Material processing system

Abstract

The utility model discloses a material processing system which comprises a goods shelf, a first robot and a second robot, the goods shelf is provided with a plurality of storage positions used for storing material boxes, the goods shelf is further provided with a plurality of temporary storage positions, and the temporary storage positions are used for temporary storage of the material boxes to be sorted; the first robot is used for carrying the material boxes stored in the storage positions of the goods shelf to the temporary storage positions and carrying the material boxes located on the temporary storage positions to the storage positions; the second robot comprises a moving chassis, a sorting arm and a visual module, the moving chassis is provided with a bearing position used for bearing an order material box, the sorting arm can sort the target materials stored in the material box in the cache position into the order material box, and the order material box is used for storing the target materials to be delivered. The visual module is used for identifying target materials in the material box. The material boxes on the goods shelf are sorted through the second robot, the material boxes are carried through the first robot, and the space utilization rate and the working efficiency of a stock area are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of material transportation, and in particular to a material handling system. Background Art

[0002] The material handling system is mainly used in the process of material entry and exit, and realizes material picking and entry and exit through the cooperation of different actuators.

[0003] In related technologies, when performing material picking and outbound operations, a picking station is required in the warehouse system. A shelf robot removes the target material box from the shelf and places it in a buffer at the bottom of the shelf. A transport robot then transports the target material box to the picking station. A worker at the picking station or a picking robot picks the material from the target material box into an order material box. The transport robot then returns the target material box to the buffer at the bottom of the shelf, and the shelf robot returns the material box in the buffer to its original storage location. The disadvantage of this is that the setting up of the picking station takes up storage space, the material box has to be transported over long distances, the outbound process is time-consuming, and work efficiency is low. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present application aims to solve one of the technical problems in the related art to a certain extent. To this end, the present application provides a material handling system that can perform material picking operations in an inventory area to improve work efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present application adopts the following technical solution: a material handling system for picking and shipping target materials, the material handling system comprising a shelf, a first robot, and a second robot, the shelf being provided with a plurality of storage locations for storing material boxes, the shelf also being provided with a plurality of cache locations for caching material boxes to be picked;

[0006] The first robot is used to move the material box stored in the storage position of the shelf to the cache position, and to move the material box located on the cache position to the storage position;

[0007] The second robot includes a mobile chassis, a picking arm and a vision module. The mobile chassis is provided with a carrying position for carrying an order material box. The picking arm can pick the target material stored in the material box in the cache position into the order material box. The order material box is used to store the target material to be shipped out. The vision module is used to identify the target material in the material box.

[0008] In this technical solution, a cache position for placing material boxes to be picked is set on the shelf and a carrying position for placing order material boxes is set on the mobile chassis of the second robot. The first robot takes out the material box containing the target material to be shipped out from the shelf and places it in the cache position. While the second robot picks the target material in the material box on the cache position to the order material box located at the carrying position, the first robot can take out the next material box from the shelf and put it into another cache position. When the material box on the cache position is picked, the first robot puts the material box back to the original storage position. When the second robot is performing picking operations, the first robot can simultaneously perform material box picking and placing operations, thereby shortening the waiting time of the first and second robots and improving work efficiency.

[0009] Preferably, the second robot is further configured to perform picking operations on material boxes stored in the storage locations of the shelf, and the picking arm is further configured to pick target materials stored in the material boxes stored in the storage locations within the picking operation range into the order material box. By increasing the picking operation range of the second robot, the second robot is enabled to perform picking operations on material boxes in the storage locations of the shelf, thereby reducing the workload of the first robot.

[0010] Preferably, the material handling system also includes a third robot, which is provided with a carrying position for placing an order box. When the third robot carries the order box and is located in the picking operation range of the second robot, the picking arm can pick the target material stored in the material boxes stored in the storage position and cache position of the shelf into the order box carried by the third robot, and the third robot can transport the order box to the target location and ship it out of the warehouse.

[0011] Preferably, the shelf includes a first area within the picking operation range of the second robot and a second area beyond the picking operation range of the second robot. The first robot is configured to move material boxes stored in storage locations within the second area to the buffer location, and to move material boxes located on the buffer location to storage locations within the first area and / or the second area. The second robot only needs to move material boxes located in the second area to the buffer location, thereby reducing workload and improving work efficiency.

[0012] Preferably, the material handling system further includes a plurality of third robots, each of which is provided with a carrying position for placing order bins. The third robots are capable of transporting the order bins to a target location and shipping them out of the warehouse. By providing the third robots with the capacity to carry and transport the order bins, the second robot can conveniently place the selected target materials into the order bins during picking. Once the order bins are full or the picking task is completed, the third robots will ship the order bins out of the warehouse, allowing the second robot to perform picking operations uninterruptedly.

[0013] Preferably, the picking arm is configured as a multi-joint robotic arm, comprising a fixed end and a free end, wherein the fixed end is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis, and a mechanical claw is provided on the free end, and the mechanical claw is used to grab the target material.

[0014] Preferably, the second robot further comprises a support rod, the vision module is fixedly connected to one end of the support rod, the other end of the support rod is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis, and the support rod is configured as a telescopic rod.

[0015] Preferably, the vision module is fixedly connected to the free end of the picking arm.

[0016] Preferably, the first robot is configured as a shelf robot, which includes a guide rail, a column and an actuator, wherein the actuator is slidably connected to the column and moves vertically along the column, the column is slidably connected to the guide rail and moves horizontally along the guide rail, and the guide rail is fixedly connected to the shelf.

[0017] Preferably, the guide rail is fixedly connected to the shelf, the column includes a first column and a second column, and the actuator is arranged between the first column and the second column.

[0018] Preferably, the actuator includes a picking component for picking up and carrying the material box.

[0019] These features and advantages of this application will be disclosed in detail in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. The best embodiments or means of this application will be fully illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but this does not limit the technical solutions of this application. Furthermore, although there may be multiple features, elements, and components in each of the following text and accompanying drawings, different symbols or numbers may be used for convenience, but all represent components with the same or similar structure or function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a material processing system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 A structural diagram of another material processing system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 A flowchart of the material handling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Among them, 100, the first robot; 110, the guide rail; 120, the column; 130, the actuator; 200, the second robot; 210, the mobile chassis; 220, the robotic arm; 230, the vision module; 300, the third robot; 400, the shelf; 410, the storage position; 420, the cache position; 510, the material box; 520, the order material box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described in the embodiments are intended to be used to explain the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0026] References in this specification to "one embodiment," "an example," or "an example" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment itself can be included in at least one embodiment disclosed herein. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0027] In the related technology, the technicians of this application also proposed a material handling system, including a shelf and a shelf robot. The shelf robot includes a picking component, a picking component and a carrying component that can be used to carry order boxes. The picking component of the shelf robot takes out the target box from the shelf, and the picking component picks the target material in the target box into the order box. After the picking is completed, the shelf robot puts the target box back into the warehouse and then takes the next target box from the shelf. After the order box is full, the order box is handed over to the transport robot for delivery. The disadvantage is that the shelf robot needs to wait for the picking component to complete the picking before it can put the target box back on the shelf, and the picking component needs to wait for the shelf robot to take out the target box before it can perform the picking operation. The shelf robot and the picking component need to take turns working, the waiting time is long, and the work efficiency is still low.

[0028] like Figure 1 、 2As shown, this embodiment proposes a material handling system for picking and shipping target materials. The material handling system includes a shelf 400, a first robot 100, and a second robot 200. The shelf 400 is provided with a plurality of storage locations 410 for storing material boxes 510. The shelf 400 is also provided with a plurality of cache locations 420. The cache locations 420 are used to cache material boxes 510 to be picked; the first robot 100 is used to move the material boxes 510 stored in the storage locations 410 of the shelf 400 to the cache locations 420, and The material box 510 located on the cache position 420 is moved to the storage position 410; the second robot 200 includes a mobile chassis 210, a picking arm and a vision module 230, and the mobile chassis 210 is provided with a carrying position for carrying the order material box 520. The picking arm can pick the target material stored in the material box 510 in the cache position 420 into the order material box 520. The order material box 520 is used to store the target material to be shipped out, and the vision module 230 is used to identify the target material in the material box 510.

[0029] In this embodiment, a cache position 420 for placing a material box 510 to be picked is set on the shelf 400, and a carrying position for placing an order material box 520 is set on the mobile chassis 210 of the second robot 200. The first robot 100 takes out the material box 510 containing the target material to be shipped out from the shelf 400 and places it in the cache position 420. While the second robot 200 picks the target material in the material box 510 on the cache position 420 to the order material box 520 located at the carrying position, the first robot 100 can take out the next material box 510 from the shelf 400 and put it into another cache position 420. After the material box 510 on the cache position 420 is picked, the first robot 100 puts the material box 510 back to the original storage position 410. When the second robot 200 performs the picking operation, the first robot 100 can simultaneously perform the picking and placing operations of the material box 510, thereby shortening the waiting time of the first robot 100 and the second robot 200 and improving work efficiency. By setting a loading position for placing the order material box 520 on the mobile chassis 210 of the second robot 200, the second robot 200 can easily place the picked target materials into the order material box 520, and after the order material box 520 is fully loaded or all the target materials to be picked and shipped out are picked into the order material box 520, the second robot 200 will ship the order material box 520 out of the warehouse.

[0030] Specifically, the second robot 200 is further configured to perform a picking operation on the material boxes 510 stored in the storage location 410 of the shelf 400. The picking arm is further configured to pick target materials stored in the material boxes 510 stored in the storage location 410 within the picking operation range into the order material box 520. By increasing the picking operation range of the second robot 200, the second robot 200 is enabled to perform a picking operation on the material boxes 510 in the storage location 410 of the shelf 400, thereby reducing the workload of the first robot 100.

[0031] As an implementation, the material handling system further includes a third robot 300, which is provided with a carrying position for placing an order material box 520. When the third robot 300 carries the order material box 520 and is located within the picking operation range of the second robot 200, the picking arm can pick target materials stored in the material boxes 510 stored in the storage positions 410 and cache positions 420 of the shelf 400 into the order material box 520 carried by the third robot 300. The third robot 300 can then transport the order material box 520 to a target location and ship it out of the warehouse. In this embodiment, the third robot 300 is used to place the order material box 520 and move within the picking operation range of the second robot 200 when the second robot 200 performs a picking operation, enabling the second robot 200 to place the target materials in the material box 510 to be picked into the order material box 520 carried by the third robot 300.

[0032] Specifically, the shelf 400 includes a first area within the picking operation range of the second robot 200 and a second area beyond the picking operation range of the second robot 200. The first robot 100 is used to move material boxes 510 stored in storage locations 410 within the second area to the cache locations 420, and to move material boxes 510 located on the cache locations 420 to storage locations 410 within the first area and / or the second area. The first robot 100 only needs to move material boxes 510 located in the second area to the cache locations 420, reducing workload and improving work efficiency.

[0033] In this embodiment, the storage position 410 of the shelf 400 is divided into a first area and a second area according to the picking operation range of the second robot 200, that is, the second robot 200 can perform a picking operation on the material box 510 stored in the first area, and the first robot 100 is set on the shelf 400. When it is necessary to pick the material box 510 in the second area, the first robot 100 takes out the material box 510 stored in the second area and puts it into the cache position 420 of the first area, so that the second robot 200 can perform a picking operation on the material box 510 originally stored in the second area. After the material picking is completed, the first robot 100 puts the material box 510 on the cache position 420 back to its original storage position 410. When the second robot 200 is performing the picking operation, the first robot 100 can simultaneously perform the picking and placing operations of the material box 510, thereby shortening the operation waiting time of the first robot 100 and the second robot 200 and improving work efficiency; the material handover system of the present technical solution can complete the picking operation directly in the inventory area, and can complete the outbound order task by the first robot 100 and the second robot 200 located in the inventory area, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the inventory area and shortening the outbound task process.

[0034] Specifically, the mobile chassis 210 is equipped with a drive device and a positioning device. The drive device is used to drive the second robot 200 to move, and the positioning device is used to determine the position of the second robot 200 so that the second robot 200 can move to a designated location. The drive device and the positioning device enable the second robot 200 to perform self-guided transportation. The positioning device can be configured as an image recognition device, and an identification mark containing location information can be placed on the ground or shelf 400. The image recognition device reads the identification mark to determine the position of the second robot 200. For example, the image recognition device can be configured as a camera or scanner, and the identification mark can be configured as a QR code or barcode.

[0035] As a way to implement Figure 2As shown, the material handling system further includes a plurality of third robots 300, each of which is provided with a carrying position for placing an order bin 520. The third robots 300 are capable of transporting the order bin 520 to a target location and shipping it out of the warehouse. The third robots 300 are configured as automated guided vehicles. By configuring the third robots 300 to carry and transport the order bin 520, it is convenient for the second robot 200 to place the selected target material into the order bin 520 during picking. When the second robot 200 performs the picking operation, the third robots 300 can move with the second robot 200 and maintain a preset distance, so that the second robot 200 can accurately place the target material into the order bin 520 located on the third robots 300. After the order bin 520 is fully loaded or the picking task is completed, the third robots 300 will ship the order bin 520 out of the warehouse, allowing the second robot 200 to perform the picking operation uninterruptedly.

[0036] Specifically, the second robot 200 is configured as a sorting robot, comprising a mobile chassis 210, a robotic arm 220, and a vision module 230. The robotic arm 220 is disposed on the mobile chassis 210, and the vision module 230 is disposed on the robotic arm 220. The mobile chassis 210 is used to carry the robotic arm 220 and the vision module 230 and move them to a target position. The vision module 230 is used to identify target materials in a material box 510. The robotic arm 220 is used to grab the target materials from the material box 510 located on the buffer position 420 and place them into the order material box 520 located on the carrying position. The picking arm is configured as a multi-jointed robotic arm 220, comprising a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis 210, and a robotic claw is provided on the free end. The robotic claw is used to grab the target materials. The vision module 230 is fixedly connected to the free end of the picking arm. The robotic arm 220 is configured as a multi-jointed robotic arm 220, which can improve the flexibility of the robotic arm 220, making the picking action smoother and the picking range of the robotic arm 220 larger. The second robot 200 achieves the picking operation through the coordinated operation of the mobile chassis 210, the vision module 230, and the robotic arm 220. The mobile chassis 210 drives the vision module 230 and the robotic arm 220 to move to the target location of the material box 510 to be picked. The robotic arm 220 drives the vision module 230 and the robotic claw to move above the material box 510. The vision module 230 identifies the target material in the material box 510 and then controls the movement of the robotic arm 220 so that the robotic claw grabs the target material and places it into the order material box 520.

[0037] As a way to implement Figure 2As shown, the second robot 200 further includes a support rod, the vision module 230 being fixedly connected to one end of the support rod, and the other end of the support rod being fixedly connected to the mobile chassis 210. The support rod is configured as a telescopic rod. The vision module 230 is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis 210 via the telescopic support rod, which provides the vision module 230 with a larger operating range while maintaining a stable installation. By controlling the length of the telescopic rod, the vision module 230 can capture images of all materials in all material bins 510 within the first area, thereby better identifying target materials in the material bins 510.

[0038] Specifically, the first robot 100 is configured as a shelf robot, comprising a guide rail 110, a column 120, and an actuator 130. The actuator 130 is slidably connected to the column 120 and moves vertically along the column 120. The column 120 is slidably connected to the guide rail 110 and moves horizontally along the guide rail 110. The guide rail 110 is fixedly connected to the shelf 400. The actuator 130 includes a picking assembly for picking up, placing, and carrying the material box 510. The actuator 130 of the shelf robot moves vertically on the shelf 400 through a sliding connection with the column 120, and moves horizontally on the shelf 400 through a sliding connection between the column 120 and the guide rail 110. Therefore, the actuator 130 of the shelf robot can move within the vertical plane of the shelf 400, and can then perform picking and placing operations of the material box 510 on the shelf 400 through the picking assembly. In some embodiments, the column 120 includes a first column and a second column, the actuator 130 is disposed between the first column and the second column, and the picking assembly is configured as a double-deep hook-pull picking assembly. The double-deep hook-pull picking assembly is capable of reaching deep into the bin storage location 410 of the shelf 400 to retrieve the material box 510. The picking assembly further includes a pallet for carrying the material box 510. The double-deep hook-pull picking assembly is capable of hooking and pulling the material box 510 from the shelf 400 onto the pallet, and then placing the material box 510 on the pallet into the bin storage location 410 of the shelf 400. The double-deep hook-pull picking assembly lifts the material box 510 by applying force to the sides or bottom of the material box 510, and then removes the material box 510 from the shelf 400 or places the material box 510 into the shelf 400 by controlling the telescopic movement or horizontal movement of the picking assembly. Providing the pallet on the picking assembly allows for more stable carrying of the material box 510. In other embodiments, the picking component can also hold the material box 510 above it in a clamping or supporting manner.

[0039] like Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment further proposes a material processing method for a controller, wherein the controller is used to control the operation of the material processing system as described in the above embodiment, comprising the following steps:

[0040] Get the outbound task list;

[0041] Obtain the storage locations 410 of the material boxes 510 of the target materials to be shipped in the shelf 400 one by one according to the shipping task list;

[0042] According to the area where the material box 510 is located in the storage location 410 of the shelf 400, different marks are assigned to the outbound tasks in which the material box 510 is located in the first area and the second area in the outbound task list;

[0043] Control the first robot 100 to take the material box 510 located in the second area from the storage location 410 of the shelf 400 and put it into the empty cache location 420, and then mark the cache location 420 as non-empty;

[0044] The second robot 200 is controlled to pick the to-be-picked material boxes 510 in the storage location 410 and the cache location 420 in the first area, and to place the target material into the order material box 520. After the second robot 200 completes the picking operation for the material box 510 in the cache location 420, an instruction is sent to control the first robot 100 to transport the picked material box 510 back to the original storage location 410.

[0045] After all the material boxes 510 in the outbound task list have been picked or the order box 520 is full, the second robot 200 or the third robot 300 is controlled to transport the order box 520 to the target location for outbound delivery. It should be noted that, in the case where the target materials in the outbound task list are distributed across multiple shelves 400, after all the target materials to be shipped from one shelf 400 are picked into the order box 520, the second robot 200 or the third robot 300 is controlled to transport the order box 520 to another shelf 400, and the above steps are repeated until all the target materials in the outbound task list have been picked into the order box 520, and then the second robot 200 or the third robot 300 is controlled to transport the order box 520 to the target location for outbound delivery.

[0046] In some embodiments, the second robot 200 alternately performs picking operations on the material boxes 510 in the storage locations 410 and the cache locations 420 in the first area, allowing the first robot 100 and the second robot 200 to perform operations simultaneously, thereby improving work efficiency. It is understood that the second robot 200 can alternately perform picking operations on the material boxes 510 in several storage locations 410 and several cache locations 420 in the first area, thereby avoiding interference between the operations of the first robot 100 and the second robot 200. That is, when the second robot 200 picks the material boxes 510 in several storage locations 410 in the first area, the first robot 100 returns the picked material boxes 510 in the cache locations 420 to the original storage locations 410, and then moves several unpicked material boxes 510 in the second area to the empty cache locations 420, thereby ensuring uninterrupted picking operations by the second robot 200 and improving work efficiency. The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present application includes but is not limited to the contents described in the drawings and the above specific embodiments. Any modifications that do not deviate from the functional and structural principles of the present application are included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A material handling system for picking and shipping target materials, the material handling system comprising a shelf (400), a first robot (100) and a second robot (200), wherein the shelf (400) is provided with a plurality of storage locations (410) for storing material boxes (510), and wherein: The shelf (400) is further provided with a plurality of cache locations (420), and the cache locations (420) are used to cache the material boxes (510) to be picked; The first robot (100) is used to move a material box (510) stored in a storage position (410) of a shelf (400) to the cache position (420), and to move a material box (510) located on the cache position (420) to the storage position (410); The second robot (200) includes a mobile chassis (210), a picking arm and a vision module (230), wherein the mobile chassis is provided with a carrying position for carrying an order material box (520), the picking arm can pick the target material stored in the material box (510) in the cache position (420) into the order material box (520), the order material box (520) is used to store the target material to be shipped out, and the vision module (230) is used to identify the target material in the material box (510).

2. The material handling system according to claim 1, wherein: The second robot (200) is further configured to perform a picking operation on a material box (510) stored in a storage location (410) of the shelf (400), and the picking arm is further configured to pick a target material stored in a material box (510) stored in the storage location (410) within a picking operation range into the order material box (520).

3. The material handling system according to claim 2, wherein: The shelf (400) includes a first area located within the picking operation range of the second robot (200) and a second area beyond the picking operation range of the second robot (200), and the first robot (100) is used to move the material box (510) stored in the storage position (410) located in the second area to the cache position (420), and to move the material box (510) located on the cache position (420) to the storage position (410) in the first area and / or the second area.

4. The material handling system according to claim 2, wherein: The material handling system further comprises a third robot (300), wherein the third robot (300) is provided with a carrying position for placing an order material box (520), and when the third robot (300) carries the order material box (520) and is located in the picking operation range of the second robot (200), the picking arm can pick the target material stored in the material box (510) stored in the storage position (410) and the cache position (420) of the shelf (400) into the order material box (520) carried by the third robot (300), and the third robot (300) can transport the order material box (520) to the target location and ship it out of the warehouse.

5. The material handling system according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile chassis (210) is provided with a driving device and a positioning device, the driving device is used to drive the second robot (200) to move, and the positioning device is used to determine the position of the second robot (200) so that the second robot (200) can move to a specified position.

6. The material handling system according to claim 1, wherein: The picking arm is configured as a multi-joint mechanical arm (220), comprising a fixed end and a free end, wherein the fixed end is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis (210), and a mechanical claw is provided on the free end, and the mechanical claw is used to grab target materials.

7. The material handling system according to claim 6, wherein: The second robot (200) further comprises a support rod, the vision module (230) is fixedly connected to one end of the support rod, the other end of the support rod is fixedly connected to the mobile chassis (210), and the support rod is configured as a telescopic rod.

8. The material handling system according to claim 6, wherein: The vision module (230) is fixedly connected to the free end of the picking arm.

9. The material processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The first robot (100) is configured as a shelf robot, comprising a guide rail (110), a column (120) and an actuator (130), wherein the actuator (130) is slidably connected to the column (120) and moves vertically along the column (120), and the column (120) is slidably connected to the guide rail (110) and moves horizontally along the guide rail (110), and the guide rail (110) is fixedly connected to the shelf (400).

10. The material handling system according to claim 9, wherein: The guide rail (110) is fixedly connected to the shelf (400), the column (120) includes a first column and a second column, and the actuator (130) is arranged between the first column and the second column.

11. The material handling system according to claim 9, wherein: The actuator (130) includes a picking component for picking up and carrying the material box (510).

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