Warehousing system

Abstract

The embodiment of the utility model provides a warehousing system. The warehousing system comprises a plurality of goods shelf units arranged at intervals, a first robot, a second robot, a first robot channel and a second robot channel. Each group of goods shelf unit comprises a plurality of first robot goods shelves and a plurality of second robot goods shelves which are sequentially arranged in the long side direction of the goods shelf unit; the first robot channels and the second robot channels are alternately arranged at the intervals between the adjacent goods shelf units, and the direction is parallel to the long edge direction of the goods shelf units. The first robot goods shelf comprises a first storage space and a first accommodating space; the second robot goods shelf comprises a second storage space and a second accommodating space; the first robot is configured to run along the first robot channel and at least pick and place the material box between the first robot goods shelf and the second robot goods shelf of the goods shelf units on the two sides of the first robot channel; the second robot is configured to travel along the second robot channel and move the second robot goods shelves of the goods shelf units on the two sides of the second robot channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of warehousing technology, and in particular to a warehousing system. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, a warehousing system typically includes multiple shelves, a first robot, a second robot, and two workstations for docking with the first and second robots, respectively; the first robot is used to move goods between the upper levels of the shelves and the workstations, and the second robot is used to move goods between the lower levels of the shelves and the workstations.

[0003] Both the first and second robots need to move goods back and forth between the shelves and the workstation, resulting in low handling efficiency. Furthermore, the first and second robots share aisles during operation, leading to situations where they need to avoid each other, further reducing their handling efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to provide a warehousing system to improve handling efficiency. The specific technical solution is as follows:

[0005] This application provides a warehousing system comprising: multiple sets of spaced-apart shelf units, a first robot, a second robot, a first robot aisle, and a second robot aisle; each set of shelf units includes multiple first robot shelves and multiple second robot shelves arranged sequentially along the long side of the shelf unit; the first robot aisles and second robot aisles are alternately arranged at the intervals between adjacent shelf units, with their directions parallel to the long side of the shelf unit; such that one side of the shelf unit along its length has a first robot aisle, and the other side has a second robot aisle; the first robot shelf includes a first storage space and a first accommodating space; the first storage space is provided with multiple storage bins for storing material boxes. Storage location; the first accommodating space, located at the lower part of the first storage space, is used to accommodate the second robot shelf; the second robot shelf includes a second storage space and a second accommodating space; the second storage space is provided with a plurality of temporary storage locations for temporarily storing material boxes; the second accommodating space, located at the lower part of the second storage space, is used for the second robot to move the second robot shelf; the first robot is configured to travel along the first robot aisle and pick up or place material boxes at least between the first robot shelf and the second robot shelf of the shelf units on both sides of the first robot aisle; the second robot is configured to travel along the second robot aisle and move the second robot shelf of the shelf units on both sides of the second robot aisle.

[0006] In some embodiments of this application, the first robot shelf is provided with a plurality of first support columns, which extend toward the ground to form the first accommodating space; the second robot shelf is provided with a plurality of second support columns, which extend toward the ground to form the second accommodating space.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, the length of the cross-section of the first robot shelf is greater than the length of the cross-section of the second robot shelf; the width of the cross-section of the first robot shelf is greater than or equal to the width of the cross-section of the second robot shelf; and the height of the first accommodating space of the first robot shelf is higher than the height of the second robot shelf with the loading bin lifted by the second robot.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, the first robot is configured to move a material box from a storage compartment in the first robot shelf to a temporary storage compartment in the second robot shelf; or to move a material box from a temporary storage compartment in the second robot shelf to a storage compartment in the first robot shelf; the first robot includes: a first motion chassis, a column mast, and a handling mechanism; the first motion chassis moves on the first robot aisle; the column mast is mounted vertically on the first motion chassis; the handling mechanism is disposed on the column mast and configured to pick up and place material boxes of different heights on the first robot shelf.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the conveying mechanism includes: a lifting assembly and a fork assembly; the lifting assembly is disposed on the column mast and configured to drive the fork assembly to move up and down in a vertical direction; the fork assembly is mounted on the lifting assembly and configured to extend out of the column mast to pick up and place the material box.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the first robot further includes: a storage unit; the storage unit is fixedly mounted on the column frame; the storage unit includes a plurality of storage shelves arranged sequentially along the column frame; the first robot is further configured to sequentially move a plurality of material boxes from the storage compartments of the first robot shelf to the storage shelves, and then move a plurality of material boxes from the storage shelves to the temporary storage compartments of the second robot shelf; or to move a plurality of material boxes from the temporary storage compartments of the second robot shelf to the storage shelves, and then move a plurality of material boxes from the storage shelves to the storage compartments of the first robot shelf.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the first robot is further configured to travel along the first robot aisle to move a material box from a storage compartment in the first robot shelf to another storage compartment in the first robot shelf; or to move a material box from a temporary storage compartment in the second robot shelf to another temporary storage compartment in the second robot shelf.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the second robot is a lifting mobile robot configured to transport a second robot shelf loaded with outbound bins to a destination, or to transport a second robot shelf loaded with inbound bins to a first accommodating space of the first robot shelf; the height of the second accommodating space of the second robot shelf is higher than the lifting mobile robot; such that the lifting mobile robot is configured to move into the second accommodating space, lift the second robot shelf, or place the second robot shelf on the ground.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the second robot channel extends to the first accommodating space of each of the first robot shelves on both sides and is provided with a turning channel, the turning channel being perpendicular to the second robot channel; the second robot travels along the turning channel and is configured to remove the second robot shelf from the first accommodating space or place the second robot shelf in the first accommodating space; the first robot is configured to pick up or put down the material box on the temporary storage compartment of the second robot shelf after the second robot lifts the second robot shelf and travels along the turning channel to the first accommodating space.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, a one-way or two-way travel channel is provided between the shelf unit and the destination for the second robot to travel.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the travel channel includes: a first travel channel with a workstation as its destination and a second travel channel with a review and packaging area as its destination; the second robot is configured to move a second robot shelf carrying loaded boxes to the workstation along the first travel channel for picking and outbound processing; or move a second robot shelf loaded with boxes to the first robot shelf for box storage; the second robot is also configured to move a second robot shelf carrying loaded boxes to the review and packaging area along the second travel channel for packing and outbound processing of all goods in the boxes; or move an empty second robot shelf to the first robot shelf.

[0016] The warehousing system provided in this application embodiment allows the first robot to move boxes between the first robot shelf and the second robot shelf without transporting them to the workstation, thus shortening the first robot's travel distance and improving its box handling efficiency. The second robot shelf has multiple temporary storage locations, enabling the second robot to move multiple boxes at once, further improving its box handling efficiency. The first and second robot aisles are alternately positioned between adjacent shelf units, eliminating the need for shared aisles and resolving the issue of mutual avoidance between the two robots, thus improving box handling efficiency. Furthermore, the workstation only needs to interface with the second robot, eliminating the need for separate workstations to interface with each robot, simplifying the structure and control of the warehousing system.

[0017] Of course, any product implementing this utility model does not necessarily need to achieve all of the advantages described above at the same time. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the warehousing system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the first and second robot shelves in the illustrated embodiment;

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A top view of a first embodiment of the warehousing system shown;

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A top view of a second embodiment of the warehousing system shown;

[0023] Figure 5a for Figure 2 Top view of the first robotic shelf;

[0024] Figure 5b for Figure 2 Top view of the second robotic shelf;

[0025] Figure 6 for Figure 1A three-dimensional structural diagram of the first robot in the illustrated embodiment;

[0026] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the second robot in the illustrated embodiment;

[0027] Figure 8 for Figure 1 A top view of the third embodiment of the warehousing system shown.

[0028] Figure label:

[0029] Shelf Unit 1;

[0030] First robotic shelf 100; First storage space 110; Storage compartment 111; First accommodating space 120; First support column 121;

[0031] Second robotic shelf 200; second storage space 210; temporary storage location 211; second accommodating space 220; second support column 221;

[0032] First robot 300; First motion chassis 310; Column gantry 320; Handling mechanism 330; Lifting assembly 331; Fork assembly 332; Storage unit 340; Storage shelf 341;

[0033] Second robot 400, second motion chassis 410, lifting mechanism 420, lifting platform 430;

[0034] First robot channel 500; Second robot channel 600; Turning channel 610;

[0035] Material bin 700; workstation 810; verification and packaging area 820; first driving lane 910; second driving lane 920. Detailed Implementation

[0036] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on this application are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0037] As described in the background art, in related technologies, a warehousing system typically includes multiple shelves, a first robot, a second robot, and two workstations for docking with the first robot and the second robot, respectively; the first robot is used to move goods between the upper levels of the shelves and the workstations, and the second robot is used to move goods between the lower levels of the shelves and the workstations.

[0038] Both the first and second robots need to move goods back and forth between the shelves and the workstation, resulting in low handling efficiency. Furthermore, the first and second robots share aisles during operation, leading to situations where they need to avoid each other, further reducing their handling efficiency.

[0039] To improve the handling efficiency of the warehousing system, this utility model provides a warehousing system, which will be described in detail below.

[0040] See Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the warehousing system provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the first and second robot shelves in the illustrated embodiment; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A top view of the first embodiment of the warehousing system shown.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the embodiment of this application, the warehousing system includes: multiple sets of spaced-apart shelving units 1, a first robot 300, a second robot 400, a first robot aisle 500, and a second robot aisle 600. Wherein,

[0042] Each shelving unit 1 includes multiple first robotic shelves 100 and multiple second robotic shelves 200 arranged sequentially along the long side of the shelving unit 1. It should be noted that... Figure 1 To clearly illustrate the positional relationship between shelf unit 1, the first robot 300, and the second robot 400, Figure 1 In each of the two shelving units 1, only one first robot shelf 100 and one second robot shelf 200 are shown.

[0043] The first robot aisle 500 and the second robot aisle 600 are alternately arranged at the intervals between each adjacent shelf unit 1, with their directions parallel to the long side of the shelf unit 1; such that one side of the shelf unit 1 along its length has the first robot aisle 500 and the other side has the second robot aisle 600.

[0044] The first robot shelf 100 includes a first storage space 110 and a first accommodating space 120; the first storage space 110 is provided with a plurality of storage compartments 111 for storing material bins 700; the first accommodating space 120 is located at the lower part of the first storage space 110 and is used to accommodate the second robot shelf 200.

[0045] The second robot shelf 200 includes a second storage space 210 and a second accommodating space 220; the second storage space 210 is provided with a plurality of temporary storage compartments 211 for temporarily storing material boxes 700; the second accommodating space 220 is located at the lower part of the second storage space 210 and is used for the second robot 400 to move the second robot shelf 200.

[0046] The first robot 300 is configured to travel along the first robot aisle 500 and pick up and place the material box 700 between the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200 of the shelf unit 1 on both sides of the first robot aisle 500.

[0047] The second robot 400 is configured to travel along the second robot aisle 600 and move the second robot shelf 200 of the shelf unit 1 on both sides of the second robot aisle 600.

[0048] This application provides a warehousing system in which the first robot 300 only needs to transport boxes 700 between the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200, without needing to transport the boxes 700 to the workstation, thus shortening the travel distance of the first robot 300 and improving its box handling efficiency. The second robot shelf 200 is equipped with multiple temporary storage locations 211, and the second robot 400 can drive the second robot shelf 200 to move, enabling the second robot 400 to take out or put in multiple boxes 700 at a time, improving its box handling efficiency. The first robot aisle 500 and the second robot aisle 600 are alternately arranged at the intervals between adjacent shelf units 1, without needing to share aisles, solving the problem of the two robots needing to avoid each other and improving box handling efficiency. In addition, the workstation only needs to interface with the second robot 400, eliminating the need for two separate workstations to interface with two different robots, simplifying the structure and control of the warehousing system.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first robot 300 is also used to travel along the first robot aisle 500 to move the material box 700 in the storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100 to another storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100; or, to move the material box 700 on the temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200 to another temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200.

[0050] Specifically, the destination of the second robot 400 moving the second robot shelf 200 can be a workstation. The first robot 300 can, through the process described above of moving the bin 700 from the first robot shelf 100 to other first robot shelves 100, move bins 700 containing frequently dispatched goods from first robot shelves 100 far from the workstation to first robot shelves 100 closer to the workstation, thereby improving dispatch efficiency. Alternatively, the first robot 300 can, through the process described above of moving the bin 700 from the second robot shelf 200 to other second robot shelves 200, move bins 700 containing the same type of goods scattered across multiple second robot shelves 200 to the same second robot shelf 200, thereby saving temporary storage space 211 on the second robot shelf 200. Applying the embodiments of this application, the first robot 300 is equipped with a sorting function, improving the inbound and outbound efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 for Figure 1 A top view schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the warehousing system shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, multiple rack units 1 of the warehousing system can be arranged according to... Figure 3 The arrangement shown is in a single line, but it can also be arranged in the following order: Figure 4 The first robot channel 500 and the second robot channel 600, which are arranged in an array, are connected at their ends.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, the second robot shelf 200 can also be configured as a pallet, on which multiple temporary storage compartments 211 can be divided for stacking multiple material boxes 700.

[0053] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first robot shelf 100 is provided with a plurality of first support columns 121, which extend toward the ground to form a first accommodating space 120;

[0054] The second robot shelf 200 is provided with multiple second support columns 221, which extend toward the ground to form a second accommodating space 220.

[0055] By applying the embodiments of this application, a first receiving space 120 is formed by a simple first support column 121, providing multiple channels for the second robot 400 to move the second robot shelf 200, making inbound and outbound operations more flexible. Simultaneously, a second receiving space 220 is formed by a simple second support column 221, providing multiple channels for the second robot 400 to move to the bottom of the second robot shelf 200, allowing the second robot 400 to move to the bottom of the second robot shelf 200 from various directions without restriction on the direction of movement. Furthermore, through the second receiving space 220, the second robot 400 can lift the second robot shelf 200 off the ground or place the second robot shelf 200 on the ground.

[0056] In some embodiments of this application, the first robot shelf 100 can be a double-deep shelf or a multi-deep shelf; the second robot shelf can be a double-deep shelf or a multi-deep shelf.

[0057] See Figure 5a and Figure 5b , Figure 5a for Figure 2 Top view of the first robotic shelf; Figure 5b for Figure 2 A top view of the second robot shelf. In this embodiment, both the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200 are double-deep shelves capable of holding two material boxes in the width direction.

[0058] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 5a and Figure 5b As shown, the length of the cross-section of the first robot shelf 100 is greater than the length of the cross-section of the second robot shelf 200; the width of the cross-section of the first robot shelf 100 is greater than or equal to the width of the cross-section of the second robot shelf 200; and the height of the first accommodating space 120 of the first robot shelf 100 is higher than the height of the second robot shelf 200 that lifts and loads the material box 700 by the second robot 400.

[0059] In the embodiments of this application, the length of the cross-section of the first robot shelf 100 is greater than the length of the cross-section of the second robot shelf 200, and the width of the cross-section of the first robot shelf 100 is greater than or equal to the width of the cross-section of the second robot shelf 200, so that the first robot shelf 100 can accommodate the second robot shelf 200; and the number of storage compartments 111 of the first robot shelf 100 can be increased. In addition, the number of storage compartments 111 can also be increased by arranging multiple first robot shelves 100 sequentially along their length direction, thereby improving the storage capacity of the first robot shelf 100.

[0060] The height of the first accommodating space 120 of the first robot shelf 100 is higher than the height of the second robot shelf 200 where the second robot 400 lifts and loads the material box 700. This allows the way the second robot 400 enters the first robot shelf 100 to be flexibly set according to the actual warehouse site, thus improving the practicality of the warehousing system.

[0061] In some embodiments of this application, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the first robot in the illustrated embodiment. (See diagram below.) Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, the first robot 300 is configured to move the material box 700 in the storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100 to the temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200; or to move the material box 700 in the temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200 to the storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100.

[0062] The first robot 300 includes: a first motion chassis 310, a column gantry 320, and a handling mechanism 330; the first motion chassis 310 moves on the first robot channel 500; the column gantry 320 is mounted vertically on the first motion chassis 310; the handling mechanism 330 is mounted on the column gantry 320 and is configured to pick up and place material boxes 700 of different heights on the first robot shelf 100.

[0063] Specifically, the first robot 300 can pick up and place the material boxes of the two rows of shelf units 1 on the left or right of the first robot channel 500, which reduces the number of robots in the warehousing system and simplifies the structure of the warehousing system.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 6 As shown, the handling mechanism 330 includes a lifting assembly 331 and a fork assembly 332; the lifting assembly 331 is disposed on the column mast 320 and is configured to drive the fork assembly 332 to move up and down in the vertical direction; the fork assembly 332 is mounted on the lifting assembly 331 and is configured to extend out of the column mast 320 to pick up and put in the material box 700.

[0065] Specifically, both the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200 are double-deep shelves, meaning they can accommodate two material boxes 700 in the width direction. The fork assembly 332 of the first robot 300 is capable of picking up and placing two deep material boxes 700. The bottom of the fork assembly 332 is equipped with a rotating component, allowing the fork assembly 332 to rotate relative to the first motion chassis 310, so that the opening of the fork assembly 332 faces the shelf unit 1 on the left or right side of the first robot 300, thereby picking up and placing material boxes from the two rows of shelf units 1.

[0066] Taking warehousing as an example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the lifting component 331 enables the fork assembly 332 to move up and down along the height direction of the first robot shelf 100, so that it moves to the height corresponding to the material box 700 on the second robot shelf 200 and removes the material box 700; then the fork assembly 332 is moved to the height corresponding to the idle storage compartment 111, and the fork assembly 332 moves the material box 700 to be put into storage onto the idle storage compartment 111.

[0067] The fork assembly 332 may include a telescopic structure that extends into the first robot shelf 100 or the second robot shelf 200 to pick up and place the hopper 700 located in a single-depth and / or multi-depth position. The fork assembly 332 may take the form of, but is not limited to, fork arm type, suction cup type, roller type, hook arm, etc.

[0068] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 and Figure 6 As shown, the first robot 300 also includes: a storage unit 340; the storage unit 340 is fixedly mounted on the column frame 320; the storage unit 340 includes a plurality of storage shelves 341 arranged sequentially along the column frame 320;

[0069] The first robot 300 is also configured to sequentially move multiple boxes 700 from storage compartment 111 in the first robot shelf 100 to storage shelf 341, and then move multiple boxes 700 from storage shelf 341 to temporary storage compartment 211 in the second robot shelf 200; or move multiple boxes 700 from temporary storage compartment 211 in the second robot shelf 200 to storage shelf 341, and then move multiple boxes 700 from storage shelf 341 to storage compartment 111 in the first robot shelf 100.

[0070] Specifically, the spacing between storage shelves 341 is greater than the height of the bins 700. When there are multiple bins 700 to be shipped out, the first robot 300 can first take out the bins 700 from the storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100 and place them on the storage shelf 341. When the picking is completed or the storage shelf 341 is full, it moves to the second robot shelf 200 to release the goods.

[0071] Furthermore, when the outgoing material box 700 on the first robot shelf 100 is close to the second robot shelf 200, the first robot 300 can also retrieve the material box 700 from the storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100, without temporarily storing it in the storage unit 340, and place it directly on the second robot shelf 200; or, when the incoming material box 700 on the second robot shelf 200 is close to the first robot shelf 100, the first robot 300 can also retrieve the material box 700 from the temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200, without temporarily storing it in the storage unit 340, and place it directly on the first robot shelf 100. By applying the embodiments of this application, the first robot 300 is equipped with a temporary storage function, and the picking and placing efficiency of the first robot 300 is improved.

[0072] In other embodiments of this application, the first robot 300 may not have a storage unit 340 and may only have a transport function.

[0073] In some embodiments of this application, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second robot in the illustrated embodiment. (See diagram below.) Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the second robot 400 is a lifting mobile robot, configured to transport the second robot shelf 200 loaded with the outbound material box 700 to the destination, or to transport the second robot shelf 200 loaded with the inbound material box 700 to the first receiving space 120 of the first robot shelf 100.

[0074] The height of the second receiving space 220 of the second robot shelf 200 is higher than that of the lifting mobile robot; thus, the lifting mobile robot is configured to move into the second receiving space 220, lift the second robot shelf 200, move it, or place the second robot shelf 200 on the ground.

[0075] like Figure 7 As shown, the second robot 400 includes a second motion chassis 410, a lifting mechanism 420, and a lifting platform 430. The second motion chassis 410 is located at the bottom of the second robot 400 and may include casters for multi-directional movement. The lifting mechanism 420 and the lifting platform 430 are located at the top of the second motion chassis 410. When the second robot 400 is located in the second receiving space 220 of the second robot shelf 200, the lifting mechanism 420 can lift the lifting platform 430 to a certain height, allowing the second robot shelf 200 to be lifted off the ground and move with the second robot 400.

[0076] Specifically, the height of the second accommodating space 220 of the second robot shelf 200 is higher than that of the lifting mobile robot; thus, the lifting mobile robot can move into the second accommodating space 220, lift the lifting platform 430 through the lifting mechanism 420, so that the lifting platform 430 contacts the top of the second accommodating space 220, thereby lifting the entire second robot shelf 200 and moving the entire second robot shelf 200; or lower the lifting platform 430 through the lifting mechanism 420 and place the second robot shelf 200 on the ground.

[0077] In some embodiments of this application, see Figure 8 , Figure 8 for Figure 1 A top view of the third embodiment of the warehousing system shown. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 8 As shown, the second robot aisle 600 extends into the first accommodating space 120 of each of the first robot shelves 100 on both sides, and a turning channel 610 is provided therein, which is perpendicular to the second robot aisle 600.

[0078] The second robot 400 travels along the turning channel 610 and is configured to either remove the second robot shelf 200 from the first receiving space 120 or place the second robot shelf 200 into the first receiving space 120.

[0079] The first robot 300 is configured to, after the second robot 400 lifts the second robot shelf 200 and travels along the turning channel 610 to the first accommodating space 120, pick up and place the material box 700 on the temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200.

[0080] Specifically, the turning channel 610 enables the second robot 400 to move to the left or right side of the second robot channel 600 below the first robot shelf 100 and interact with the first robot 300 in the left column or the first robot 300 in the right column.

[0081] Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 8 The diagram only shows the turning aisle 610 next to one of the first robot shelves 100 in each shelf unit 1. In reality, each first robot shelf 100 is provided with a turning aisle 610.

[0082] When unloading goods, the second robot 400, carrying the second robot shelf 200, first travels along the second robot channel 600 to the position corresponding to the target storage location 111, and then travels along the turning channel 610 to the docking position in the first accommodating space 120 of the first robot shelf 100, so that the first robot 300 can remove the material box 700 from the temporary storage location 211 of the second robot shelf 200 and place it into the storage location 111 of the first robot shelf 100.

[0083] When picking up goods, the first robot places the outgoing material box 700 of storage compartment 111 on the second robot shelf 200. The second robot 400 lifts the loaded second robot shelf 200 off the ground, moves along the turning channel 610 to the second robot channel 600, and then continues to travel along the second robot channel 600.

[0084] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 8 As shown, a one-way or two-way travel channel is provided between the shelf unit 1 and the destination for the second robot 400 to travel.

[0085] In practical applications, the destination of the second robot 400 can be either a workstation or a review and packaging area. Specifically, for example... Figure 8 As shown, the travel aisle between the first robot shelf 100 and the destination includes: a first travel aisle 910 with the destination being workstation 810 and a second travel aisle 920 with the destination being verification and packaging area 820;

[0086] Thus, the second robot 400 is configured to move the second robot shelf 200 carrying the loaded bins 700 to the workstation 810 along the first travel aisle 910 for picking and outbound processing; or to move the second robot shelf 200 carrying the bins 700 to the first robot shelf 100 for bin inbound processing.

[0087] Furthermore, the second robot 400 is also configured to move the second robot shelf 200 carrying the loaded bins 700 to the verification and packaging area 820 along the second travel aisle 920 to pack all the goods in the bins 700 for shipment; or to move the empty second robot shelf 200 to the first robot shelf 100.

[0088] The following is based on Figure 8 The illustrated embodiment provides a detailed description of the inbound and outbound process.

[0089] In the warehousing system of this application embodiment, a control device can also be set up. The control device can communicate with the first robot 300 and the second robot 400 to control the first robot 300 and the second robot 400 to complete the functions of picking up and placing goods and entering and leaving the warehouse.

[0090] Specifically, the outbound process can be controlled by control equipment, and includes the following steps:

[0091] Step A: Based on the location of the storage compartment 111 where the outgoing material box 700 is located in the first robot shelf 100, select the nearest second robot shelf 200 to determine the optimal docking position of the second robot channel 600.

[0092] Here, the selected second robot shelf 200 can be either completely empty (without loaded material boxes) or partially loaded (with some material boxes 700) but still have available temporary storage spaces 211. The second robot shelf 200 is acceptable as long as it can load the material boxes 700 awaiting shipment.

[0093] Step B: Control the second robot 400 to drive the selected second robot shelf 200 to move to the optimal docking position.

[0094] Step C: Control the first robot 300 to move along the first robot channel 500 to the storage column where the material bin 700 to be shipped is located. Here, the storage column refers to a column formed by multiple storage compartments 111 along the vertical direction.

[0095] Step D: Control the first robot 300 to move the fork assembly 332 up and down along the height direction of the first robot shelf 100 using the lifting assembly 331, so that it moves to the height corresponding to the storage compartment 111 where the outbound material box 700 is located, and use the fork assembly 332 to take out the outbound material box 700 and move it to the empty temporary storage compartment 211 of the second robot shelf 200.

[0096] If there are multiple boxes 700 to be shipped, a new optimal docking position can be determined based on the position of the boxes 700 on the first robot shelf 100, and steps B-D above can be repeated to move all the boxes 700 to the idle temporary storage position 211 on the second robot shelf 200.

[0097] Step E: After the second robot shelf 200 is full or after a predetermined time has elapsed, control the second robot 400 to move the second robot shelf 200 to the destination along the travel aisle.

[0098] When the goods to be shipped are in the outbound bin 700, and there are still goods in the outbound bin 700 that do not need to be shipped, control the second robot 400 to travel along the first travel channel 910 to the workstation 810.

[0099] At workstation 810, goods awaiting shipment can be manually picked out and shipped, while other goods that do not need to be shipped can be kept in raw material bin 700. At the same time, goods awaiting shipment can be added to raw material bin 700 as a waiting-to-be-shipped bin 700. The second robot 400 then transports the goods to the first robot shelf 100 for shipment.

[0100] When the outbound bin 700 needs to be shipped out in its entirety, that is, when the outbound bin 700 is full of goods to be shipped out, the second robot 400 is controlled to travel along the second travel channel 920 to the verification and packaging area 820. After completing the automatic verification and packaging, it is shipped out directly. After the shipment is completed, the second robot 400 moves the empty second robot shelf 200 back to the first robot shelf 100.

[0101] During the warehousing process, firstly, goods are manually loaded into the second robot 400. Specifically, at workstation 810, goods to be warehoused can be manually placed into the warehouse receiving bin 700, which is then placed in the idle temporary storage slot 211 of the second robot 400. Then, the following steps can be executed under control:

[0102] Step F: Based on the location of the vacant storage compartments 111 of the first robot shelf 100, and on the principle of prioritizing the nearest and / or the number of bins 700 to be put into storage on the second robot shelf 200 being less than the number of multiple vacant storage compartments 111 in the location set of the first robot shelf 100, vacant storage compartments 111 are allocated to the second robot shelf 200.

[0103] The second robot shelf 200 in this step can be either a second robot shelf 200 that is already full at workstation 810, or a second robot shelf 200 that is not full, as long as it is loaded with the material bin 700 to be put into storage.

[0104] Step G: Determine the optimal docking position of the second robot channel 600 based on the location of the allocated free storage slot 111.

[0105] Step H: Control the second robot 400 to move the second robot shelf 200, which is loaded with the material bins 700 to be put into storage, to the optimal docking position.

[0106] At the optimal docking position, the material box 700 to be put into storage corresponds to the position of the storage column where the idle storage compartment 111 is located in the vertical position of the second robot shelf 200.

[0107] Step 1: Control the first robot 300 to move along the first robot channel 500 to the storage column where the free storage compartment 111 is located.

[0108] Step J: Control the first robot 300 to move the fork assembly 332 vertically up and down using the lifting component 331, so that it moves to the height corresponding to the material box 700 to be put into storage on the second robot 400, and use the fork assembly 332 to load the material box 700 to be put into storage onto the fork assembly 332; and use the lifting component 331 to move the fork assembly 332 upward along the height direction of the first robot shelf 100, so that the loaded material box 700 to be put into storage moves to the height corresponding to the empty storage compartment 111, and use the fork assembly 332 to move the material box 700 to be put into storage onto the empty storage compartment 111 of the first robot shelf 100.

[0109] If there are multiple boxes 700 to be put into storage, a new optimal docking position can be determined based on the position of the boxes 700 on the first robot shelf 100. Then, steps H-J above are repeated to move all the boxes 700 to be put into storage to the empty storage slots 111 on the first robot shelf 100. The storage operation is then completed.

[0110] By applying the embodiments of this application, the following beneficial effects can be obtained:

[0111] First, in this embodiment, the first robot 300 can move the material box 700 on the first robot shelf 100 to the second robot shelf 200, or store the material box 700 on the second robot shelf 200 on the first robot shelf 100. The first robot 300 is only responsible for picking and placing goods and does not need to travel out of the shelf unit 1. The second robot 400 only moves the second robot shelf 200 to the workstation 810 for picking goods in small quantities or picking goods in whole boxes. This improves the handling efficiency of the first robot 300. At the same time, the operators of the workstation 810 do not need to interact with multiple robots, which reduces the complexity of the operation, improves the picking efficiency of the operators, reduces the intensity and difficulty of manual labor, and reduces the training difficulty for operators in the warehousing industry.

[0112] Second, in this embodiment of the application, when only a portion of the goods in the material box 700 need to be removed from the warehouse through the picking and placing of goods by the first robot 300, the material box 700 containing the goods to be removed can be moved to the second robot shelf 200, and then moved to the workstation 810 by the second robot 400. After manual picking at the workstation 810, the goods that do not need to be removed from the warehouse are kept in the material box 700. Then the second robot 400 moves the second robot shelf 200 containing the material box 700 to the first robot shelf 100, and the first robot 300 moves the material box 700 onto the first robot shelf 100.

[0113] This method can improve the shelf hit rate of the second robot 400; at the same time, when all the material boxes 700 of the second robot shelf 200 need to be shipped out in whole boxes, it reduces the number of handling operations of the second robot 400 and improves the handling efficiency of the second robot 400.

[0114] Third, in this embodiment, the material boxes 700 stored in the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200 can both be moved by the second robot 400 via the second robot shelf 200. The second robot shelf 200 is equipped with multiple temporary storage slots 211. Therefore, multiple material boxes 700 can be moved in one transfer process by the second robot 400, improving transfer efficiency. Furthermore, in this embodiment, compared to a solution using only the second robot shelf for storage and transfer, the presence of the first robot shelf 100 increases vertical storage space by using both the first robot shelf 100 and the second robot shelf 200 for storing and transferring the material boxes 700.

[0115] Fourth, in this embodiment of the application, for the scenario of full-case outbound shipment, that is, when all goods in the box need to be shipped out, the first robot 300 can move the box 700 from the first robot shelf 100 to the second robot shelf 200, and then the second robot 400 can move the second robot shelf 200 to the verification and packaging area 820. After the process is completed, the second robot 400 is triggered to move the second robot shelf 200 back. Therefore, the second robot shelf 200 can play a dual role of transfer and buffering.

[0116] Fifth, in the embodiments of this application, for the scenario of full-case outbound, the material box 700 is moved from the first robot shelf 100 to the picking area of ​​the workstation 810 and outbound. Since full-case outbound does not require manual picking, it can realize unmanned picking and achieve the effect of cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

[0117] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model are included within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. A warehousing system, characterized in that, include: Multiple sets of spaced shelf units (1), first robot (300), second robot (400), first robot aisle (500) and second robot aisle (600); Each of the shelving units (1) includes a plurality of first robot shelves (100) and a plurality of second robot shelves (200) arranged sequentially along the long side of the shelving unit (1). The first robot channel (500) and the second robot channel (600) are alternately arranged at the intervals between each adjacent shelf unit (1), with the direction parallel to the long side of the shelf unit (1); such that one side of the shelf unit (1) in the length direction has the first robot channel (500); and the other side has the second robot channel (600). The first robotic shelf (100) includes a first storage space (110) and a first accommodating space (120); the first storage space (110) is provided with a plurality of storage compartments (111) for storing material boxes; the first accommodating space (120) is located at the lower part of the first storage space (110) and is used to accommodate the second robotic shelf (200). The second robot shelf (200) includes a second storage space (210) and a second accommodating space (220); the second storage space (210) is provided with a plurality of temporary storage compartments (211) for temporarily storing material boxes; the second accommodating space (220) is located at the lower part of the second storage space (210) and is used for the second robot (400) to move the second robot shelf (200). The first robot (300) is configured to travel along the first robot aisle (500) and pick up and place the bin (700) between the first robot shelf (100) and the second robot shelf (200) of the shelf unit (1) on both sides of the first robot aisle (500). The second robot (400) is configured to travel along the second robot aisle (600) and move the second robot shelf (200) of the shelf unit (1) on both sides of the second robot aisle (600).

2. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first robot shelf (100) is provided with a plurality of first support columns (121), and the plurality of first support columns (121) extend toward the ground to form the first accommodating space (120). The second robot shelf (200) is provided with a plurality of second support columns (221), which extend toward the ground to form the second accommodating space (220).

3. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the cross-section of the first robot shelf (100) is greater than the length of the cross-section of the second robot shelf (200); the width of the cross-section of the first robot shelf (100) is greater than or equal to the width of the cross-section of the second robot shelf (200); the height of the first accommodating space (120) of the first robot shelf (100) is higher than the height of the second robot shelf (200) for lifting and loading the bin (700) of the second robot (400).

4. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first robot (300) is configured to move the bin (700) of the storage compartment (111) in the first robot shelf (100) to the temporary storage compartment (211) of the second robot shelf (200); or to move the bin (700) of the temporary storage compartment (211) of the second robot shelf (200) to the storage compartment (111) of the first robot shelf (100); The first robot (300) includes: a first motion chassis (310), a column gantry (320), and a transport mechanism (330). The first motion chassis (310) moves on the first robot channel (500); The column gantry (320) is mounted vertically on the first motion chassis (310); the handling mechanism (330) is mounted on the column gantry (320) and is configured to pick up and place material boxes (700) of different heights on the first robot shelf (100).

5. The warehousing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The handling mechanism (330) includes: a lifting assembly (331) and a fork assembly (332); The lifting assembly (331) is mounted on the column mast (320) and is configured to drive the fork assembly (332) to move up and down in the vertical direction; The fork assembly (332) is mounted on the lifting assembly (331) and is configured to extend from the column mast (320) to pick up and place the hopper (700).

6. The warehousing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first robot (300) further includes: a storage unit (340); the storage unit (340) is fixedly mounted on the column frame (320); the storage unit (340) includes a plurality of storage shelves (341) arranged sequentially along the column frame (320). The first robot (300) is also configured to sequentially move multiple bins (700) from storage compartments (111) in the first robot shelf (100) to the storage shelf (341), and then move multiple bins (700) from the storage shelf (341) to the temporary storage compartments (211) of the second robot shelf (200); or move multiple bins (700) from the temporary storage compartments (211) of the second robot shelf (200) to the storage shelf (341), and then move multiple bins (700) from the storage shelf (341) to the storage compartments (111) of the first robot shelf (100).

7. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first robot (300) is also used to travel along the first robot aisle (500) to move the bins (700) in the storage compartment (111) of the first robot shelf (100) to other storage compartments (111) of the first robot shelf (100); or to move the bins (700) on the temporary storage compartment (211) of the second robot shelf (200) to other temporary storage compartments (211) of the second robot shelf (200).

8. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second robot (400) is a lifting mobile robot configured to transport the second robot shelf (200) loaded with the outbound bins (700) to the destination, or to transport the second robot shelf (200) loaded with the inbound bins (700) to the first receiving space (120) of the first robot shelf (100). The height of the second receiving space (220) of the second robot shelf (200) is higher than that of the lifting mobile robot; such that the lifting mobile robot is configured to move into the second receiving space (220), lift the second robot shelf (200) to move, or place the second robot shelf (200) on the ground.

9. The warehousing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second robot channel (600) extends into the first accommodating space (120) of each of the first robot shelves (100) on both sides and is provided with a turning channel (610), which is perpendicular to the second robot channel (600); The second robot (400) travels along the turning channel (610) and is configured to remove the second robot shelf (200) from the first receiving space (120) or place the second robot shelf (200) in the first receiving space (120); The first robot (300) is configured to pick up and place a tin (700) on the temporary storage compartment (211) of the second robot shelf (200) after the second robot (400) lifts the second robot shelf (200) and travels along the turning channel (610) into the first accommodating space (120).

10. The warehousing system according to claim 8, characterized in that, A one-way or two-way travel channel is provided between the shelf unit (1) and the destination for the second robot (400) to travel.

11. The warehousing system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The driving lanes include: a first driving lane (910) with the destination being the workstation (810) and a second driving lane (920) with the destination being the review and packaging area (820). The second robot (400) is configured to move a second robot shelf (200) carrying a loaded bin (700) to the workstation (810) along the first travel aisle (910) for picking and outbound processing; or to move the second robot shelf (200) loaded with bins (700) to the first robot shelf (100) for bin storage. The second robot (400) is also configured to move a second robot shelf (200) carrying a loaded bin (700) to the verification and packaging area (820) along the second travel channel (920) to pack all goods in the bin (700) for shipment; or to move an empty second robot shelf (200) to the first robot shelf (100).

Images