot is suspended on one side of the fixed carrier and moves relative to the fixed carrier, and the transfer robot is configured to transfer the target object between the first cargo position and the second cargo position;

[0009] The transport robot is configured to transfer a movable carrier between a storage area and a target location in one state, and is configured to be separated from the movable carrier in another state.

[0010] In some embodiments, the bottom of the fixed vehicle is configured to have a receiving area for parking the movable vehicle;

[0011] The transfer robot is configured to transfer target objects together with a movable carrier located in the receiving area.

[0012] In some embodiments,

[0013] A lane is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers, and the accommodation area is arranged adjacent to the lane;

[0014] The transfer robot is constructed to move along one side of the fixed carrier facing the lane.

[0015] In some embodiments, the storage system includes a plurality of fixed carriers arranged at intervals along a first direction, the plurality of fixed carriers forming a storage area; the storage area includes a plurality of first operating channels arranged side by side and a plurality of second operating channels arranged side by side;

[0016] The first operating channel extends along a first direction of the fixed carrier, the second operating channel extends along a second direction of the fixed carrier, the first operating channel and the second operating channel are cross-arranged, and the first operating channel and the second operating channel are constructed to allow empty and loaded transport robots to operate.

[0017] In some embodiments, the bottom of the fixed carrier has a plurality of channels; wherein, among the plurality of channels, at least one channel adjacent to the lane of the fixed carrier is a receiving area, and at least another channel is constructed as a second operating channel.

[0018] In some embodiments, at least one fixed carrier includes two sub-fixed carriers, each sub-fixed carrier has a plurality of first cargo positions along the first direction, and the two sub-fixed carriers are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction, so that the first cargo positions at the inner deep position of the two sub-fixed carriers are connected;

[0019] The bottoms of the two sub-fixed carriers at the outer deep position form a receiving area, and the bottoms of the two sub-fixed carriers at the inner deep position form a second operating channel.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second operating channel includes a lane on one side of the fixed carrier.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first operating channel includes a first sub-operating channel that penetrates all fixed carriers along a first direction;

[0022] There is a reserved space in the accommodating area, and the reserved space is formed by a plurality of movable carriers. At least one reserved space in all accommodating areas overlaps along a first direction, and the reserved space overlapping along the first direction and the lane on one side of the fixed carrier together form a first sub-operating channel.

[0023] In some embodiments, along the second direction, the number of movable carriers spaced between each two adjacent reserved spaces is the same or different.

[0024] In some embodiments, the bottom of the movable carrier has a carrying space, and when the movable carrier is located in the accommodating area, the portion of the accommodating area located in the carrying space is configured to allow an unloaded transport robot to operate.

[0025] In some embodiments, the bottom of the movable carrier has a carrying space, and the transport robot is configured to enter the carrying space and lift the movable carrier to drive the movable carrier to move.

[0026] In some embodiments, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the first work task:

[0027] The transfer robot moves on the corresponding fixed carrier according to the first work task to reach the target cargo position in the first cargo position, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier with an empty cargo position; the handling robot moves to the movable carrier with the target item according to the first work task, and carries the movable carrier to the workstation to process the target item;

[0028] And / or, the storage system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the second work task:

[0029] The handling robot carries the movable carrier with the target object from the workstation to the fixed carrier according to the second work task; the transfer robot moves on the fixed carrier according to the second work task to reach the movable carrier with the target object, and transfers the target object on the movable carrier to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier;

[0030] And / or, the storage system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the third work task:

[0031] The transfer robot arranged on the first fixed carrier moves on the first fixed carrier according to the third work task to reach the first target cargo position in the first cargo position, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier with an empty cargo position; the handling robot moves to the movable carrier with the target item according to the third work task, and transports the movable carrier to the second fixed carrier; the transfer robot arranged on the second fixed carrier moves on the second fixed carrier according to the third work task to reach the movable carrier with the target item, and transfer the target item on the movable carrier to the target cargo position of the second fixed carrier, wherein the multiple fixed carriers include a first fixed carrier and a second fixed carrier.

[0032] In some embodiments, the height of the movable carrier is 0.8 m to 1.2 m.

[0033] In some embodiments, the movable carrier includes a partition, and a second cargo space is formed above the partition. The partition is in an inclined state at least when the movable carrier is docked with the operation object at the workstation.

[0034] In some embodiments, the movable carrier includes at least two layers of second cargo locations, at least the second cargo location located on the top layer of the movable carrier is configured to cache target items hit by orders, and at least the second cargo location located on the bottom layer of the movable carrier is configured to store empty containers or items with a high order hit rate.

[0035] In some embodiments, a track extending along the lane is provided on the fixed carrier at a position higher than the movable carrier, and the transfer robot is configured to move along the track to move to positions corresponding to different columns on the fixed carrier or the movable carrier.

[0036] In some embodiments, the transfer robot comprises:

[0037] A lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism cooperates with the track and is configured to move along the track;

[0038] The pick-and-place mechanism is configured to pick up and place target items; the pick-and-place mechanism is disposed on the lifting mechanism, and is configured to move relative to the lifting mechanism in the height direction of the fixed carrier to a position corresponding to different layers on the fixed carrier or the movable carrier.

[0039] In some embodiments, before the handling robot drives the movable carrier into or out of the storage area, the lifting mechanism moves on the track to avoid the movable carrier; or, the picking and placing mechanism moves in the height direction along the lifting mechanism to avoid the movable carrier.

[0040] In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism includes:

[0041] The stand is configured to extend in the height direction of the fixed carrier; the pick-and-place mechanism is disposed on the stand and configured to move in the height direction of the stand;

[0042] The walking assembly is arranged on the stand and the guide is matched on the track. The walking assembly is constructed to move on the track to drive the stand to move along the fixed carrier.

[0043] In some embodiments, the transport robot further comprises a busbar;

[0044] The conductor of the busbar is arranged on the track, the current collector of the busbar is arranged on the traveling assembly and is electrically connected to the traveling assembly, and the current collector is constructed to contact the conductor when the traveling assembly moves along the track.

[0045] In some embodiments, the walking assembly includes:

[0046] A driving member connected to the stand;

[0047] A driving wheel connected to the driving member, the driving wheel being configured to run along the track under the driving of the driving member;

[0048] The guide wheel is connected to the stand, and is constructed to move along the extension direction of the track under the drive of the stand.

[0049] In some embodiments, the extension direction of the rolling axis of the guide wheel is parallel to the pick-and-place direction of the pick-and-place mechanism; a groove is formed on one of the rolling surface and the track of the guide wheel, and the other of the rolling surface and the track of the guide wheel is embedded in the groove so that the other moves along the groove relative to one of them.

[0050] In some embodiments, the driving wheel is located at a side of the track, and a rolling surface of the driving wheel contacts the side of the track to roll along the side of the track.

[0051] In some embodiments, the stand comprises a fixed stand, the height of the fixed stand matches the height of the fixed carrier; or,

[0052] The stand includes a fixed stand and a lifting stand. The fixed stand is connected to the walking assembly. The lifting stand guide is fitted on the fixed stand. The lifting stand is constructed to move in the height direction along the fixed stand so that when the lifting stand is in the first state, the height of the stand matches the height of the fixed carrier. The picking and placing mechanism is arranged on the lifting stand and can move relative to the lifting stand in the height direction of the fixed carrier.

[0053] In some embodiments, the transfer robot is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a work task:

[0054] The stand is driven by the traveling assembly to move along the track, so that the pick-and-place mechanism moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier; the lifting stand in the stand moves along the fixed stand, and / or the pick-and-place mechanism moves along the lifting stand, so that the pick-and-place mechanism moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position;

[0055] The pick-and-place mechanism transfers the target item taken out from the movable carrier to the target cargo position; or, the pick-and-place mechanism takes out the target item from the target cargo position and continues to move along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier until it reaches an idle movable carrier under the fixed carrier, and transfers the target item to the second cargo position of the movable carrier;

[0056] The transport robot transports the movable carrier with the target object from the target position to the fixed carrier, so that the pick-and-place mechanism can take out the target object from the movable carrier and transfer it to the target cargo position in the first cargo position; or, the transport robot moves to the movable carrier with the target object and transports the movable carrier to the target position.

[0057] In some embodiments, the track is disposed on a fixed carrier on one side of an aisle in a storage area, and the same transfer robot is configured to pick up and place target items on the fixed carriers on both sides of the aisle.

[0058] The embodiment of the present application provides a storage system, by suspending a transfer robot on a fixed carrier and enabling it to move along the fixed carrier to transfer target items with each first cargo position on the fixed carrier, compared with a transfer robot that is independent of the fixed carrier and runs in a lane on one side of the fixed carrier, the transfer robot of the embodiment of the present application occupies a smaller lane size, thereby reducing the lane size, increasing the storage density of the fixed carrier, and reducing the requirements for the lane ground. In addition, there are multiple second cargo positions on the movable carrier, so that multiple target items can be transported at a time between the fixed carrier and the target position through the movable carrier, thereby improving the working efficiency of the storage system. In addition, the transport robot is separated from the movable carrier in one of the states, so that the movable carrier can be at the fixed carrier, so that it can promptly receive the target item on the transfer robot when receiving the work task. Compared with the movable carrier and the transport robot being at the fixed carrier at the same time, the movable carrier of the present application is placed alone at the fixed carrier without causing much impact on the space near the fixed carrier. After the transport robot is separated from the movable carrier, it can dock with other hit movable carriers, or transport other items, thereby improving the utilization rate of the transport robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, 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 present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0060] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The main view of the fixed vehicle;

[0062] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Side view of

[0063] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of one state of a transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Side view of

[0065] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer robot and the track provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 7 is a front view of a movable carrier provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Side view of

[0068] Fig. 9 is an assembly diagram of a transport robot and a movable carrier provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage area provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Fig.11 is a top view of one of the fixed carriers provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Fig.12 yes Figure 6 Side view of

[0072] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 A partial enlarged view of point I in the middle;

[0073] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an assembly of a transfer robot and a fixed carrier provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.15 This is another state schematic diagram of the transfer robot provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Fig.16 yes Fig.15 Side view of

[0076] Fig.17 This is another state schematic diagram of the transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0077] Fig.18 yes Fig.17 Side view of

[0078] Fig.19 is a structural schematic diagram of another transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0079] Fig. 20 It is a structural schematic diagram of one of the stands provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0080] Description of reference numerals:

[0081] 10-storage area; 20-workstation;

[0082] 10a-lane; 100-fixed carrier; 200-transfer robot; 300-movable carrier; 400-handling robot; 500-first operation channel; 600-second operation channel; 700-third operation channel;

[0083] 110-first cargo position; 120-channel; 130-accommodation area; 140-track; 210-lifting mechanism; 220-pick-and-place mechanism; 230-conductor wire; 310-second cargo position; 320-partition; 330-carrying space; 510-first sub-operating channel; 520-second sub-operating channel; 610-third sub-operating channel; 620-fourth sub-operating channel; 130a-reserved space; 211-stand; 212-travel assembly; 213-transmission assembly; 2121-drive member; 2122-drive wheel; 2123-guide wheel; 2124-groove; 2111-fixed stand; 2112-lifting stand; 2131-transmission unit; 2132-pulley block. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0085] It should be noted that many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is not limited to the specific implementation methods disclosed below.

[0086] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "upper" or "lower" than a second feature may be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium.

[0087] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. However, if it is indicated as a direct connection, it means that the two connected entities are not connected through an intermediate structure, but are only connected to form a whole through a connecting structure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0088] In this application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0089] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a storage system provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The main view of the fixed vehicle. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Refer to 1 to Figure 3 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a storage system, including a storage area 10, a workstation 20 and a control server. In some examples, the workstation 20 may include a plurality of work platforms spaced apart along the second direction x. The plurality of work platforms include a picking work platform, a shelving work platform or a sorting work platform, etc. It is understandable that the area where the picking work platform is located may be a picking work station, the area where the shelving work platform is located may be a shelving work station, and the area where the sorting work platform is located may be a sorting work station. Among them, a fixed carrier 100 is placed in the storage area 10.

[0090] In some examples, the number of the fixed carrier 100 may be one or more. For example, there may be a plurality of fixed carriers 100, and the plurality of fixed carriers 100 may be spaced apart along a first direction (ie, a longitudinal direction of the fixed carrier 100).

[0091] In some examples, one fixed carrier 100 may be arranged along the second direction (i.e., the lateral direction of the fixed carrier 100), or a plurality of fixed carriers 100 may be arranged at intervals. Figure 1 As shown in y, the second direction can refer to Figure 1 As shown in x. Figure 1 An example is shown in which a fixed carrier 100 is arranged along the x direction. It should be noted that the fixed carrier 100 may include but is not limited to a shelf, a pallet device, and the like.

[0092] Reference Figure 2 As shown, the fixed carrier 100 has a plurality of first cargo positions 110, and the plurality of first cargo positions 110 can be arranged along at least one of the height direction of the fixed carrier 100, the first direction y, and the second direction x. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In addition, one or more first cargo positions 110 may be arranged along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100. When one first cargo position 110 is arranged along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 is a single-depth carrier. When multiple first cargo positions 110 are arranged along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 may be a multi-depth carrier. For example, when two first cargo positions 110 are arranged along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 is a double-depth carrier.

[0093] The first cargo position 110 is configured to store target items. It should be noted that the target items may include but are not limited to goods, packages with goods, containers with goods such as boxes or empty containers, etc.

[0094] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, an alley 10a is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y, so that the transfer robot 200 can move along the fixed carrier 100 to transfer the target items with each first cargo position 110 on the fixed carrier 100 .

[0095] In the related art, the bottom layer of the fixed carrier is the cache cargo position. The transfer robot 200 is a handling robot (e.g., a first handling robot) that walks along the ground of the storage system, that is, the first handling robot has a chassis, and the driving wheels on the chassis drive the first handling robot to walk in the alley 10a of the storage area 10 or on the ground outside the storage area 10. For example, when the first handling robot receives a handling task, it can walk along the ground of the alley 10a until it reaches the target cargo position of the fixed carrier, and transfer the target items to the target cargo position. Taking the handling task as a box picking task, the first handling robot can run along the ground of the alley 10a to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier, take out the target items on the target cargo position, and then transfer them to the cache cargo position at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier.

[0096] In practice, the storage system has multiple types of transport robots, which are configured to perform different tasks. Taking picking as an example, when one type of transport robot, such as the first transport robot mentioned above, receives a picking task, the control server can control the first transport robot to run along the ground of the lane 10a to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier, and take out the target item on the target cargo position, and then place it on the cache cargo position at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier.

[0097] When another transport robot, such as the second transport robot, receives a picking task, the control server can control the second transport robot to run to the cache location at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier, take out the target item on the cache location, and transport it to the picking workstation, where the target item can be picked by the operating object.

[0098] Taking shelving as an example, the second handling robot moves to the shelving workstation, and the operating object can transfer the target items to be shelved to the second handling robot. Then the second handling robot carries the target items to be shelved to the cache storage location at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier, and the first handling robot then transfers the target items on the cache storage location to the storage location of the fixed carrier.

[0099] However, the first handling robot occupies a large space in the lane 10a, thereby affecting the storage density of the storage area 10 and having high requirements on the ground environment, such as flatness, etc. In addition, the second handling robot can only carry one target object at a time, which limits the working efficiency of the storage system.

[0100] The present application suspends the transfer robot 200 on the fixed carrier 100 and enables it to move along the fixed carrier 100 to transfer the target items with each first cargo position 110 on the fixed carrier 100. Compared with the handling robot 400 that is independent of the fixed carrier 100 and operates in the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100, the transfer robot 200 of the embodiment of the present application occupies a smaller size of the lane 10a, thereby reducing the size of the lane 10a, increasing the storage density of the fixed carrier 100, and reducing the requirements for the ground of the lane 10a. In addition, by directly transferring the target items taken out by the transfer robot 200 to the movable carrier 300, the handling robot 400 carries the movable carrier 300. Compared with the second handling robot in the related art that takes and places the target items from the cache cargo position on the bottom of the fixed carrier, the embodiment of the present application reduces the accuracy of the handling robot 400 in taking and returning the target items at the fixed carrier 100, and improves the working efficiency of the handling robot. In addition, the movable carrier 300 has a plurality of second cargo positions 310 , so that a plurality of target items can be transported at one time between the fixed carrier 100 and the workstation 20 via the movable carrier 300 , thereby improving the working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0101] The following is a detailed description of the warehousing system of an embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0102] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of one state of a transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Side view of Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer robot and the track provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 is a front view of a movable carrier provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Side view of the . Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the storage system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a storage area 10, in which a plurality of fixed carriers 100 are arranged, and a plurality of first cargo positions 110 are provided on the fixed carriers 100. In the embodiment of the present application, the first cargo positions 110 are all storage cargo positions.

[0103] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the storage area 10 of the embodiment of the present application is arranged with a plurality of movable carriers 300, and the movable carriers 300 have a plurality of second cargo positions 310. The second cargo positions 310 are used to store target items (refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 (as shown in P).

[0104] In some examples, the plurality of second cargo positions 310 may be spaced apart along at least one of the height direction z, the length direction (e.g., the x direction), or the width direction (e.g., the y direction) of the movable carrier 300. For example, the movable carrier 300 may have multiple layers of second cargo positions 310 along the height direction z, may have multiple second cargo positions 310 along the length direction, and may have one or more second cargo positions 310 along the width direction.

[0105] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the storage system further includes a transfer robot 200, which is suspended on one side of the fixed carrier 100 and moves relative to the fixed carrier 100. The transfer robot 200 is configured to transfer the target item between the first cargo position 110 and the second cargo position 310, that is, to transfer the target item between the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300.

[0106] For example, after the transfer robot 200 takes out the target item from the first cargo position 110, it can be transferred to the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. Alternatively, the transfer robot 200 can take out the target item from the second cargo position 310 in the movable carrier 300 and transfer it to the first cargo position 110 of the fixed carrier 100. In some examples, a track 140 can be provided on one side of the fixed carrier 100, such as the lane side, and the transfer robot 200 is suspended on the track 140 and can move along the track 140. For example, the track 140 is provided at a position higher than the movable carrier 300 on the fixed carrier 100, and the transfer robot 200 is configured to move along the track 140 to move to positions of different columns on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300.

[0107] Reference Figures 4 to 6 As shown, in some examples, the transfer robot 200 may include a lifting mechanism 210 and a pick-and-place mechanism 220. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 is configured to pick and place target items and is disposed on the lifting mechanism 210. The lifting mechanism 210 cooperates with the track 140. For example, the lifting mechanism 210 may be suspended on the track 140 of the fixed carrier 100 and is configured to move along the track 140 to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move along the fixed carrier 100, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move to positions corresponding to different columns of transfer on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300.

[0108] In some examples, the extension direction of the track 140 may be the second direction x, ie, the extension direction of the lane 10 a. In this way, the lifting mechanism 210 may move along the second direction x of the fixed carrier 100 driven by the traveling assembly 212 .

[0109] In some examples, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is disposed on the lifting mechanism 210 and is configured to move relative to the lifting mechanism 210 in the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 to a position corresponding to a different layer on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300 .

[0110] In some examples, the lifting mechanism 210 includes a travel assembly 212 and a stand 211. The stand 211 is configured to extend in the height direction; the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is disposed on the stand 211 and configured to move in the height direction of the stand 211. The travel assembly 212 is disposed on the stand 21 and is guided on the track 140. The travel assembly 212 is configured to move on the track 140 to drive the stand 211 to move on the fixed carrier 100.

[0111] In some examples, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is movably disposed on the stand 211 and can move relative to the stand 211 along the height direction z of the fixed carrier 100, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move to the first cargo position 110 of different layers of the fixed carrier 100. In this way, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move in the second direction and the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 to reach the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 is configured to dock with the first cargo position 110 to retrieve the target item.

[0112] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can transfer the target object by various methods such as adsorption, pulling, hooking, clamping, etc. For example, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can be a suction cup structure, which can be adsorbed on the side wall of the target object by negative pressure adsorption or magnetic adsorption; the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can also be a structure such as a fork, a mechanical arm, etc. that can realize the pulling-type transfer of the target object, or a hooking mechanism that can hook the front edge of the target object. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the structure of the pick-and-place member.

[0113] Fig. 9 1 is an assembly diagram of a transport robot and a movable carrier provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 and Fig. 9 As shown, the storage system further includes a transport robot 400, which is configured to drive the movable carrier 300 to move between the storage area 10 and the target location in one state, and is configured to be separated from the movable carrier 300 in another state.

[0114] For example, after the movable carrier 300 receives the target item transferred by the transfer robot 200, the handling robot 400 may move to the movable carrier 300 and carry the movable carrier 300 to the target location. Alternatively, the handling robot 400 may carry the movable carrier 300 with the target item from the target location to the fixed carrier 100, so that the target item is transferred to the first cargo position 110 by the transfer robot 200. Alternatively, after the target item on the movable carrier 300 is picked or sorted at the target location, such as a picking workstation or a sorting workstation, the handling robot 400 may centrally store the movable carrier 300 at the fixed carrier 100, so that when the transfer robot 200 receives a fetching task, it can quickly transfer the target item on the first cargo position 110 to the movable carrier 300 without waiting for the movable carrier 300, thereby improving the working efficiency of the storage system and preventing the movable carrier 300 from occupying space outside the storage area 10.

[0115] The storage system of the embodiment of the present application may further include a control server. In some examples, the storage system performs the following actions upon receiving the first work task:

[0116] According to the first work task, the control server controls the transfer robot 200 to move on the corresponding fixed carrier 100 to reach the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier 300 with an empty cargo position; the transport robot 400 moves to the movable carrier 300 with the target item according to the first work task, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the workstation to process the target item.

[0117] The movement of the transfer robot 200 on the fixed carrier 100 may specifically include: the stand 211 is driven by the walking assembly 212 to move along the track 140, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the stand 211, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110. In some examples, the first work task may include but is not limited to a picking task, a sorting task, etc. In the first work task, the target location may be a workstation.

[0118] Taking picking as an example, when the control server receives a picking task, it can control the transfer robot 200 to run along the track 140 on the fixed carrier 100, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 in the transfer robot 200 can move along the stand 211, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves to the target cargo position, and takes out the target item on the target cargo position, and then places it on the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. When the transport robot 400 receives a picking task, the control server controls the transport robot 400 to run to the movable carrier 300 with the target item, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation, and the target item can be picked by the operating object.

[0119] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the second work task:

[0120] When receiving the second work task, the control server controls the transport robot 400 to transport the movable carrier 300 with the target item from the workstation to the fixed carrier 100; the transfer robot 200 moves on the fixed carrier 100 according to the second work task to reach the movable carrier 300 with the target item, and transfers the target item on the movable carrier 300 to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier 100.

[0121] In some examples, the second work task may include, but is not limited to, a put-on-shelf task, a replenishment task, etc. In the second work task, the target location may be a workstation.

[0122] Taking shelving as an example, when the control server receives the shelving task, it controls the transport robot 400 to carry the movable carrier 300 to move to the shelving workstation, and the operation object can transfer the target items to be shelved to the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300, and then the transport robot 400 carries the movable carrier 300 to the fixed carrier 100, and the control server controls the transfer robot 200 to transfer the target items to be shelved on the movable carrier 300 to the first cargo position 110 of the fixed carrier 100.

[0123] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the third work task:

[0124] The transfer robot 200 disposed on the first fixed carrier moves on the first fixed carrier according to the third work task, that is, when the control server receives the third work task, it controls the transfer robot 200 located on the first fixed carrier to move on the first fixed carrier to reach the first target cargo position in the first cargo position 110, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier 300 with an empty cargo position; the control server continues to control the handling robot 400 to move to the movable carrier 300 with the target item, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the second fixed carrier; the transfer robot 200 disposed on the second fixed carrier moves on the second fixed carrier according to the third work task, and the control server controls the transfer robot 200 located on the second fixed carrier to move on the second fixed carrier to reach the movable carrier 300 with the target item, and transfer the target item on the movable carrier 300 to the target cargo position of the second fixed carrier. Among them, the multiple fixed carriers 100 include the first fixed carrier and the second fixed carrier.

[0125] In some examples, the third work task may include, but is not limited to, tallying tasks between fixed carriers 100, etc. In the third work task, the target location may be a fixed carrier.

[0126] Taking the transfer of target item A from the first fixed carrier to the second fixed carrier as an example, the transfer robot 200 on the first fixed carrier moves on the first fixed carrier according to the sorting task. For example, the stand 211 on the first fixed carrier runs along the track 140, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the stand 211 until the pick-and-place mechanism 220 reaches the first target cargo position where the target item A is located. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 takes out the target item A and continues to move along the first fixed carrier until it reaches the movable carrier 300 with an empty cargo position. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 transfers the target item A to the movable carrier 300.

[0127] The transport robot 400 moves to the movable carrier 300 with the target item A according to the third work task, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the second fixed carrier; the transfer robot 200 arranged on the second fixed carrier moves on the second fixed carrier according to the third work task, the stand 211 on the second fixed carrier runs along the track 140, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the stand 211 to reach the movable carrier 300 with the target item A, and takes out the target item A on the movable carrier 300, and continues to move along the second fixed carrier until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110, and transfers the target item A to the target cargo position. It should be noted that the above-mentioned operation object can be a staff member, or an automated device such as a robotic arm or a robot.

[0128] It is understandable that one of the above states refers to the state where the transport robot 400 is loaded with the movable carrier 300, that is, the transport robot 400 is in a loaded state. The other state refers to the state where the transport robot 400 is not loaded with the movable carrier 300, that is, the transport robot 400 is in an unloaded state.

[0129] For example, when the transport robot 400 does not need to transport the target item, the transport robot 400 does not need to be loaded with the movable carrier 300, so that the movable carrier 300 and the transport robot 400 are in a separated state. In this way, the movable carrier 300 can be placed independently at the fixed carrier 100, so that it can promptly receive the target item on the transfer robot 200 when receiving the work task. Compared with the movable carrier 300 and the transport robot 400 being at the fixed carrier 100 at the same time, the movable carrier 300 of the present application is placed alone at the fixed carrier 100, which will not cause much impact on the space near the fixed carrier 100. After the transport robot 400 is separated from the movable carrier 300, it can dock with other hit movable carriers 300, or transport other items, thereby improving the utilization rate of the transport robot 400.

[0130] By suspending the transfer robot 200 on the fixed carrier 100 and enabling it to move along the fixed carrier 100 to transfer target items with each first cargo position 110 on the fixed carrier 100, compared with the transfer robot 400 that is independent of the fixed carrier 100 and operates in the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100, the transfer robot 200 of the embodiment of the present application occupies a smaller size of the lane 10a, thereby reducing the size of the lane 10a, increasing the storage density of the fixed carrier 100, and reducing the requirements for the ground of the lane 10a. In addition, the movable carrier 300 has multiple second cargo positions 310, so that multiple target items can be transported at one time between the fixed carrier 100 and the workstation 20 through the movable carrier 300, thereby improving the working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0131] Since the fixed carrier 100 is located in the high-position storage area, the target items stored therein are not easy to be directly transferred to the workstation, so a transfer robot 200 is required to transfer containers between the high-position storage area and the ground storage area. When the target item in the order is located on the fixed carrier 100, the transfer robot 200 can first transfer the target item from the fixed carrier 100 to the movable carrier 300, and then the handling robot 400 will transport the target item to the workstation for processing, so that the container located on the fixed carrier 100 can be conveniently transferred, and the container can be stored at a high position, thereby achieving dense storage and improving the utilization rate of vertical space.

[0132] In addition, the transfer robot 200 can move to any column position along the alley 10a without touching the ground. The transfer robot 200 that does not touch the ground can avoid competing for the path with the handling robot 400. When the transfer robot 200 needs to avoid, it only needs to use the track to avoid in the air without replanning the path.

[0133] In some examples, before the transport robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 to enter or leave the storage area 10, the lifting mechanism 210 moves on the track 140 to avoid the movable carrier 300; or, the picking and placing mechanism 220 moves in the height direction along the lifting mechanism 210 to avoid the movable carrier 300.

[0134] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 is placed near the fixed carrier 100 at least in an idle state, for example, the movable carrier 300 may be located at the end of the fixed carrier 100 along the second direction x in an idle state. When the transfer robot 200 needs to dock with the movable carrier 300, the movable carrier 300 may be transported to a position where the transfer robot 200 can dock by the transport robot 400, for example, the transport robot 400 transports the movable carrier 300 to the lane 10a where the transfer robot 200 is located, so as to receive the target item taken out from the first cargo position 110 by the transfer robot 200.

[0135] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 can be placed in the alley 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 when in an idle state. When the transfer robot 200 needs to dock with the movable carrier 300, the transfer robot 200 carrying the target item can be directly moved to the movable carrier 300, and the target item can be placed on the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. The movable carrier 300 carrying the target item can then be transported to the workstation 20 by the transport robot 400.

[0136] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have a receiving area 130, and the receiving area 130 is configured to place the movable carrier 300. For example, the movable carrier 300 is placed in the receiving area 130 when it is idle. For another example, when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the transfer robot 200, it is also located in the receiving area 130, that is, the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300 located in the receiving area 130 transfer the target object.

[0137] In some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 has legs that separate the first cargo position 110 at the bottom layer from the ground by a certain distance, so that a space that can accommodate the movable carrier 300 is formed between the first cargo position 110 and the ground, and the space serves as the accommodating area 130.

[0138] It can be understood that the extending direction of the accommodating area 130 is consistent with the second direction x.

[0139] For example, after the transfer robot 200 takes the target item out of the first cargo position 110, it can move to the alley 10a on the side of the movable carrier 300 with an empty space, and extend the pick-and-place mechanism 220 into the storage area 130 to place the target item on the movable carrier 300. Then the transport robot 400 can move the movable carrier 300 out of the storage area 130 and continue to transport it to the workstation 20.

[0140] For another example, the movable carrier 300 carrying the target item to be put on the shelf can be transported to the storage area 130 by the transport robot 400, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves to the lane 10a on one side of the movable carrier 300 and extends into the storage area 130 to take out the target item, and continues to move to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier 100 to place the target item on the target cargo position.

[0141] The embodiment of the present application provides a storage area 130 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 to place the movable carrier 300, so that the movable carrier 300 can be stored in the storage area 130 in an idle state, thereby saving space in the lane 10a or other areas, thereby facilitating the movement of the transfer robot 200 on the lane 10a side of the fixed carrier 100 without being interfered with by the movable carrier 300. In addition, when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the transfer robot 200, it is also located in the storage area 130. In this way, after the transfer robot 200 takes out the target item on the first cargo position 110, it can be directly placed on the movable carrier 300 located in the storage area 130, without the need to transport the movable carrier 300 again to the dockable position of the transfer robot 200 by the transport robot 400, thereby saving the movement range of the movable carrier 300 and improving the docking efficiency between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300. Figure 3As shown, in some examples, the receiving area 130 is disposed adjacent to the lane 10 a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 .

[0142] The transfer robot 200 is located on the lane side of the fixed carrier 100. In this way, the distance between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300 can be shortened, thereby shortening the pick-and-place distance of the pick-and-place mechanism 220, making the docking between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 and the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300 more accurate and quick.

[0143] In some examples, before the transport robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 into or out of the storage area 130, the control server is constructed to control the lifting mechanism 210 to move on the track 140 to avoid the movable carrier 300; or to control the picking and placing mechanism 220 to move in the height direction along the lifting mechanism 210 to avoid the movable carrier 300.

[0144] When the handling robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 to enter or leave the storage area 130, the transfer robot 200 may block the moving path of the handling robot 400. At this time, the transfer robot 200 needs to move to avoid it. There are at least two ways to avoid: the first is to avoid by lateral movement, that is, to move along the track 140 to a position that leaves the target storage area 130; the second is to avoid by vertical movement. Since the track 140 is set at a position higher than the movable carrier 300, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can avoid in the height direction along the lifting mechanism 210. The two avoidance methods can be implemented at the same time. The control server can flexibly avoid according to the position of the transfer robot 200, so that the movable carrier 300 can smoothly enter and exit the storage area 130.

[0145] In some examples, the receiving area 130 and the lane 10 a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 may be spaced apart. For example, another passage may be spaced apart between the receiving area 130 and the lane 10 a.

[0146] Reference Figure 1 As shown, in some examples, the storage area 10 includes a plurality of first operating channels 500 arranged side by side and a plurality of second operating channels 600 arranged side by side; the first operating channels 500 extend along a first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, and the second operating channels 600 extend along a second direction x of the fixed carrier 100, and the first operating channels 500 and the second operating channels 600 are arranged crosswise, and the first operating channels 500 and the second operating channels 600 are constructed to provide operation for empty and loaded handling robots 400.

[0147] It should be noted that the first operation channel 500 and the second operation channel 600 refer to channels 120 that can be operated by both an unloaded transport robot 400 and a loaded transport robot 400. The unloaded transport robot 400 refers to a transport robot 400 that is not loaded with a movable carrier 300, and the loaded transport robot 400 refers to a transport robot 400 that is loaded with a movable carrier 300.

[0148] In some examples, a plurality of first running channels 500 may be spaced apart along the second direction x. The first running channels 500 penetrate the fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y. For example, the first running channels 500 may be formed by the reserved space 130 a in the accommodating area 130 . The reserved space 130a is formed by a plurality of movable carriers 300. For example, in any storage area 130, the reserved space 130a is formed between two adjacent spaced movable carriers 300 for the unloaded and loaded transport robots 400 to pass through the fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y and enter the lanes 10a on both sides of the fixed carrier 100. In this way, the unloaded transport robot 400 can quickly reach the target movable carrier 300, or quickly pass through the lane 10a to enter the target movable carrier 300 of another fixed carrier 100, or the loaded transport robot 400 can quickly reach the storage area 130 of the target fixed carrier 100 from the workstation 20 or other fixed carriers 100 and dock with the transfer robot 200, or the loaded transport robot 400 can quickly pass through the fixed carrier 100 and reach the outside of the storage area 10, and then quickly reach the workstation 20.

[0149] Fig.10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage area provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 and Fig.10 As shown, in some examples, the first running channel 500 may penetrate part of the fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y, or may penetrate all of the fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y.

[0150] For the convenience of description, the plurality of first operation channels 500 may include at least one of a first sub-operation channel 510 and a second sub-operation channel 520. The first sub-operation channel 510 penetrates all the fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y. The second sub-operation channel 520 penetrates part of the fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y. Fig.10 As shown, for example, when the second sub-operating channel 520 passes through a portion of the fixed carrier 100, the storage area 10 may have multiple second sub-operating channels 520 along the first direction y, so that each fixed carrier 100 is formed with a second sub-operating channel 520, and two second sub-operating channels 520 adjacent along the first direction y do not overlap along the first direction y.

[0151] Taking the example of a storage area 10 with 6 fixed carriers 100 spaced apart along the first direction y, in some examples, each second sub-operating channel 520 can pass through one fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y, then the storage area 10 has 6 second sub-operating channels 520 along the first direction y, each second sub-operating channel 520 passes through a fixed carrier 100, and the second sub-operating channels 520 on two adjacent fixed carriers 100 do not overlap along the first direction y, and are connected through the lane 10a between the two adjacent fixed carriers 100.

[0152] In some examples, each second sub-operating channel 520 may penetrate two fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y, and the storage area 10 may have three second sub-operating channels 520 along the first direction y.

[0153] In some examples, the lengths of the second sub-operating channels 520 may be different. For example, at least one second sub-operating channel 520 runs through one fixed carrier 100 , and at least another second sub-operating channel 520 runs through two fixed carriers 100 .

[0154] For example, the storage area 10 is provided with three second sub-operating channels 520 in sequence along the first direction y, wherein one second sub-operating channel 520 runs through one fixed carrier 100, another second sub-operating channel 520 runs through six fixed carriers 100, and another second sub-operating channel 520 runs through two fixed carriers 100. Among the three second sub-operating channels 520, two adjacent second sub-operating channels 520 do not overlap along the first direction y, that is, they are not located on the same straight line.

[0155] It should be noted that the second sub-operating channel 520 that runs through multiple fixed carriers 100 is formed by the reserved space 130a and the lane 10a at the bottom of each fixed carrier 100. For example, the reserved space 130a overlapping along the first direction y at the bottom of consecutive fixed carriers 100 and the lane 10a between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a together form a second sub-operating channel 520.

[0156] In some examples, two adjacent and non-overlapping second sub-operating channels 520 along the first direction y are connected through the alley 10a, so that an unloaded or loaded transport robot 400 can reach the alley 10a through one of the second sub-operating channels 520, run along the alley 10a for a distance, and enter another group of fixed carriers 100 through another second sub-operating channel 520.

[0157] Reference Figure 1 and Fig.10As shown, in other examples, the first sub-operation channel 510 may penetrate all fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y. For example, at least one reserved space 130a in all accommodating areas 130 overlaps along the first direction y, and the reserved spaces 130a overlapping along the first direction y and the lanes 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 together form the first sub-operation channel 510.

[0158] By setting up a first operating channel 500 that runs through the entire fixed carrier 100 in the storage area 10, the operating path of the transport robot 400 between the fixed carriers 100 can be shortened. For example, the transport robot 400 can travel between the fixed carriers 100 along the first operating channel 500, and needs to run a certain distance along the extension direction of the alley 10a.

[0159] Reference Figure 2 and Fig.10 As shown, in some examples, along the second direction x, the number of movable carriers 300 spaced between each two adjacent reserved spaces 130a is the same or different. For example, along the second direction x, 3 to 8 movable carriers 300 may be spaced between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a. Exemplarily, three movable carriers 300 may be spaced between one pair of adjacent reserved spaces 130a, five movable carriers 300 may be spaced between another pair of adjacent reserved spaces 130a, and eight movable carriers 300 may be spaced between another pair of adjacent reserved spaces 130a. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of movable carriers 300 spaced between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a, and can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0160] It can be understood that the position of the reserved space 130a determines the position of the first running channel 500, and the distance between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a along the second direction x determines the distance between two adjacent first running channels 500. The first running channel 500 includes any one of the first sub-running channel 510 that runs through all of the first running channel and the second sub-running channel 520 that runs through part of the fixed carrier 100. Figure 1 As shown, in some examples, the plurality of second operation channels 600 are arranged at intervals along the first direction y. For convenience of description, the plurality of second operation channels 600 may include a third sub-operation channel 610.

[0161] The third sub-operation channel 610 may be a space located at any side of the fixed carrier 100, so that the unloaded or loaded transport robot 400 can reach the first cargo position 110 of different columns along the third sub-operation channel 610. For example, the third sub-operation channel 610 may be the lane 10a located between two adjacent fixed carriers 100, that is, the unloaded or loaded transport robot 400 can travel along the lane 10a in different columns of the fixed carrier 100 to reach the target column, and then travel through the fixed carrier 100 along the first operation channel 500 to reach the storage area 130 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 to transport the movable carrier 300, or directly travel along the first operation channel 500 to the outside of the storage area 10 to further travel to the workstation 20.

[0162] In some examples, the third sub-running channel 610 may also be located on at least one of the two opposite sides of the storage area 10 along the first direction y. For example, the third sub-running channel 610 is located on the outer side of the frontmost fixed carrier 100 (the side facing away from the lane 10a) among the multiple fixed carriers arranged along the first direction y, or on the outer side of the rearmost fixed carrier 100 (the side facing away from the lane 10a).

[0163] Exemplarily, the third sub-running channel 610 may be provided at both the front and rear sides of the storage area 10. For example, one of the third sub-running channels 610 is located at the front side of the storage area 10, for example, the outer side of the frontmost fixed carrier 100, and the other third sub-running channel 610 is located at the rear side of the storage area 10, for example, the outer side of the rearmost fixed carrier 100. Figure 1 As shown, the front side and the rear side of the storage area 10 are respectively arranged up and down along the first direction y, wherein the front side of the storage area 10 is the side close to the workstation 20, and the rear side of the storage area 10 is the side away from the workstation 20. Of course, in some examples, the third sub-operation channel 610 can be set only at the rear side of the storage area 10, so that the transport robot 400 walking at the rear side of the storage area 10 can move to the bottom of the cargo positions of different columns of the storage area 10.

[0164] In some examples, a third operation channel 700 may be further provided in the area between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20, and the unloaded or loaded transport robot 400 may operate between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20 along the third operation channel 700. The third operation channel 700 may extend along the second direction x, for example, there may be a plurality of third operation channels 700, and the plurality of third operation channels 700 may be arranged side by side along the first direction y, and the plurality of third operation channels 700 may be connected end to end in an S shape.

[0165] Of course, the third operation channel 700 can extend along the first direction y. For example, there can be multiple third operation channels 700, and multiple third operation channels 700 can be arranged side by side along the second direction x, and the multiple third operation channels 700 are connected end to end in an S shape. The transport robot 400 walks along the third operation channel 700 and can reach each work platform in the workstation 20 to pick, sort or put the target items on each work platform.

[0166] In some examples, an identification code may be set on the ground of the running channel of the transport robot 400, and the transport robot 400 runs along a preset path by identifying the identification code. In addition, by identifying the identification code, the real-time position of the transport robot 400 may be determined. Exemplarily, the identification code may include, but is not limited to, a QR code, a barcode, etc. Taking the picking task as an example, there are two target items to be picked, and the two target items are the first target item and the second target item. Among them, the first target item is located on the fourth layer of the fourth column of the third row of the fixed carrier 100, and the second target item is located on the second layer of the third column of the fixed carrier 100 in the third row.

[0167] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 located on the lane side of the fixed carrier 100 in the third row moves to the fourth row, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves to the first cargo position 110 on the fourth layer. After taking out the first target object, the transfer robot 200 moves to the idle movable carrier 300 at the bottom of the third row of fixed carriers 100. For example, the idle movable carrier 300 (first movable carrier) is located in the bottom receiving area 130 (position a) of the second row. The transfer robot 200 moves to the position a and transfers the first target object to the first movable carrier 300. The transfer robot 200 continues to move to the second layer of the third row of the fixed carrier 100 to take out the second target object and transfer the second target object to the first movable carrier 300.

[0168] When receiving a task, the unloaded transport robot 400 is located in the lane 10a (i.e., the second operation channel 600) between the first and second rows of fixed carriers 100. The unloaded transport robot 400 can move along the lane 10a to the side with the reserved space 130a at the bottom of the second row, and then move along the reserved space 130a, i.e., the first operation channel 500, to the lane 10a between the second and third rows of fixed carriers 100. Then, the transport robot 400 moves along the lane 10a to the side of the storage area 130 at the bottom of the second row of fixed carriers 100 in the third row. , load the first movable carrier 300, and the loaded handling robot 400 (i.e. the loaded handling robot 400) can reach the lane 10a between the third and fourth rows of fixed carriers 100 along the first operating channel 500 at the bottom of the third row of fixed carriers 100, and move along the lane 10a to the first operating channel 500 at the bottom of the fourth row of fixed carriers 100. The handling robot 400 runs along the lane 10a and the adjacent first operating channel 500 until it reaches the area outside the storage area 10, and reaches the workstation 20 along the third operating channel 700.

[0169] The embodiment of the present application sets up a plurality of intersecting first operating channels 500 and second operating channels 600 in the storage area 10, so that the unloaded and loaded transport robots 400 can choose a shorter path to move between the target positions outside and inside the storage area 10, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the transport robot 400 between the target position of the fixed carrier 100 and the workstation 20.

[0170] Reference Figure 3 As shown, in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have a channel 120 , and the channel 120 serves as a receiving area 130 for placing the movable carrier 300 .

[0171] For example, the fixed carrier 100 has two first cargo positions 110 along the first direction y.

[0172] In some examples, there are transfer robots 200 on both sides of the fixed carrier 100, and the fixed carrier 100 is a single-depth structure, wherein the transfer robot 200 on one side is configured to dock with the first cargo position 110 adjacent to the side, and the transfer robot 200 on the other side is configured to dock with the first cargo position 110 adjacent to the side. The space at the bottom of the two deep cargo positions of the fixed carrier 100 together forms a storage area 130.

[0173] In other examples, the fixed carrier 100 forms a double-deep structure, that is, the transfer robot 200 located in one side lane 10a of the fixed carrier 100 can dock with the two first cargo positions 110. Among them, the first cargo position 110 close to the lane 10a is the outer deep position, and the first cargo position 110 far from the lane 10a is the inner deep position. The space at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 at the inner deep position and the outer deep position together forms a channel 120 and serves as a storage area 130. Figure 3 As shown, in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have a plurality of channels 120, the plurality of channels 120 may be arranged along a first direction y, and each channel 120 may extend along a second direction x. Among the plurality of channels 120, at least one channel 120 adjacent to the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 is a receiving area 130, and at least another channel 120 is configured as a second operating channel 600.

[0174] In some examples, two channels 120 may be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100. One channel 120 may be used as the receiving area 130, and the other channel 120 may be used as the second operating channel 600. For example, the right side of the fixed carrier 100 along the first direction y is the lane 10a, then the channel 120 on the right side of the two channels 120 is the receiving area 130, and the channel 120 on the left side is the second operating channel 600.

[0175] For example, when the fixed carrier 100 has two first cargo positions 110 along the first direction y, no matter the fixed carrier 100 is a single-depth structure or a double-depth structure, two channels 120 may be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, wherein one channel 120 is located at the bottom of one column of the first cargo positions 110, and the other channel 120 is located at the bottom of the other column of the first cargo positions 110.

[0176] Fig.11 FIG. 1 is a top view of a fixed carrier provided in one embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 and Fig.11 As shown, in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have at least three channels 120 arranged along the first direction y, and each channel 120 extends along the second direction x. Among the multiple channels 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, two channels 120 adjacent to the lanes 10a on both sides of the fixed carrier 100 are both receiving areas 130, and at least one channel 120 between the two receiving areas 130 is configured as a second operating channel 600.

[0177] For example, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 has three channels 120, one of which is adjacent to the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100, and the channel 120 serves as one of the accommodating areas 130, and the other channel 120 is adjacent to the lane 10a on the other side of the fixed carrier 100, and the channel 120 serves as another accommodating area 130.

[0178] There is a channel 120 between the two channels 120 adjacent to the lanes 10a on both sides, and the channel 120 can be used as the second operation channel 600. It can be understood that the second operation channel 600 located at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 can be called the fourth sub-operation channel 620.

[0179] In the embodiment of the present application, at least one channel 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 is used as the second operating channel 600 to increase the number of the second operating channels 600, and enable an empty or loaded transport robot 400 to operate in the fixed carrier 100, while reducing the probability of operating in the alley 10a, thereby avoiding the transport robot 400 interfering with the operation of the transfer robot 200 in the alley 10a.

[0180] The embodiment of the present application increases the storage capacity of the storage area 10 for the movable carrier 300 by setting at least three channels 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, and using two of them as the storage area 130, so that more target items on the fixed carrier 100 can be transported through the movable carrier 300 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, without the need to transport the movable carrier 300 at other fixed carriers 100 to the hit fixed carrier 100. In addition, the second operation channel 600 (the fourth sub-operation channel 620) at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 is connected to the storage areas 130 on both sides, that is, the two storage areas 130 can share one second operation channel 600, so that the transport robot 400 located in the second operation channel 600 can dock with the storage areas 130 on both sides.

[0181] It can be understood that when the fixed carrier 100 has a second operating channel 600 at the bottom, the second sub-operating channel 520 that runs through part of the fixed carrier 100 can be formed by the reserved space 130a overlapping along the first direction y, the second operating channel 600 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, and the lane 10a between two adjacent fixed carriers 100.

[0182] In addition, when the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 has a second running channel 600, the reserved space 130a overlapped along the first direction y, the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 and the second running channel 600 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 together form a first sub-running channel 510. Figure 3As shown, in some examples, at least one fixed carrier 100 includes two sub-fixed carriers (101 and 102), each of which has two first cargo positions 110 along the first direction y, so that each sub-fixed carrier forms a double-deep structure. The two sub-fixed carriers are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction y, so that the first cargo positions 110a in the inner deep position of the two sub-fixed carriers are connected. The first cargo positions 110b in the outer deep position of the two sub-fixed carriers are arranged adjacent to the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100.

[0183] For example, the fixed carrier 100 has a first side and a second side that are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction y, wherein the first side is a side of the first sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the first side lane 10a, the first cargo position 110 adjacent to the first side lane 10a on the first sub-fixed carrier is an outer depth position, and the first cargo position 110 away from the first side lane 10a is an inner depth position; the second side is a side of the second sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the second side lane 10a, the first cargo position 110 adjacent to the second side lane 10a on the second sub-fixed carrier is an outer depth position, and the second cargo position 310 away from the second side lane 10a is an inner depth position. The transfer robot 200 on the first side docks with the outer depth position and the inner depth position of the first sub-fixed carrier, and the transfer robot 200 on the second side docks with the outer depth position and the inner depth position of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0184] The bottoms of the two sub-fixed carriers at the outer deep position form a receiving area 130, so that the fixed carrier 100 forms two spaced receiving areas 130. The bottoms of the two sub-fixed carriers at the inner deep position form a second operation channel 600. It can be understood that the two inner deep bottoms together form a second operation channel 600 to ensure the width of the second operation channel 600, so that the unloaded transport robot 400 or the loaded transport robot 400 can run smoothly along the second operation channel 600.

[0185] In some examples, when the two sub-fixed carriers are three-deep structures or above, there may be multiple second running channels 600 located at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100.

[0186] For example, if both sub-fixed carriers are three-depth structures, two second operating channels 600 can be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, wherein one second operating channel 600 is formed by the space at the bottom of the two inner depth positions of the first sub-fixed carrier, and the other second operating channel 600 is formed by the space at the bottom of the two inner depth positions of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0187] For another example, if both sub-fixed carriers are four-deep structures, three second operating channels 600 can be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, wherein one second operating channel 600 is formed by the spaces at the bottom of the first two inner deep positions of the first sub-fixed carrier, another second operating channel 600 is formed by the spaces at the bottom of the innermost inner deep positions of the first and second sub-fixed carriers, and another second operating channel 600 is formed by the spaces at the bottom of the first two inner deep positions of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0188] For example, in a picking task, the empty load handling robot 400 can move along the closer first sub-operating channel 510 to the second operating channel 600 at the bottom of the target fixed carrier 100, and can transport the movable carriers 300 in the storage areas 130 on both sides, without having to run the handling robot 400 into the alleys 10a on both sides of each storage area 130, thereby shortening the operating path of the empty load handling robot 400 to reach each movable carrier 300.

[0189] For another example, in a shelving task, the loaded transport robot 400 can move along the closer first sub-operating channel 510 to the second operating channel 600 at the bottom of the target fixed carrier 100, and can transport the movable carrier 300 to the storage area 130 on either side, so as to transfer the target items in the corresponding storage area 130 to the first cargo position 110 through the transfer robot 200 on either side.

[0190] Alternatively, when multiple target items in the movable carrier 300 need to be put on the shelves of two opposite sub-fixed carriers, the loaded handling robot 400 can move to the second operation channel 600 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, so as to facilitate the transport of the movable carrier 300 to the storage area 130 on the target side, and put it on the shelves by the transfer robot 200 on the corresponding side, without carrying the movable carrier 300 to the lane 10a on the corresponding side for shelving, thereby shortening the shelving efficiency of multiple target items. From another perspective, the second operation channel 600 is set at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 and is located between the two storage areas 130, so that the target items hit at one time can cover the first cargo position 110 of the two sub-fixed carriers without affecting the picking or shelving efficiency.

[0191] The embodiment of the present application rationally utilizes the space at the bottom of the multi-depth fixed carrier 100, enriches the second operating channel 600 of the transport robot 400, enables the transport robot 400 to reach the target movable carrier 300 or workstation 20 more quickly, and also enriches the avoidance paths of the multiple transport robots 400, thereby preventing the multiple transport robots 400 from avoiding each other and affecting work efficiency.

[0192] For the convenience of description, the fixed carrier 100 having one channel 120 at the bottom may be referred to as a fixed carrier a, and the fixed carrier 100 having multiple channels 120 at the bottom may be referred to as a fixed carrier b.

[0193] In some examples, the storage area 10 may include a fixed carrier a and a fixed carrier b. For example, the fixed carrier a may be arranged at the front and rear edges of the storage area 10, and the fixed carrier b may be arranged in the inner area of ​​the storage area 10. Exemplarily, a fixed carrier a is arranged at the front and rear sides of the storage area 10, respectively, and a plurality of fixed carriers b are arranged at intervals between the two fixed carriers a. In this way, both sides of each fixed carrier b are lanes 10a, and the side of the fixed carrier a facing the fixed carrier b is the lane 10a.

[0194] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in some examples, the bottom of the movable carrier 300 has a carrying space 330. When the movable carrier 300 is located in the accommodating area 130, the portion of the accommodating area 130 located in the carrying space 330 can be constructed for the operation of the unloaded transport robot 400 to increase the operation channel 120 of the unloaded transport robot 400.

[0195] For example, the bottom of the movable carrier 300 has a carrying space 330, and the carrying space 330 is located between the second cargo position 310 at the bottom layer of the movable carrier 300 and the ground. In this way, when the movable carrier 300 is located in the storage area 130, the unloaded transport robot 400 can operate in the storage area 130 along the carrying space 330 of the movable carrier 300. On the one hand, the unloaded transport robot 400 can operate along the storage area 130 with the movable carrier 300 to reach the bottom of the target movable carrier 300 in the storage area 130. On the other hand, the unloaded transport robot 400 can pass through the storage area 130 of one of the fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y and enter the alley 10a or the storage area 130 of another fixed carrier 100.

[0196] It should be noted that the above-mentioned channel for the operation of the unloaded transport robot 400 means that it can only be operated by the unloaded transport robot 400, and the first operating channel 500 and the second operating channel 600 are not included in the range of the channel 120 for the operation of the unloaded transport robot 400, that is, when the movable carrier 300 is located in the accommodating area 130, the accommodating area 130 can only be operated by the unloaded transport robot 400, and cannot be operated by the loaded transport robot 400.

[0197] Reference Fig. 9As shown, in some examples, the handling robot 400 may be a lifting robot, for example, the handling robot 400 may include a chassis, a lifting component, and a bearing component fixed on the lifting component, and the lifting component may drive the bearing component to move up and down during the lifting process to achieve the handling of the movable carrier 300. For example, the lifting component of the handling machine may drive the bearing component to descend, so that the entire handling robot 400 may enter the bearing space 330 of the movable carrier 300, and then the lifting component drives the bearing component to rise, so that the bearing component lifts the movable carrier 300, so that the movable carrier 300 is off the ground, thereby driving the entire handling robot 400 to move through the chassis, so as to drive the movable carrier 300 to move.

[0198] In this way, when the unloaded transport robot 400 runs along the storage area 130 to the bottom of the target movable carrier 300, it can directly transport the movable carrier 300 out of the storage area 130 and transport it to the channel 120 where the loaded transport robot 400 can run, such as the first operating channel 500 or the second operating channel 600, without having to run to other channels 120, such as the first operating channel 500 or the second operating channel 600, and then transport the target movable carrier 300 when reaching the bottom of the target movable carrier 300 along the storage area 130, thereby improving the docking efficiency between the unloaded transport robot 400 and the movable carrier 300.

[0199] In some examples, the handling robot 400 may also be a mechanical gripper robot, for example, the handling robot 400 includes a chassis and a mechanical gripper movably disposed on the chassis. When the handling robot 400 is docked with the movable carrier 300, it may move to the side of the movable carrier 300 and grasp the movable carrier 300 through the mechanical gripper to lift the movable carrier 300 off the ground. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the structure and handling method of the handling robot 400.

[0200] In some examples, the first operating channel 500 , the second operating channel 600 and the accommodating area 130 are all one-way channels 120 . This can reduce traffic jams caused by the transport robots 400 avoiding each other and achieve smooth operation of the transport robots 400 .

[0201] In some examples, the first operating channel 500 , the second operating channel 600 , and the accommodating area 130 may all be bidirectional channels 120 .

[0202] In some examples, the height of the movable carrier 300 can match the working height of the staff, so that the staff, such as the picker, can pick the target item on the movable carrier 300, or the shelf staff can place the target item on the movable carrier 300. For example, the height of the movable carrier 300 is 0.8m to 1.2m. Exemplarily, the height of the movable carrier 300 can be a suitable height value such as 0.8m, 1.0m or 1.2m, which can be adjusted according to the average height of the actual staff.

[0203] Reference Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in some examples, the movable carrier 300 includes a partition 320, and a second cargo position 310 is formed above the partition 320. The partition 320 is in an inclined state at least when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the operation object at the workstation 20, so that the staff can dock with the second cargo position 310 without bending over, thereby improving the efficiency of the staff docking with the second cargo position 310 and relieving the staff's work fatigue. For example, the partition 320 can be directly set to an inclined state, that is, at any time, the partition 320 is in an inclined state. Exemplarily, the inclination angle of the partition 320 is 7° to 8°, which can facilitate the staff to dock with the second cargo position 310 on the one hand, and on the other hand, the transfer robot 200 can dock with the second cargo position 310 at the inclination angle to ensure that the docking between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300 is not affected. For example, the inclination angle of the partition 320 can be a suitable angle value such as 7°, 7.5° or 8°.

[0204] For another example, a driving structure may be provided on the movable carrier 300, and the driving structure is connected to the partition 320. When the movable carrier 300 is docked with a worker, the driving structure may drive the partition 320 to an inclined state for the worker to dock. In other states, the driving structure may drive the partition 320 to a horizontal state. For example, when the movable carrier 300 is carrying a target object and moving on the ground, the partition 320 may be in a horizontal state to ensure that the target object is stably placed on the partition 320 and avoids sliding off the partition 320. For another example, when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the transfer robot 200, the driving structure may drive the partition 320 to a horizontal state to facilitate the docking of the transfer robot 200 with the movable carrier 300.

[0205] In some examples, one end of the partition 320 is rotatably arranged on the vertical beam of the movable carrier 300, and the driving structure can be a cylinder arranged at the bottom of the other end of the partition 320, and the cylinder can drive the other end of the partition 320 to rise and fall, so that the other end of the partition 320 is higher than or flush with one end, so that the partition 320 switches between the inclined state and the horizontal state. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the structural setting of the driving structure, as long as the partition 320 can switch between the inclined state and the horizontal state under the drive of the driving structure.

[0206] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 includes at least two layers of second cargo positions 310, at least the second cargo position 310 located at the top layer of the movable carrier 300 is configured to cache the target items of order hits, and at least the second cargo position 310 located at the bottom layer of the movable carrier 300 is configured to store empty containers or items with a high order hit rate. Items with a high order hit rate may be referred to as Class A items hereinafter.

[0207] By placing the target item of the order on the top layer of the movable carrier 300, the transfer robot 200 can more quickly place the target item on the second cargo position 310 on the top layer of the movable carrier 300 during the picking task, and the picker can quickly pick out the target item on the top layer. It is also convenient for the shelf staff to quickly place the target item on the second cargo position 310 on the top layer of the movable carrier 300 during the shelving task, and the transfer robot 200 can more quickly take out the target item on the top layer of the movable carrier 300 and shelve it on the first cargo position 110.

[0208] In addition, the empty containers can be stored for a long time on the second cargo position 310 at the bottom layer of the movable carrier 300, so that when receiving a shelving task, the handling robot 400 can directly transport the movable carrier 300 to the shelving workstation, and the shelving personnel can put the target items into the empty containers, without having to use the transfer robot 200 multiple times to transfer the empty containers on the first cargo position 110 to the movable carrier 300, thereby reducing the workload of the transfer robot 200 in up and down transportation.

[0209] In addition, Class A items can be stored for a long time on the second cargo position 310 on the bottom layer of the movable carrier 300, so that when the Class A items are found, the transport robot 400 can directly transport the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation, and the pickers can pick the Class A items. There is no need to use the transfer robot 200 multiple times to transfer the Class A items on the first cargo position 110 to the movable carrier 300, thereby reducing the workload of the transfer robot 200 in up and down transportation.

[0210] For example, the storage area 10 will perform sorting work at night based on the order data during the day, and the target items with a higher hit rate will be sorted on the movable carrier 300 below. For example, the target items with a higher hit rate can be transferred to the bottom cargo position of the movable carrier 300 by the transfer robot 200, thereby completing the sorting work. In this way, the hit rate of the target items stored in the same movable carrier 300 can be high, that is, it can be ensured that there are sufficient hit target items on the movable carrier 300 transported to the workstation 20, thereby reducing the transportation of useless target items.

[0211] In some examples, because the height of the movable carrier 300 matches the height of the staff, the movable carrier 300 can be provided with two layers of second cargo positions 310, and the height of each layer of the second cargo position 310 can be the height of a standard material box so that the second cargo position 310 can store SKU cargo boxes.

[0212] By configuring the movable carrier 300 to include two layers of second cargo locations 310, the number of cargo locations of the movable carrier 300 is reduced compared to the mobile shelves with more than five layers in the related art, so that all target items on the movable carrier 300 can hit a small number of fixed carriers 100, for example, one fixed carrier 100, thereby reducing the time that the movable carrier 300 stays at each fixed carrier 100, so that the movable carrier 300 can quickly complete picking up or shelving on the storage area 10 side.

[0213] Similarly, all target items on the movable carrier 300 can hit a small number of workstations 20, for example, one workstation 20, thereby reducing the time that the movable carrier 300 stays at multiple workstations 20 and avoiding the movable carrier 300 from moving at multiple workstations 20, thereby improving the utilization rate of the movable carrier 300 and the work efficiency of the entire warehousing system.

[0214] Exemplarily, each layer of the movable carrier 300 may have two second cargo positions 310, and the movable carrier 300 has two layers, so that the movable carrier 300 has a total of four second cargo positions 310. On the one hand, it can ensure that the movable carrier 300 can carry four target items, such as four boxes, at a time to improve the working efficiency of the storage system. On the other hand, it can avoid that too many second cargo positions 310 on the movable carrier 300 cause the movable carrier 300 to stay in the storage area 10 for too long, or stay in the workstation 20 area for too long, thereby affecting the utilization rate of the movable carrier 300 and the transfer efficiency of the target items on the movable carrier 300. By setting the movable carrier 300 to have two layers, compared with the movable carrier with more than five layers in the related art, space in the height direction is also saved, so that the movable carrier 300 can be placed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 to save the occupation of the area outside the fixed carrier 100 by the movable carrier 300.

[0215] Reference Figure 6 As shown, in some examples, the transfer robot 200 may include a busbar 230, which may include a conductor and a current receiver, wherein the conductor may be a copper body wrapped in a protective cover, an end of the conductor is connected to a power source, and the current receiver is in electrical contact with the conductor, so that the electrical signal on the conductor can be transmitted to the current receiver.

[0216] During the setting, the conductor of the busbar 230 is set on the track 140, and the current collector of the busbar 230 is set on the traveling component 212 and electrically connected to the traveling component 212. The current collector is constructed to contact the conductor when the traveling component 212 moves along the track 140, so that the current collector can continue to receive electricity during the movement along the track 140 driven by the traveling component 212, so as to provide electrical energy for the traveling component 212 and ensure the normal operation of the traveling component 212.

[0217] By setting the busbar 230, the number of cables is reduced, and the load of the cables on the transfer robot 200 is reduced, thereby reducing the impact of the cables on the life of the transfer robot 200 and ensuring the stable operation of the pick-and-place setting. In addition, the reduction in the number of cables also eliminates the need to use a drag chain, thereby ensuring the structural stability of the transfer robot 200.

[0218] In addition, the transfer robot 200 is powered by the busbar 230, with high charging efficiency and short waiting time for the transfer robot 200. There is no need to replace it with other transfer robots 200, thereby saving the number of transfer robots 200 used. In addition, compared with the first transport robot 400 walking on the ground of the alley 10a in the related technology, which needs to travel to the charging pile outside the alley 10a for charging, the embodiment of the present application powers the transfer robot 200 by the busbar 230, thereby avoiding the traffic congestion caused by the charging process of the first transport robot 400 in the related technology and improving the efficiency of the transfer robot 200 in retrieving and returning boxes.

[0219] During installation, the conductor can be fixed to the inner surface of the track 140 or the outer surface of the track 140. There is no limitation here, as long as the current collector arranged on the walking component 212 can continuously contact with the conductor.

[0220] In some examples, a track 140 may be provided on the fixed carrier 100, and the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism 210 is suspended on the track 140 through the travel assembly 212 and runs along the track 140. For example, a track 140 may be provided on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, and the travel assembly 212 is provided at the top or at the first position of the frame 211, and the distance between the first position and the top of the frame 211 is smaller than the distance between the first position and the bottom of the frame 211, so that the frame 211 is stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212.

[0221] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, in some examples, the fixed carrier 100 may be provided with a plurality of tracks 140, and the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism 210 may be provided with a plurality of groups of traveling components 212 spaced apart along the height direction z, and the plurality of groups of traveling components 212 are arranged corresponding to the tracks 140, so that the frame 211 runs along the corresponding tracks 140 through the plurality of groups of traveling components 212, and at least one group of traveling components 212 is suspended on the track 140, so that the frame 211 is suspended on the fixed carrier 100.

[0222] For example, two tracks 140 are provided on the fixed carrier 100. The first track 140, i.e., the upper track, can be provided on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100. The first group of running components 212 is provided at the top or the first position of the stand 211, and the first group of running components 212 runs along the upper track. The second track 140, i.e., the lower track, can be provided on the middle crossbeam or the bottom crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100. The second group of running components 212 is provided at the middle, the bottom or the second position of the stand 211. The distance between the second position and the bottom of the stand 211 is smaller than the distance between the second position and the top of the stand 211. The second group of running components 212 runs along the lower track, thereby improving the running stability of the stand 211 on the fixed carrier 100. Exemplarily, at least one of the first group of running components 212 and the second group of running components 212 is suspended on the corresponding track 140. For example, the first group of running components 212 is suspended on the upper track, and the second group of running components 212 only runs along the lower track without being suspended on the lower track.

[0223] In some examples, each group of traveling components 212, that is, the traveling components 212 cooperating with the same track 140, can be one or more. For example, the stand 211 is a vertical pole extending in the height direction z, and the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 is movably arranged on the vertical pole. Then, there is one traveling component 212 cooperating with one of the tracks 140, and one traveling component 212 is arranged on the vertical pole. For another example, the stand 211 includes a top connecting rod 211a and two vertical poles 211b extending in the height direction z. The top connecting rod 211a is connected between the tops of the two vertical poles 211b, so that the stand 211 forms a portal structure (refer to Figures 4 to 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , each group of traveling components 212 may include one or two traveling components 212. For example, one traveling component 212 may be disposed on any one of the vertical rods 211b of the vertical frame 211, and the traveling component 212 drives the entire vertical frame 211 to run along the track 140 through one vertical rod 211b.

[0224] For another example, each group of traveling components 212 may have two, and each upright pole 211 b is set on the track 140 through the traveling component 212, so that the entire stand 211 can run stably along the track 140.

[0225] Fig.12 yes Figure 6 Side view of Fig.13 yes Fig.12 A partial enlarged view of point I in the middle. Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, in some examples, the walking assembly 212 may include a driving member 2121 and a driving wheel 2122, wherein the driving member 2121 is connected to the frame 211, the driving wheel 2122 is connected to the driving member 2121, and the driving wheel 2122 is constructed to run along the track 140 under the drive of the driving member 2121.

[0226] Exemplarily, the driving member 2121 can be a motor such as a stepping motor, a driving cylinder, a synchronous pulley structure, a gear rack structure, etc. The driving shaft of the driving wheel 2122 is fixed to the output shaft of the motor. During the rotation, the output shaft of the motor drives the driving wheel 2122 to roll along the track 140 to drive the stand 211 to move.

[0227] In some examples, the driving wheel 2122 may be located at the top or bottom of the track 140, and the rolling surface of the driving wheel 2122 rolls along the top surface or the bottom surface of the track 140. Fig.13 As shown, the top and bottom of the track 140 are arranged opposite to each other along the height direction of the track 140. Exemplarily, the height direction of the track 140 is consistent with the height direction of the fixed carrier 100.

[0228] It can be understood that when the driving wheel 2122 is set on the top of the track 140, the driving wheel 2122 also plays a role in hanging the stand 211 on the track 140.

[0229] Reference Fig.13 As shown, in some examples, the driving wheel 2122 may be located on the side of the track 140. It is understood that the side of the track 140 faces the width direction of the track 140. For example, the driving wheel 2122 may be located on the side of the track 140 that is away from the fixed carrier 100, and the rolling surface of the driving wheel 2122 contacts the side of the track 140, so that the rolling surface of the driving wheel 2122 rolls along the side of the track 140. In this way, when the stand 211 jumps up and down, the rolling surface of the driving wheel 2122 can be prevented from detaching from the track 140 and idling, thereby ensuring that the driving wheel 2122 drives the stand 211 to run stably along the track 140.

[0230] It should be noted that the width direction of the track 140 is consistent with the pick-and-place direction of the pick-and-place mechanism 220. The pick-and-place direction of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is the direction in which the pick-and-place mechanism 220 extends from the stand 211 to the first cargo position, or retracts from the first cargo position to the stand 211. Figure 3 and Fig.13 Shown in the y direction.

[0231] In some examples, the walking assembly 212 may include a guide wheel 2123, which is connected to the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism. The guide wheel 2123 is constructed to move along the extension direction of the track 140 under the drive of the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism, so as to prevent the walking assembly 212 from driving the frame 211 to move left and right along a direction intersecting with the extension direction of the track 140, such as a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the track 140, thereby ensuring the stability of the transfer robot 200 on the track 140 and the stability of the position of the pick-up and place mechanism 220 on the transfer robot 200 relative to the first cargo position 110 or the second cargo position 310.

[0232] Exemplarily, the guide wheel 2123 can be set at the top or bottom of the track 140 and can roll centered along the center of the track 140, that is, the walking component 212 drives the stand 211 to roll centered along the track 140.

[0233] In some examples, the rolling axis of the guide wheel 2123 extends along the height direction z of the track 140, so that the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 contacts the side wall of the track 140. For example, the track 140 may include a bottom wall and two side walls arranged opposite to each other in the width direction, the guide wheel 2123 is located in the track 140 groove formed by the bottom wall and the two side walls, and the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 contacts the inner surface of the two side walls and rolls along the inner surface of the two side walls. It can be understood that the two side walls of the track 140 limit the guide wheel 2123 along the width direction of the track 140, so that the guide wheel 2123 can move along the extension direction of the track 140 without being offset in the width direction.

[0234] In some examples, the extension direction of the rolling axis of the guide wheel 2123 is parallel to the pick-and-place direction of the pick-and-place mechanism 220, that is, the extension direction of the rolling axis of the guide wheel 2123 is parallel to the width direction of the track 140, so that the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 rolls along the top or bottom of the track 140. It can be understood that in this example, the thickness direction of the guide wheel 2123 is consistent with the width direction of the track 140, so that the width dimension of the track 140 can be reduced to reduce the distance between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 and the fixed carrier 100 on the stand 211, so that the pick-and-place distance of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can be reduced, and the pick-and-place accuracy and pick-and-place efficiency of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 are improved. In addition, when the width of the track 140 is made thinner, the height dimension of the track 140 can be increased to improve the bearing capacity of the track 140 on the walking component 212.

[0235] When the rolling axis of the guide wheel 2123 is consistent with the width direction of the track 140, in order to realize the limiting effect of the guide wheel 2123 along the width direction of the track 140, a groove 2124 is formed on one of the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 and the track 140, and the other of the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 and the track 140 is embedded in the groove 2124 and contacts the side wall of the groove 2124 opposite to the width direction of the track 140, so that the other moves along the groove 2124 relative to one of them.

[0236] For example, a groove (such as the above-mentioned track groove) can be set on the track 140, and the guide wheel 2123 can be embedded in the groove, and the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 contacts the inner surface of the bottom wall of the track 140 and rolls along the inner surface of the bottom wall, and the two end faces of the guide wheel 2123 contact one of the two side walls, that is, the guide wheel 2123 is gap-fitted with the two side walls, so that the guide wheel 2123 can run along the groove and can also be restricted between the two side walls without deviation.

[0237] Reference Fig.13As shown, for example, a groove 2124 can be opened on the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123, and the top or bottom of the track 140 is embedded in the groove 2124, so that the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 runs at least along the two opposite sides of the track 140, and the groove 2124 cooperates with the side wall of the track 140 to achieve a limiting effect on the guide wheel 2123 along the width direction of the track 140.

[0238] In some examples, the cross-section of the groove 2124 may include, but is not limited to, a square, a V-shape, an arc shape, or other suitable shapes.

[0239] Taking the cross-sectional shape of the groove 2124 as an example, the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 is provided with a V-shaped groove along the circumferential direction, and accordingly, the top or bottom of the track 140 is formed into a V-shaped structure, for example, the two side walls of the top of the track 140 are inclined surfaces, and the distance between the two inclined surfaces gradually decreases from the middle to the end of the track 140. When the top of the track 140 extends into the V-shaped groove, the two inclined surfaces of the track 140 contact the groove wall of the V-shaped groove, so that the guide wheel 2123 rolls along the two inclined surfaces of the track 140 and limits the deviation in the width direction of the track 140. In addition, the provision of the V-shaped groove can reduce the contact area between the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 and the track 140, thereby reducing the friction resistance between the guide wheel 2123 and the track 140, so that the guide wheel 2123 runs smoothly along the track 140.

[0240] Reference Figure 6 As shown, in some examples, the stand 211 of the transfer robot 200 can be a primary stand 211, that is, the height of the stand 211 is fixed and does not change. For example, the stand 211 includes a fixed stand, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is movably arranged on the fixed stand. The height of the fixed stand matches the height of the fixed carrier 100, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move along the fixed stand at various positions of the fixed carrier 100 along the height direction z, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can transfer the target item between the first cargo position 110 of each layer and the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. In this example, the height of the fixed stand can be selected according to the actual height of the fixed carrier 100.

[0241] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a transfer robot and a fixed carrier assembly provided in one embodiment of the present application. Fig.15 is another state schematic diagram of the transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application, Fig.16 yes Fig.15 Side view of Fig.17 is another state schematic diagram of the transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application. Fig.18 yes Fig.17 Side view of Fig.19is a schematic diagram of the structure of another transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present application. Fig. 20 Schematic diagram of a stand provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figures 14 to 20 As shown, in some examples, the stand 211 of the transfer robot 200 can also be a multi-stage stand structure, and each stand 211 in the multi-stage stand 211 can move relative to the upper-stage stand 211 to achieve the overall variable height of the stand 211.

[0242] For example, the stand 211 includes a fixed stand 2111 and a lifting stand 2112, wherein the fixed stand 2111 is a first-level stand 211, and the lifting stand 2112 is a stand 211 of other levels except the first level. The fixed stand 2111 is connected to the travel assembly 212, so that the fixed stand 2111 is suspended on the track 140 of the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212 and runs along the track 140.

[0243] The lifting frame 2112 is constructed to move in the height direction along the fixed frame 2111, so that when the lifting frame 2112 is in the first state, the height of the frame 211 matches the height of the fixed carrier 100. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 is arranged on the lifting frame 2112, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move relative to the fixed frame 2111 driven by the lifting frame 2112. In addition, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move relative to the lifting frame 2112 along the height direction z of the fixed carrier 100, so that the movement range of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 in the height direction z of the fixed carrier 100 is increased.

[0244] In the above example, when the lifting stand 2112 is in the first state, the overall height of the stand 211 matches the height of the fixed carrier 100. It is understandable that when the height of the fixed carrier 100 is different, the first state is different.

[0245] For example, when the height of the fixed carrier 100 is equal to or less than the height of the fixed stand 2111, the first state is that the lifting stand 2112 can be in a fully retracted state relative to the fixed stand 2111. Fig.16 and Fig.17 shown.

[0246] When the height of the fixed carrier 100 is greater than the height of the fixed frame 2111 and less than the sum of the heights of the fixed frame 2111 and the lifting frame 2112, the first state is a state in which the lifting frame 2112 extends a portion relative to the fixed frame 2111. Fig.14 and Fig.15 shown.

[0247] When the height of the fixed carrier 100 is equal to the sum of the heights of the fixed stand 2111 and the lifting stand 2112, the first state is the state in which the lifting stand 2112 is fully extended relative to the fixed stand 2111. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown. In this way, the lifting frame 2112 can move to different states relative to the fixed frame 2111, so that the overall height of the frame 211 adapts to the height of the fixed carrier 100. In this way, the transfer robot 200 can be mass-produced to be suitable for fixed carriers 100 of different heights, thereby saving the mass production cost of the transfer robot 200.

[0248] It should be noted that when the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move on the stand 211 to dock with the first cargo position 110 of each layer of the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300 under the fixed carrier 100 , it indicates that the height of the stand 211 matches the height of the fixed carrier 100 .

[0249] In some examples, the stand 211 may be greater than or equal to the height of the fixed carrier 100, or may be less than the height of the fixed carrier 100. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the height of the stand 211, as long as the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 on the stand 211 can be docked with the first cargo position 110 of each layer of the fixed carrier 100 and the second cargo position 310 below.

[0250] Reference Figures 14 to 19 As shown, in some examples, there is one lifting stand 2112, and one lifting stand 2112 is telescopic relative to the fixed stand 2111 to enable the stand 2111 to switch between different heights.

[0251] Reference Fig. 20 As shown, in some examples, there can be multiple lifting frames 2112, among which two adjacent lifting frames 2112 can move relative to each other, and the secondary lifting frame 2112 moves relative to the fixed frame 2111, and the picking and placing mechanism 220 is set on the lowest lifting frame 2112 and can move along the lowest lifting frame 2112. In this way, at least one lifting frame 2112 among the multiple lifting frames 2112 can be extended or retracted relative to the fixed frame 2111, so that the overall height of the frame 2111 can be changed.

[0252] Reference Figures 14 to 18As shown, in some examples, the fixed stand 2111 may be located above the lifting stand 2112, the fixed stand 2111 is suspended on the track 140 on one side of the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212, and the lifting stand 2112 may move along the fixed stand 2111, and may move along the second direction of the fixed carrier 110 driven by the travel assembly 212. The lifting stand 2112 moves downward relative to the fixed stand 2111 to extend the fixed stand 2111, thereby extending the overall length of the stand 211, and the lifting stand 2112 moves upward relative to the fixed stand 2111 to retract the fixed stand 2111, thereby shortening the overall length of the stand 211.

[0253] Exemplarily, the height of the fixed stand 2111 may be equal to, less than, or greater than half the height of the fixed carrier 100 .

[0254] For example, a track 140 may be disposed on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100 , and the travel assembly 212 may be disposed on the top of the fixed frame 2111 , so that the fixed frame 2111 is stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212 .

[0255] Reference Fig.14 As shown, for another example, two tracks 140 are provided on the fixed carrier 100, the first track 140, i.e., the upper track, can be provided on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, the first group of running components 212 is provided on the top of the fixed stand 2111, and the first group of running components 212 runs along the upper track. The second track 140, i.e., the lower track, can be provided on the middle crossbeam or the bottom crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, the second group of running components 212 is provided at the bottom of the fixed stand 2111 or near the bottom, and the second group of running components 212 runs along the lower track, thereby improving the running stability of the fixed stand 2111 on the fixed carrier 100.

[0256] Reference Fig.19 and Fig. 20 As shown, the fixed frame 2111 can be located below the lifting frame 2112, wherein the lifting frame 2112 moves upward relative to the fixed frame 2111 to extend the fixed frame 2111, thereby extending the overall length of the frame 211, and the lifting frame 2112 moves downward relative to the fixed frame 2111 to retract the fixed frame 2111, thereby shortening the overall length of the frame 211.

[0257] For example, a track 140 may be provided on the bottom crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100 , and the travel assembly 212 may be provided at the bottom of the fixed frame 2111 , so that the fixed frame 2111 is stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212 .

[0258] For another example, two tracks 140 are provided on the fixed carrier 100. The first track 140, i.e., the lower track, can be provided on the bottom crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100. The first group of running components 212 is provided at the bottom of the fixed frame 2111. The first group of running components 212 runs along the lower track. The second track 140, i.e., the upper track, can be provided on the middle crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100. The second group of running components 212 is provided at the top of the fixed frame 2111 or near the top. The second group of running components 212 runs along the lower track, thereby improving the running stability of the fixed frame 2111 on the fixed carrier 100.

[0259] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 may also include a first drive device and a motion component, wherein one end of the motion component is connected to the first drive device, and the lifting frame 2112 is connected to the fixed frame 2111 through the motion component. The motion component is configured to drive the lifting frame 2112 to move along the fixed frame 2111 in the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 under the drive of the first drive device. In some examples, the first drive device may include but is not limited to a motor, a drive cylinder, etc. The motion component includes but is not limited to one of a chain drive, a gear drive, and a roller screw drive. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the structure of the first drive device and the motion component, as long as it can ensure that the lifting frame 2112 can move along the fixed frame 2111 under the drive of the first drive device and the motion component.

[0260] In some examples, the transfer robot may include a transmission assembly 213, wherein the pick-and-place mechanism 220 may be connected to the lifting frame 2112 via the transmission assembly 213. In some examples, the transmission assembly 213 includes, but is not limited to, one of a chain drive, a gear drive, and a roller screw drive.

[0261] In some examples, the transfer robot may further include a second drive device, and the transmission assembly 213 is connected to the second drive device. The transmission assembly 213 may drive the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move along the lifting frame 2112 under the drive of the second drive device. The second drive device may include but is not limited to a motor, a drive cylinder, etc. In this example, the movement of the lifting frame 2112 relative to the fixed frame 2111 and the movement of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 relative to the lifting frame 2112 are independent of each other and do not affect each other.

[0262] In other examples, the transfer robot may not include the second drive device, and the transmission assembly 213 may include a pulley block 2132 and a transmission part 2131. The pulley block 2132 is connected to the end of the lifting frame 2112. The pulley block 2132 may be composed of a sprocket, a synchronous pulley or a steel wheel installed at the end of the lifting frame 2112. One end of the transmission part 2131 is fixedly connected to the pick-and-place mechanism 220, and the other end is fixedly connected to the fixed frame 2111 after passing through the pulley block 2132, so that the fixed frame 2111, the lifting frame 2112, the pulley block 2132 and the transmission part 2131 constitute a movable pulley mechanism. For the convenience of description, the part of the transmission part 2131 located on the first side of the pulley block 2132 is called the first part, and the first part is connected to the fixed frame 2111, and the part of the transmission part 2131 located on the second side of the pulley block 2132 is called the second part, and the second part is connected to the pick-and-place mechanism 220.

[0263] In some examples, when the fixed frame 2111 is located below the lifting frame 2112, the pulley block 2132 may be connected to the top of the lifting frame 2112. When the lifting frame 2112 extends out of the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission part 2131 increases, and the length of the second portion decreases, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission part 2131 moves upward along the lifting frame 2112. When the lifting frame 2112 is retracted into the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission part 2131 decreases, and the length of the second portion increases, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission part 2131 moves downward along the lifting frame 2112. In some examples, when the fixed frame 2111 is located above the lifting frame 2112, the pulley block 2132 may be connected to the bottom of the lifting frame 2112. When the lifting frame 2112 extends out of the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first part of the transmission part 2131 increases, and the length of the second part decreases, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second part of the transmission part 2131 moves downward along the lifting frame 2112. When the lifting frame 2112 is retracted into the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first part of the transmission part 2131 decreases, and the length of the second part increases, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second part of the transmission part 2131 moves upward along the lifting frame 2112.

[0264] In this example, the movement of the lifting frame 2112 relative to the fixed frame 2111 and the movement of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 relative to the lifting frame 2112 are linked to each other, that is, the movement of the lifting frame 2112 can drive the transmission component 213 to move, so that the transmission component 213 drives the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move relative to the lifting frame 2112. In this way, the second driving device can be saved, thereby saving the number of components of the transfer robot 200 and the power consumption of driving the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move.

[0265] The warehousing system of the embodiment of the present application is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a work task:

[0266] The control server is constructed to control the stand 211 to run along the track 140 when receiving a work task, driven by the walking component 212, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the lifting stand 2112 in the stand 211 moves along the fixed stand 2111, and / or the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the lifting stand 2112, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110.

[0267] For example, when the target cargo location is within the area covered by the fixed stand 2111, the lifting stand 2112 does not need to move along the fixed stand 2111, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 only needs to move along the lifting stand 2112 driven by the second drive device and the transmission assembly 213, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 reaches the target cargo location. For another example, when the target cargo location is outside the area covered by the fixed stand 2111, the lifting stand 2112 can move along the fixed stand 2111, and at the same time, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move along the lifting stand 2112 driven by the transmission assembly 213, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 reaches the target cargo location.

[0268] When the pick-and-place mechanism 220 reaches the target cargo position, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 transfers the target item taken from the movable carrier 300 to the target cargo position; or, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 takes the target item from the target cargo position and continues to move along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the idle movable carrier 300 below the fixed carrier 100, and transfers the target item to the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. It can be understood that the way the pick-and-place mechanism 220 carrying the target item moves along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier 100 is similar to the movement of the above-mentioned unloaded pick-and-place mechanism 220, which will not be described in detail here.

[0269] The control server controls the transport robot 400 to transport the movable carrier 300 with the target item from the target position to the fixed carrier 100, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can take out the target item from the movable carrier 300 and transfer it to the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110; or, the transport robot 400 moves to the movable carrier 300 with the target item and transports the movable carrier 300 to the target position.

[0270] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a picking work task:

[0271] The control server controls the stand 211 to move along the track 140 under the drive of the walking component 212, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the lifting stand 2112 in the stand 211 moves along the fixed stand 2111, and / or the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the lifting stand 2112, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110.

[0272] The pick-and-place mechanism 220 takes out the target item on the target cargo position and continues to move along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the idle movable carrier 300 below the fixed carrier 100, and transfers the target item to the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300.

[0273] The control server controls the transport robot 400 to move to the movable carrier 300 having the target object, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation so that the operating object picks the target object.

[0274] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a put-away work task:

[0275] The control server controls the transport robot 400 to transport the movable carrier 300 with the target object from the loading station to the fixed carrier 100. For example, the transport robot 400 may first transport the movable carrier 300 with an empty container to the loading station, and the operation object, such as an operator, places the target object in the empty container, and then the transport robot 400 transports the movable carrier 300 with the target object from the loading station to the fixed carrier 100.

[0276] The stand 211 is driven by the walking assembly 212 to move along the track 140 so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the lifting stand 2112 in the stand 211 moves along the fixed stand 2111, and / or the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the lifting stand 2112 so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the movable carrier 300 with the target object.

[0277] When the picking and placing mechanism 220 reaches the movable carrier 300 with the target item, the picking and placing mechanism 220 takes the target item from the movable carrier 300 and continues to move along the second direction and the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position 110, transfers the target item to the target cargo position, and completes the shelving work.

[0278] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 is shared between two adjacent fixed carriers 100 .

[0279] In some examples, the track 140 is disposed on a fixed carrier 100 on one side of the lane 10a, and the same transfer robot 200 is configured to pick up and place target items on the fixed carriers 100 on both sides of the lane 10a. For example, at least one transfer robot 200 is disposed in the lane 10a, and the transfer robot 200 is suspended on a fixed carrier 100 on one side of the lane 10a through a walking assembly 212. The transfer robot can dock with the fixed carriers 100 on both sides of the lane 10a, and can also dock with the movable carriers 300 under the fixed carriers 100 on both sides. In this way, the width of the lane 10a can be reduced, and the storage density of the storage area 10 can be improved.

[0280] In some examples, tracks 140 may be provided on the fixed carriers 100 on opposite sides of the alley 10a, and the transfer robot 200 may be configured to move along the tracks 140 on both sides of the alley 10a to transfer target items on the fixed carriers 100 and the movable carriers 300 on both sides of the alley 10a.

[0281] In some examples, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 of the transfer robot 200 can be centrally arranged in the alley 10a so that the distance between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 and the first cargo position 110 or the second cargo position 310 on both sides is equal. In this way, the docking distance between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 and the cargo positions on both sides can be equal, thereby facilitating the control of the docking process between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 and the cargo positions on both sides and also making the docking accuracy higher.

[0282] In some examples, a transfer robot 200 may be provided on the lane side of each fixed carrier 100 to shorten the pick-up and placement distance of the transfer robot 200 .

[0283] In some examples, a plurality of transfer robots 200 are disposed in the alley 10a, and the plurality of transfer robots 200 are disposed along the extension direction of the alley 10a. Each transfer robot 200 can operate along a preset area of ​​the fixed carrier 100 to be responsible for docking with a cargo location in the preset area (for example, the first cargo location 110 or the second cargo location 310). In this way, when one of the transfer robots 200 fails, the other transfer robots 200 are not affected and continue to dock with the corresponding preset area, ensuring that the box retrieval and return work in other areas continues.

[0284] The above specific implementation methods further explain in detail the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present application and are not used to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A storage system, characterized in that: include: A storage area (10), wherein a plurality of fixed carriers (100) are arranged in the storage area (10), and the fixed carriers (100) have a plurality of first cargo positions (110) for storing target items; A plurality of movable carriers (300) are arranged in the storage area (10), and the movable carriers (300) have a plurality of second cargo positions (310) for storing target items; a transfer robot (200) suspended on one side of the fixed carrier (100) and moving relative to the fixed carrier (100), the transfer robot (200) being configured to transfer the target object between the first cargo position (110) and the second cargo position (310); The transport robot (400) is configured to transfer the movable carrier (300) between the storage area (10) and a target location in one state, and is configured to be separated from the movable carrier (300) in another state.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the fixed carrier (100) is configured to have a receiving area (130) for parking the movable carrier (300); The transfer robot (200) is configured to transfer the target object together with a movable carrier (300) located in the containing area (130).

3. The storage system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A tunnel (10a) is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers (100), and the accommodating area (130) is arranged adjacent to the tunnel (10a); Wherein, the transfer robot (200) is configured to move along one side of the fixed carrier (100) toward the lane (10a).

4. The storage system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The storage area (10) comprises a plurality of first running channels (500) arranged side by side and a plurality of second running channels (600) arranged side by side; The first operating channel (500) extends along a first direction of the fixed carrier (100), and the second operating channel (600) extends along a second direction of the fixed carrier (100). The first operating channel (500) and the second operating channel (600) are arranged crosswise, and the first operating channel (500) and the second operating channel (600) are constructed to allow the empty and loaded transport robots (400) to operate.

5. The storage system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The bottom of the fixed carrier (100) has a plurality of channels (120); Among the multiple channels (120), at least one channel (120) adjacent to the lane (10a) of the fixed carrier (100) is the accommodating area (130), and at least another channel (120) is constructed as the second operating channel (600).

6. The storage system according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least one of the fixed carriers (100) comprises two sub-fixed carriers (100), each of the sub-fixed carriers (100) having a plurality of the first cargo positions (110) along a first direction, and the two sub-fixed carriers (100) are arranged opposite to each other along the first direction, so that the first cargo positions (110) in the inner deep position of the two sub-fixed carriers (100) are connected; The bottom portions of the two sub-fixed carriers (100) at the outer deep position form the accommodating area (130), and the bottom portions of the two sub-fixed carriers (100) at the inner deep position form the second operating channel (600).

7. The storage system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second operating channel (600) includes a lane (10a) on one side of the fixed carrier (100).

8. The storage system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first operating channel (500) comprises a first sub-operating channel (510) that penetrates all the fixed carriers (100) along the first direction; The accommodating area (130) has a reserved space (130a), and the reserved space (130a) is formed by spacing a plurality of the movable carriers (300). At least one of the reserved spaces (130a) in all the accommodating areas (130) overlaps along a first direction, and the reserved spaces (130a) overlapping along the first direction and the lane (10a) on one side of the fixed carrier (100) together form the first sub-operating channel (510).

9. The storage system according to claim 8, characterized in that: Along the second direction, the number of movable carriers (300) spaced between each two adjacent reserved spaces (130a) is the same or different.

10. The storage system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom of the movable carrier (300) has a carrying space (330), and when the movable carrier (300) is located in the accommodating area (130), the portion of the accommodating area (130) located in the carrying space (330) is constructed to allow the unloaded transport robot (400) to operate.

11. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the movable carrier (300) has a carrying space (330), and the transport robot (400) is configured to enter the carrying space (330) and lift the movable carrier (300) to drive the movable carrier (300) to move.

12. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the first work task: The transfer robot (200) moves on the corresponding fixed carrier (100) according to the first work task to reach the target cargo position in the first cargo position (110), take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier (300) with an empty cargo position; the transport robot (400) moves to the movable carrier (300) with the target item according to the first work task, and transports the movable carrier (300) to a workstation to process the target item; And / or, the storage system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the second work task: The transport robot (400) transports the movable carrier (300) with the target object from the workstation to the fixed carrier (100) according to the second work task; the transfer robot (200) moves on the fixed carrier (100) according to the second work task to reach the movable carrier (300) with the target object, and transfers the target object on the movable carrier (300) to the target cargo position of the fixed carrier (100); And / or, the storage system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the third work task: The transfer robot (200) arranged on the first fixed carrier moves on the first fixed carrier according to the third work task to reach the first target cargo position in the first cargo position (110), take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier (300) with an empty cargo position; the transport robot (400) moves to the movable carrier (300) with the target item according to the third work task, and transports the movable carrier (300) to the second fixed carrier; the transfer robot (200) arranged on the second fixed carrier moves on the second fixed carrier according to the third work task to reach the movable carrier (300) with the target item, and transfers the target item on the movable carrier (300) to the target cargo position of the second fixed carrier, wherein the plurality of fixed carriers (100) include the first fixed carrier and the second fixed carrier.

13. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the movable carrier (300) is 0.8m to 1.2m.

14. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable carrier (300) comprises a partition (320), the second cargo position (310) is formed above the partition (320), and the partition (320) is in an inclined state at least when the movable carrier (300) is docked with an operation object at a workstation (20).

15. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable carrier (300) includes at least two layers of the second cargo positions (310), wherein at least the second cargo position (310) located at the top layer of the movable carrier (300) is configured to cache target items hit by an order, and at least the second cargo position (310) located at the bottom layer of the movable carrier (300) is configured to store empty containers or items with a high order hit rate.

16. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: A track (140) extending along the lane (10a) is provided on the fixed carrier (100) at a position higher than the movable carrier (300), and the transfer robot (200) is configured to move along the track (140) to move to a position corresponding to a different column on the fixed carrier (100) or the movable carrier (300).

17. The storage system according to claim 16, characterized in that: The transfer robot (200) comprises: a lifting mechanism (210), the lifting mechanism (210) being matched with the track (140) and being configured to move along the track (140); A pick-and-place mechanism (220), wherein the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is configured to be used for picking up and placing the target object; the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is disposed on the lifting mechanism (210), and is configured to move relative to the lifting mechanism (210) in the height direction of the fixed carrier (100) to a position corresponding to a different layer on the fixed carrier (100) or the movable carrier (300).

18. The storage system according to claim 17, characterized in that: Before the transport robot (400) drives the movable carrier (300) to enter or leave the storage area (130) of the storage area (10), the lifting mechanism (210) moves on the track (140) to avoid the movable carrier (300); or, the picking and placing mechanism (220) moves in the height direction along the lifting mechanism (210) to avoid the movable carrier (300).

19. The storage system according to claim 17, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism (210) comprises: The stand (211) is configured to extend in the height direction of the fixed carrier (100); the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is disposed on the stand (211) and is configured to move in the height direction of the stand (211); A walking assembly (212) is arranged on the stand (211) and is guided and matched on the track (140). The walking assembly (212) is configured to move on the track (140) to drive the stand (211) to move along the fixed carrier (100).

20. The storage system according to claim 19, characterized in that: The transfer robot (200) further includes a busbar (230); The conductor of the busbar (230) is arranged on the track (140), the current collector of the busbar (230) is arranged on the traveling component (212) and is electrically connected to the traveling component (212), and the current collector is constructed to contact the conductor when the traveling component (212) moves along the track (140).

21. The storage system according to claim 19, characterized in that: The walking assembly (212) comprises: A driving member (2121) connected to the stand (211); a driving wheel (2122) connected to the driving member (2121), wherein the driving wheel (2122) is configured to run along the track (140) under the drive of the driving member (2121); A guide wheel (2123) is connected to the stand (211), and the guide wheel (2123) is configured to move along the extension direction of the track (140) under the drive of the stand (211).

22. The storage system according to claim 21, characterized in that: The extension direction of the rolling axis of the guide wheel (2123) is parallel to the pick-and-place direction of the pick-and-place mechanism (220); a groove (2124) is formed on one of the rolling surface of the guide wheel (2123) and the track (140), and the other of the rolling surface of the guide wheel (2123) and the track (140) is embedded in the groove (2124) so ​​that the other moves along the groove (2124) relative to the one.

23. The storage system according to claim 21, characterized in that: The driving wheel (2122) is located on the side of the track (140), and the rolling surface of the driving wheel (2122) contacts the side of the track (140) so as to roll along the side of the track (140).

24. The storage system according to claim 19, characterized in that: The stand (211) comprises a fixed stand (2111), and the height of the fixed stand (2111) matches the height of the fixed carrier (100); or, The stand (211) includes a fixed stand (2111) and a lifting stand (2112), wherein the fixed stand (2111) is connected to the walking assembly (212), and the lifting stand (2112) is guided and matched on the fixed stand (2111), and the lifting stand (2112) is constructed to move in the height direction along the fixed stand (2111), so that when the lifting stand (2112) is in a first state, the height of the stand (211) matches the height of the fixed carrier (100), and the pick-up and place mechanism (220) is arranged on the lifting stand (2112), and can move relative to the lifting stand (2112) in the height direction of the fixed carrier (100).

25. The storage system according to claim 24, characterized in that: The warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a work task: The stand (211) is driven by the walking assembly (212) to move along the track (140) so that the pick-up and place mechanism (220) moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier (100); the lifting stand (2112) in the stand (211) moves along the fixed stand (2111), and / or the pick-up and place mechanism (220) moves along the lifting stand (2112) so that the pick-up and place mechanism (220) moves along the height direction of the fixed carrier (100) until it reaches the target cargo position in the first cargo position (110); The pick-and-place mechanism (220) transfers the target item taken out from the movable carrier (300) to the target cargo position; or, the pick-and-place mechanism (220) takes out the target item on the target cargo position and continues to move along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier (100) until it reaches the idle movable carrier (300) below the fixed carrier (100), and transfers the target item to the second cargo position (310) of the movable carrier (300); The transport robot (400) transports the movable carrier (300) having the target item from the target position to the fixed carrier (100), so that the pick-and-place mechanism (220) can take out the target item from the movable carrier (300) and transfer it to the target cargo position in the first cargo position (110); or, the transport robot (400) moves to the movable carrier (300) having the target item and transports the movable carrier (300) to the target position.

26. The storage system according to claim 16, characterized in that: The track (140) is arranged on the fixed carrier (100) on one side of the lane (10a) in the storage area (10), and the transfer robot (200) is configured to pick up and place target items on the fixed carrier (100) on both sides of the lane (10a).

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