Warehousing system and scheduling method therefor

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a warehousing system and a scheduling method therefor. The warehousing system comprises: a warehousing region, a plurality of movable carriers for storing articles being arranged in the warehousing region; a workstation, which is configured to process articles; a first carrying robot, which is configured to transfer the movable carriers between the warehousing region and the workstation; and fixed carriers for storing articles being arranged in the warehousing region. The warehousing system further comprises a transfer robot; a passage is enclosed and formed between two adjacent fixed carriers, a first track extending along the passage is disposed above the fixed carriers at a position higher than the movable carriers, the transfer robot is configured to move along the first track, so as to move to positions corresponding to different columns on the fixed carriers or the movable carriers, and the transfer robot is configured to transfer articles between the fixed carriers and the movable carriers.

Description

Warehousing system and scheduling method thereof

[0001] This disclosure claims the priority of application number 2024108674843 filed on June 28, 2024 with the China Patent Office; the priority of application number 2024215249177 filed on June 28, 2024 with the China Patent Office; and the priority of application number 202310809521.0 filed on July 3, 2023 with the China Patent Office; all of which are incorporated by reference into this disclosure. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of warehousing and logistics, and particularly relates to a warehousing system and a scheduling method thereof. Background Art

[0003] In a warehousing system, items may be transferred between shelves and workstations in a storage area. Typically, to enable the transfer of items between shelves and workstations, the warehousing system may include multiple types of robots.

[0004] Taking picking as an example, the first handling robot transfers the items to be picked from the storage location high 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, and then picks the items to be picked at the picking workstation.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, comprising: a storage area, in which a plurality of movable carriers for storing articles are arranged; a workstation, which is configured to process articles; a first handling robot, which is configured to transfer the movable carrier between the storage area and the workstation; fixed carriers for storing articles are provided in the storage area; the warehousing system further comprises a transfer robot, and an aisle is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers; a first track extending along the aisle is provided at a position on the fixed carrier higher than the movable carrier, and the transfer robot is configured to move along the first track to move to a position corresponding to a different column on the fixed carrier or the movable carrier; the transfer robot is configured to transfer articles between the fixed carrier and the movable carrier.

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a scheduling method for a warehousing system, which is implemented by the above-mentioned warehousing system and includes the following steps: the control server controls the transfer robot to transfer the target item on the fixed carrier to the mobile carrier; the control server responds to the scheduling instruction and controls the first transport robot to transfer the mobile carrier storing the target item to the workstation for processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or descriptions of the prior art. 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 any creative work.

[0009] FIG1a is a structural diagram 1 of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG1b is a second structural diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG2a is a structural schematic diagram 1 of a storage area provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG2 b is a second structural diagram of a storage area provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG3 is a side view of FIG2a;

[0014] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of one state of a transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG5 is a side view of FIG4;

[0016] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer robot and the track provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG7 is a front view of a movable carrier provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG8 is a side view of FIG7;

[0019] FIG9a is an assembly diagram 1 of a first handling robot and a movable carrier provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG9 b is a second assembly diagram of the first handling robot and the movable carrier provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a storage area provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG11 is a top view of a fixed carrier provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG12 is a side view of FIG6;

[0024] FIG13 is a partial enlarged view of point I in FIG12;

[0025] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of an assembly of a transfer robot and a fixed carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of another state of the transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG16 is a side view of FIG15;

[0028] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of another state of the transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG18 is a side view of FIG17;

[0030] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of another transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a stand provided by one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer robot provided by one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG22 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG21;

[0034] FIG23 is a third structural diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG24 is a schematic top view of a storage system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG25 is a flow chart of a scheduling method for a warehousing system provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] Explanation of reference numerals: 10 - storage area; 20 - workstation; 10a - lane; 100 - fixed carrier; 200 - transfer robot; 300 - movable carrier; 400 - first handling robot; 500 - first operating channel; 600 - second operating channel; 700 - third operating channel; 110 - first cargo position; 120 - channel; 130 - storage area; 140 - track; 210 - lifting mechanism; 220 - pick-and-place mechanism; 230 - busbar; 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 assembly; 900-cache carrier; 10b-docking area; 2113-third drive mechanism; 2114-first drive mechanism; 2125-sliding seat; 800-second handling robot; 21-container loading and unloading equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0039] It should be noted that many specific details are set forth in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure can also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific implementation methods disclosed below.

[0040] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "horizontal," "bottom," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate description and simplify the present disclosure. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly provided or limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean 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.

[0041] In this disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connected," "fixed," and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrated; they can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; they can be internally connected between two elements, or they can be an interactive relationship between two elements. However, if it is indicated as being directly connected, 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 skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] In this disclosure, references to "first," "second," and the like are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features being referenced. Therefore, features specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of these features.

[0043] Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a warehousing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a warehousing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2a. Referring to Figures 1a to 3, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, including a storage area 10, a workstation 20, and a control server.

[0044] In some examples, the workstation 20 may include multiple work platforms spaced apart along the second direction x. The multiple work platforms may include picking work platforms, shelving work platforms, or sorting work platforms. It is understood that the area where the picking work platforms are located may be a picking workstation, the area where the shelving work platforms are located may be a shelving workstation, and the area where the sorting work platforms are located may be a sorting workstation.

[0045] A fixed carrier 100 is placed in the storage area 10 .

[0046] In some examples, there may be one or more fixed carriers 100. For example, there may be multiple fixed carriers 100, and the multiple fixed carriers 100 may be spaced apart along a first direction (ie, a longitudinal direction of the fixed carrier 100).

[0047] In some examples, a single fixed carrier 100 may be provided along the second direction (i.e., the lateral direction of the fixed carrier 100), or multiple fixed carriers 100 may be provided at intervals. The first direction is shown as y in FIG. 1a , and the second direction is shown as x in FIG. 1a . FIG. 1a illustrates an example in which a single fixed carrier 100 is provided along the x direction.

[0048] It should be noted that the fixed carrier 100 may include but is not limited to a shelf, a pallet device, etc.

[0049] 2 a , the fixed carrier 100 has a plurality of first cargo positions 110 , and the plurality of first cargo positions 110 may be arranged along at least one of a height direction of the fixed carrier 100 , a first direction y, and a second direction x.

[0050] For example, a plurality of first cargo positions 110 are provided along the height direction (shown in the z direction in Figures 2a to 3) and the second direction x of the fixed carrier 100. In addition, one or more first cargo positions 110 may be provided along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100. When one first cargo position 110 is provided along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 is a single-deep carrier. When multiple first cargo positions 110 are provided along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 may be a multi-deep carrier. For example, when two first cargo positions 110 are provided along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, the fixed carrier 100 is a double-deep carrier.

[0051] The first storage location 110 is configured to store target items.

[0052] It should be noted that the target items may include but are not limited to goods, packages containing goods, containers containing goods such as boxes or empty containers, etc.

[0053] 1a and 3 , an alley 10a is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y for the transfer robot 200 to move along the fixed carrier 100 to transfer target items with each first cargo position 110 on the fixed carrier 100 .

[0054] In some examples, storage area 10 contains multiple items required for task orders, such as picking orders, and these items are placed in different containers. When the storage system receives a picking order, the control server controls the transport equipment to travel back and forth between storage area 10 and workstation 20 multiple times to transport all the items required for the picking order to workstation 20 for processing until all the items on the order are collected.

[0055] It should be noted that, in this example, the target item includes a container and an item placed in the container. In some examples, the target item can also be the item itself, a package with an item, or an empty container.

[0056] In related art, the transport equipment may include a transport robot A and a transport robot B.

[0057] For example, the bottom layer of the fixed carrier is a cache cargo location. The transfer robot is a handling robot (such as a handling robot A) that walks along the ground of the storage system, that is, the handling robot A has a chassis, and the driving wheels on the chassis drive the handling robot A to walk in the alley 10a of the storage area 10 or on the ground outside the storage area 10. For example, when the handling robot A receives a handling task, it can walk along the ground of the alley 10a until it reaches the target cargo location of the fixed carrier, and transfer the target items to the target cargo location. Taking the handling task as a box picking task, the handling robot A can run along the ground of the alley 10a to the target cargo location of the fixed carrier, take out the target items on the target cargo location, and then transfer them to the cache cargo location at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier.

[0058] In practice, warehouse systems employ multiple types of transport robots, each configured to perform different tasks. For example, when a transport robot, such as the aforementioned transport robot A, receives a picking task, the control server controls the transport robot A to move along the ground surface of lane 10a to a target location on a fixed carrier, remove the target item from the target location, and then place it in the buffer location at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier.

[0059] When another transport robot, such as transport robot B, receives a picking task, the control server can control transport robot B to run to the cache location at the bottom 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.

[0060] Taking shelving as an example, the handling robot B moves to the shelving workstation, and the operator can transfer the target items to be shelved to the handling robot B. Then the handling robot B carries the target items to be shelved to the cache location at the bottom layer of the fixed carrier, and the handling robot A then transfers the target items on the cache location to the storage location of the fixed carrier.

[0061] However, the transport robot A occupies a large space in the lane 10a, thus affecting the storage density of the storage area 10 and having high requirements on the ground environment, such as flatness. In addition, the transport robot B can only carry one target item at a time, which limits the working efficiency of the storage system.

[0062] The present disclosure 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 disclosure 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 surface 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 related art in which the second handling robot takes and places the target items from the cache cargo position on the bottom layer of the fixed carrier, the embodiment of the present disclosure reduces the accuracy of the handling robot 400 in taking and returning the target items from the fixed carrier 100, thereby improving the working efficiency of the handling robot. 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 via the movable carrier 300, thereby improving the working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0063] The following describes the storage system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of one state of a transfer robot provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 5 is a side view of Figure 4, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer robot and the track provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 7 is a front view of a movable carrier provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 8 is a side view of Figure 7. Referring to Figures 1a to 3, the warehousing system provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a storage area 10, in which a plurality of fixed carriers 100 are provided, and a plurality of first cargo locations 110 are provided on the fixed carriers 100. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first cargo locations 110 are all storage cargo locations.

[0065] 2a, 2b, 3, 7 and 8, the storage area 10 of the embodiment of the present disclosure is arranged with a plurality of movable carriers 300, each of which has a plurality of second cargo spaces 310. The second cargo spaces 310 are used to store target items (see P in FIG7 and FIG8).

[0066] In some examples, the plurality of second cargo locations 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 locations 310 along the height direction z, multiple second cargo locations 310 along the length direction, and one or more second cargo locations 310 along the width direction.

[0067] 2a, 2b, and 3, the warehousing 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 target items between the first cargo location 110 and the second cargo location 310, that is, to transfer target items between the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300.

[0068] 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 of the movable carrier 300 and transfer it to the first cargo position 110 of the fixed carrier 100.

[0069] In some examples, a track 140 may 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 may be provided at a position higher than the movable carrier 300 on the fixed carrier 100, and the transfer robot 200 may be configured to move along the track 140 to move to positions in different columns on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 b and FIG. 3 , a tunnel 10 a is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers 100 .

[0071] Referring to Figures 2b and 3, a track 140 extending along the alley 10a can be set at a position higher than the movable carrier 300 on the fixed carrier 100, and the transfer robot 200 is configured to walk in the alley 10a along the track 140 to move to positions corresponding to different columns on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300.

[0072] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 is a robot that slides along a track 140. At least one track 140 may be provided in each lane 10a. The control server may control the transfer robot 200 to slide along the lane 10a to a column corresponding to the target object.

[0073] 4 to 6 , 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 up 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 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 transfer columns on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300.

[0074] In some examples, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is disposed on the lifting mechanism 210 and is configured to be controlled by the first drive mechanism to move in the height direction relative to the lifting mechanism 210 to positions corresponding to different rows on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 has a loading platform for temporarily placing target objects and a pick-and-place member capable of performing the functions of picking and placing target objects.

[0075] The pick-and-place member may be a telescopic arm, a suction cup, a fork, or a telescopic fork, etc., and the present disclosure does not limit this. Taking the fork as an example, the fork can transfer the target object between the carrier (fixed carrier 100 or movable carrier 300) and the loading platform.

[0076] The lifting mechanism 210 is slidably engaged with the track 140 and is configured to drive the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move along the track 140 in the direction of the lane 10a. Driven by the lifting mechanism 210, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can slide to a column corresponding to the target object. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 can then move vertically relative to the lifting mechanism 210 to a row corresponding to the target object, thereby accurately moving the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to the position corresponding to the target object.

[0077] 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 where the carrier 100 is fixed.

[0078] 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 positions corresponding to different layers on the fixed carrier 100 or the movable carrier 300 .

[0079] In some examples, the lifting mechanism 210 includes a travel assembly 212 and a stand 211. The stand 211 is configured to extend in a vertical direction; the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is disposed on the stand 211 and is configured to move in the vertical direction of the stand 211. The travel assembly 212 is disposed on the stand 211 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.

[0080] In some examples, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is movably mounted on the stand 211 and is movable relative to the stand 211 along the height direction z of the fixed carrier 100, enabling the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move to first cargo locations 110 on different levels of the fixed carrier 100. In this manner, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move in the second direction and the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 to reach a target cargo location in the first cargo location 110. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 is configured to dock with the first cargo location 110 to retrieve or return a target item.

[0081] It should be noted that in the disclosed embodiment, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can transfer the target object by various methods, such as suction, pulling, hooking, and clamping. For example, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can be a suction cup structure that can be attached to the side wall of the target object through negative pressure or magnetic attraction. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 can also be a structure such as a fork or a robotic arm that can achieve pulling-type transfer of the target object, or a hooking mechanism that can hook the front edge of the target object. The disclosed embodiment does not limit the structure of the pick-and-place mechanism.

[0082] Figure 9a is an assembly diagram 1 of a first handling robot and a movable carrier provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 9b is an assembly diagram 2 of the first handling robot and the movable carrier provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 9a and 9b , the warehousing system of the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a first handling robot 400. The first handling robot 400 is configured to drive the movable carrier 300 between the storage area 10 and the target location in one state, and is configured to separate from the movable carrier 300 in another state.

[0083] The lane 10 a may be a walking path for the first transfer robot 400 . The first transfer robot 400 may travel through the lane 10 a when transferring the movable carrier 300 .

[0084] For example, after the movable carrier 300 receives the target item being transferred by the transfer robot 200, the first transfer robot 400 can move to the movable carrier 300 and transfer the movable carrier 300 to the target location. Alternatively, the first transfer robot 400 can transfer the movable carrier 300 with the target item from the target location to the fixed carrier 100, so that the target item can be transferred to the first cargo position 110 by the transfer robot 200.

[0085] Alternatively, after the target items on the movable carrier 300 are picked or sorted at the target location, such as a picking workstation or a sorting workstation, the first handling robot 400 can store the movable carrier 300 in a centralized manner at the fixed carrier 100, so that when the transfer robot 200 receives a picking task, it can quickly transfer the target items 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 warehousing system and ensuring that the movable carrier 300 does not occupy space outside the storage area 10.

[0086] A plurality of movable carriers 300 for storing target items are arranged in the storage area 10 , and the first transfer robot 400 is configured to transfer the movable carriers 300 between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20 .

[0087] As shown in Figures 9a and 9b, in some examples, the movable carrier 300 can be a shelf that is not fixed to the ground. After the first transfer robot 400 moves under the movable carrier 300 to be transported, it can move the shelf to transfer the shelf and all the target items stored therein. The containers stored on the same movable carrier 300 can each contain different items with a high probability of being picked simultaneously. This way, when the entire shelf is transported to the workstation 20 for processing, there is a high probability that multiple targeted containers can be transported to the workstation 20 at the same time, thereby improving picking efficiency.

[0088] The warehousing system of the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a control server. In some examples, upon receiving the first work task, the warehousing system performs the following actions:

[0089] 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 location in the first cargo location 110, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier 300 with an empty cargo location; the first handling 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 20 for processing the target item.

[0090] Among them, the transfer robot 200 moves on the fixed carrier 100, which may specifically include: the stand 211 is driven by the walking component 212 to run along the track 140, so that the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 moves along the stand 211, so that the pick-up and placement 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] Taking picking as an example, upon receiving a picking task, the control server can control the transfer robot 200 to move along the track 140 on the fixed carrier 100. 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 location, removes the target item from the target cargo location, and then places it on the second cargo location 310 of the movable carrier 300. When the first transport robot 400 receives a picking task, the control server controls the first transport robot 400 to move to the movable carrier 300 with the target item and transport the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation, where the target item can be picked by the operator.

[0093] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the second work task:

[0094] When the control server receives the second work task, it controls the first 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] Taking shelving as an example, when the control server receives the shelving task, it controls the first handling robot 400 to carry the movable carrier 300 to the shelving workstation, and the operating object can transfer the target items to be shelved to the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300. Then the first handling 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.

[0097] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the third work task:

[0098] The transfer robot 200 disposed on the first fixed carrier moves on the first fixed carrier according to the third work task. That is, upon receiving the third work task, the control server controls the transfer robot 200 located on the first fixed carrier to move on the first fixed carrier to reach the first target cargo location in the first cargo location 110, take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier 300 with an empty cargo location. The control server continues to control the first handling robot 400 to move to the movable carrier 300 with the target item and transfer 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. 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 location of the second fixed carrier. The plurality of fixed carriers 100 include the first fixed carrier and the second fixed carrier.

[0099] In some examples, the third work task may include, but is not limited to, tallying tasks between fixed carriers 100. In the third work task, the target location may be a fixed carrier.

[0100] 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.

[0101] The first handling 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 set on the second fixed carrier moves on the second fixed carrier according to the third work task, and 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.

[0102] It should be noted that the above-mentioned operation objects can be staff members or automated equipment such as robotic arms and robots.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 b , the warehousing system may further include a container handling device 21 located at the workstation 20 , where the container handling device 21 is configured to transfer target items between the workstation 20 and the movable carrier 300 .

[0104] For example, in the workstation 20, there are staff who perform manual picking based on order information, or there are picking robots, picking robotic arms and other equipment to perform picking work. The staff or picking equipment needs to take the target goods out of the target container transported to the workstation 20, and pack them into boxes after all the goods are collected. The container loading and unloading equipment 21 can be a container transfer equipment with a conveyor belt or crawler belt, or it can be a robotic arm with a box retrieval and return device. Taking the container loading and unloading equipment 21 with a conveyor belt as an example: one side of the container loading and unloading equipment 21 is docked with the workstation 20, and the other side is configured to dock with the movable carrier 300.

[0105] When the movable carrier 300 is transported by the first handling robot 400 to the docking position with the container loading and unloading equipment 21, the conveyor belt on the container loading and unloading equipment 21 starts working, thereby transferring the container to the workstation 20, or transferring the container from the workstation 20 to the movable carrier 300.

[0106] Providing the container loading and unloading equipment 21 can effectively improve the picking efficiency and reduce labor costs.

[0107] When manual picking is used, workers do not need to manually transport containers to workstation 20 before picking, nor do they need to move to other areas within workstation 20 outside the picking area. This significantly reduces labor costs and improves picking efficiency, further automating the picking process. When mechanical picking is used, the equipment responsible for transporting containers and the equipment responsible for picking each perform their own functions, thereby improving picking efficiency.

[0108] It is understood that one of the above states refers to a state in which the movable carrier 300 is loaded on the first handling robot 400, that is, the first handling robot 400 is in a loaded state. The other state refers to a state in which the movable carrier 300 is not loaded on the first handling robot 400, that is, the first handling robot 400 is in an unloaded state.

[0109] For example, when the first handling robot 400 does not need to carry the target item, the first handling robot 400 may not need to be loaded with the movable carrier 300, so that the movable carrier 300 and the first handling 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 first handling robot 400 being at the fixed carrier 100 at the same time, the movable carrier 300 of the present disclosure is placed alone at the fixed carrier 100, which will not cause much impact on the space near the fixed carrier 100. After the first handling robot 400 is separated from the movable carrier 300, it can dock with other hit movable carriers 300, or carry other items, thereby improving the utilization rate of the first handling robot 400.

[0110] 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, the transfer robot 200 of the disclosed embodiment occupies a smaller area of ​​the lane 10a than the first 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. This can reduce the size of the lane 10a, increase the storage density of the fixed carrier 100, and reduce the requirements for the floor 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 a time between the fixed carrier 100 and the workstation 20 via the movable carrier 300, thereby improving the working efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0111] Since the fixed carrier 100 is located in the high-level storage area, the target items stored therein are not easily transferred directly to the workstation. Therefore, a transfer robot 200 is required to transfer containers between the high-level 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 first handling robot 400 will transport the target item to the workstation for processing. This can facilitate the transfer of containers located on the fixed carrier 100, realize the storage of containers at a high level, thereby achieving dense storage and improving the utilization rate of vertical space.

[0112] 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 first 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.

[0113] In some examples, before the first handling robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 into or out 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.

[0114] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 is placed near the fixed carrier 100 at least when in an idle state. For example, the movable carrier 300 may be located at an end of the fixed carrier 100 along the second direction x when in an idle state. When the transfer robot 200 needs to dock with the movable carrier 300, the first handling robot 400 may transport the movable carrier 300 to a dockable position of the transfer robot 200. For example, the first handling robot 400 may transport the movable carrier 300 to the lane 10a where the transfer robot 200 is located to receive the target item removed from the first cargo position 110 by the transfer robot 200.

[0115] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 can be placed in the alley 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 when it is idle. 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 first handling robot 400 then transports the movable carrier 300 carrying the target item to the workstation 20.

[0116] 2a and 3 , in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have a receiving area 130, which is configured to accommodate the movable carrier 300. For example, the movable carrier 300 is placed in the receiving area 130 when 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 item.

[0117] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2b and 3, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 is configured to have a receiving area 130 for parking the movable carrier 300. The fixed carrier 100 cannot be moved, and when it is necessary to take or place target objects such as containers stored on the fixed carrier 100, these containers need to be carried separately.

[0118] It is understandable that the storage area 10 includes a plurality of fixed carriers 100, which together constitute a high-level storage area. A ground storage area is formed below the high-level storage area. The movable carrier 300 is located in the ground storage area and can pass under the fixed carrier 100. When the movable carrier 300 is performing storage work in the storage area 10, it is located in the storage area 130 below the fixed carrier 100; when the movable carrier 300 is transported by the first handling robot 400, its corresponding storage area 130 is vacant. This achieves more intensive storage, realizes the use of vertical space for storage, and improves space utilization. In some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 has a support leg, which separates 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 this space serves as the storage area 130.

[0119] It can be understood that the extending direction of the accommodating area 130 is consistent with the second direction x.

[0120] For example, after the transfer robot 200 takes the target item out of the first cargo position 110, it can move to the aisle 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 first handling robot 400 can move the movable carrier 300 out of the storage area 130 and continue to transport it to the workstation 20.

[0121] 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 first 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.

[0122] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage area 130 is provided 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 alley 10a or other areas, thereby facilitating the movement of the transfer robot 200 on the alley 10a side of the fixed carrier 100 without interference from the movable carrier 300.

[0123] Furthermore, when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the transfer robot 200, it is also located within the storage area 130. Thus, after the transfer robot 200 removes the target item from the first cargo position 110, it can be directly placed on the movable carrier 300 in the storage area 130, without having to be transported again by the first handling robot 400 to the dockable position of the transfer robot 200. This saves the travel range of the movable carrier 300 and improves the docking efficiency between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300. Referring to FIG3 , in some examples, the storage area 130 is disposed adjacent to the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100.

[0124] The transfer robot 200 is located on the lane side of the fixed carrier 100. This shortens the distance between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300, 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 faster.

[0125] In some examples, the track 140 on the fixed carrier 100 may be set at a position higher than the movable carrier 300 so that the track 140 does not hinder the movable carrier 300 from moving out of the accommodation area 130.

[0126] In some examples, before the first handling robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 into or out of the storage area 130, the control server is configured 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.

[0127] When the first 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 first handling robot 400. In this case, the transfer robot 200 needs to move to avoid it. There are at least two ways to avoid: the first is to avoid it by moving horizontally, that is, moving along the track 140 to a position that vacates the target storage area 130; the second is to avoid it by moving vertically. Since the track 140 is set at a position higher than the movable carrier 300, the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can avoid it in the height direction along the lifting mechanism 210. The two avoidance methods can be implemented simultaneously. The control server can flexibly avoid it according to the position of the transfer robot 200, so that the movable carrier 300 can smoothly enter and exit the storage area 130.

[0128] In some examples, the accommodating 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 accommodating area 130 and the lane 10 a .

[0129] 1 a , in some examples, the storage area 10 includes a plurality of first running channels 500 arranged side by side and a plurality of second running channels 600 arranged side by side;

[0130] The first operating channel 500 extends along the first direction y of the fixed carrier 100, and the second operating channel 600 extends along the second direction x 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 configured to provide operation for the empty and loaded first handling robots 400.

[0131] It should be noted that the first operating channel 500 and the second operating channel 600 refer to channels 120 that can be used by both an unloaded first transport robot 400 and a loaded first transport robot 400. The unloaded first transport robot 400 refers to a first transport robot 400 without a movable carrier 300, and the loaded first transport robot 400 refers to a first transport robot 400 with a movable carrier 300 loaded.

[0132] 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 empty and loaded first handling 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 empty first handling 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 enable the loaded first handling robot 400 to quickly reach the storage area 130 of the target fixed carrier 100 from the workstation 20 or other fixed carrier 100 and dock with the transfer robot 200, or enable the loaded first handling robot 400 to quickly pass through the fixed carrier 100 and reach the outside of the storage area 10, and then quickly reach the workstation 20.

[0133] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a storage area according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG1a and FIG10 , in some examples, the first operating channel 500 may penetrate some or all of the fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y.

[0134] For ease of description, the plurality of first operating channels 500 may include at least one of a first sub-operating channel 510 and a second sub-operating channel 520. The first sub-operating channel 510 penetrates all fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y, while the second sub-operating channel 520 penetrates part of the fixed carriers 100 along the first direction y.

[0135] As shown in Figure 10, for example, when the second sub-operating channel 520 passes through part 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.

[0136] 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 one 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.

[0137] In some examples, each second sub-operating channel 520 may pass through 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.

[0138] 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 passes through one fixed carrier 100 , and at least another second sub-operating channel 520 passes through two fixed carriers 100 .

[0139] For example, the storage area 10 is provided with three second sub-channels 520 sequentially along the first direction y, wherein one second sub-channel 520 passes through one fixed carrier 100, another second sub-channel 520 passes through six fixed carriers 100, and yet another second sub-channel 520 passes through two fixed carriers 100. Furthermore, among these three second sub-channels 520, adjacent two second sub-channels 520 do not overlap along the first direction y, that is, they are not located on the same straight line.

[0140] 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 continuous fixed carriers 100 and the lane 10a between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a together form a second sub-operating channel 520.

[0141] 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 the empty or loaded first handling 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.

[0142] 1a and 10 , in other examples, the first sub-channel 510 may extend through 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 overlapping reserved spaces 130a along the first direction y and the lanes 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 together form the first sub-channel 510.

[0143] By setting up a first operating channel 500 that runs through the entire fixed carrier 100 in the storage area 10, the path of the first handling robot 400 running between the fixed carriers 100 can be shortened. For example, the first handling 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.

[0144] 2a and 10 , 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. For example, 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 disclosure does not limit the number of movable carriers 300 spaced between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a, and can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0145] It is understood that the position of the reserved space 130a determines the position of the first operating channel 500, and the distance between two adjacent reserved spaces 130a along the second direction x determines the distance between two adjacent first operating channels 500. The first operating channel 500 includes any one of the first sub-operating channel 510 that passes through the entirety of the carrier 100 and the second sub-operating channel 520 that passes through a portion of the fixed carrier 100.

[0146] 1 a , in some examples, the plurality of second operating channels 600 are spaced apart along the first direction y. For ease of description, the plurality of second operating channels 600 may include a third sub-operating channel 610 .

[0147] The third sub-operation channel 610 may be a space located on either side of the fixed carrier 100, so that the unloaded or loaded first handling robot 400 can reach the first cargo positions 110 in 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 first handling robot 400 can travel along the lane 10a through different columns of the fixed carriers 100 to reach the target column, and then travel through the fixed carriers 100 along the first operation channel 500 to reach the storage area 130 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 to carry 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.

[0148] In some examples, the third sub-running channel 610 may also be located on at least one of two opposite sides of the storage area 10 along the first direction y. For example, the third sub-running channel 610 may be located on the outer side (the side facing away from the lane 10a) of the frontmost fixed carrier 100 among the multiple fixed carriers arranged along the first direction y, or on the outer side (the side facing away from the lane 10a) of the rearmost fixed carrier 100.

[0149] For example, third sub-running channels 610 may be provided on both the front and rear sides of the storage area 10. For example, one third sub-running channel 610 may be located on the front side of the storage area 10, e.g., outside the frontmost fixed carrier 100, and the other third sub-running channel 610 may be located on the rear side of the storage area 10, e.g., outside the rearmost fixed carrier 100. Referring to FIG. 1 a , the front and rear sides of the storage area 10 are respectively arranged vertically along a first direction y, wherein the front side of the storage area 10 is the side closest to the workstation 20, and the rear side of the storage area 10 is the side away from the workstation 20.

[0150] Of course, in some examples, the third sub-operating channel 610 may be set only at the rear side of the storage area 10 so that the first handling robot 400 walking at the rear side of the storage area 10 can move to the bottom of different columns of cargo locations in the storage area 10.

[0151] In some examples, a third operating channel 700 may be provided in the area between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20 , and the empty or loaded first handling robot 400 may operate between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20 along the third operating channel 700 .

[0152] The third operation channel 700 may extend along the second direction x. For example, there may be multiple third operation channels 700 , and the multiple third operation channels 700 may be arranged side by side along the first direction y, and the multiple third operation channels 700 may be connected end to end in an S shape.

[0153] Of course, the third running channel 700 can extend along the first direction y. For example, there can be multiple third running channels 700, and multiple third running channels 700 can be arranged side by side along the second direction x, and the multiple third running channels 700 are connected end to end in an S shape.

[0154] The first transport robot 400 moves along the third operating channel 700 and can reach various work platforms in the workstation 20 to perform tasks such as picking, sorting, or shelving target items on the various work platforms.

[0155] In some examples, an identification code can be set on the ground of the operation channel of the first handling robot 400, and the first handling robot 400 can run along the preset path by identifying the identification code. In addition, by identifying the identification code, the real-time position of the first handling robot 400 can 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.

[0156] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 located on the aisle side of the third row of fixed carriers 100 moves to the fourth row, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 moves to the first cargo position 110 on the fourth level. After removing the first target item, the transfer robot 200 moves to the side of an 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 position a and transfers the first target item to the first movable carrier 300. The transfer robot 200 continues to move to the second level of the third row of the fixed carriers 100 to remove the second target item and transfer the second target item to the first movable carrier 300.

[0157] When the unloaded first handling robot 400 receives the task, it is located in the lane 10a (i.e., the second operating channel 600) between the first and second rows of fixed carriers 100. The unloaded first handling 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 operating channel 500, to the lane 10a between the second and third rows of fixed carriers 100. Then, the first handling robot 400 moves along the lane 10a to the side of the storage area 130 at the bottom of the second column of the third row of fixed carriers 100. , load the first movable carrier 300, and the loaded first handling robot 400 (i.e. the loaded first 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 first 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.

[0158] The embodiment of the present disclosure sets up multiple intersecting first operating channels 500 and second operating channels 600 in the storage area 10, so that the empty and loaded first handling robots 400 can choose a shorter path to move between the target positions outside the storage area 10 and inside the storage area 10, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the first handling robot 400 between the target position of the fixed carrier 100 and the workstation 20.

[0159] 3 , 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 .

[0160] For example, the fixed carrier 100 has two first cargo locations 110 along the first direction y.

[0161] In some examples, a transfer robot 200 is provided on both sides of a fixed carrier 100, and the fixed carrier 100 is a single-deep structure, wherein the transfer robot 200 on one side is configured to dock with the first cargo position 110 adjacent to that side, and the transfer robot 200 on the other side is configured to dock with the first cargo position 110 adjacent to that side. The space at the bottom of the two deep cargo positions of the fixed carrier 100 together forms a storage area 130.

[0162] In other examples, the fixed carrier 100 forms a double-deep structure, meaning that a transfer robot 200 located in one of the lanes 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 can dock with both first cargo locations 110. The first cargo location 110 closest to lane 10a is considered an outer-deep location, while the first cargo location 110 farther from lane 10a is considered an inner-deep location. The spaces at the bottom of the inner-deep and outer-deep locations of the fixed carrier 100 together form a passage 120, which also serves as a storage area 130.

[0163] As shown in FIG3 , in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have multiple channels 120. The multiple channels 120 may be arranged along a first direction y, and each channel 120 may extend along a second direction x. Among the multiple channels 120, at least one channel 120 adjacent to the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 serves as a receiving area 130, and at least another channel 120 is configured as a second operating channel 600.

[0164] In some examples, two channels 120 may be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100. One channel 120 may serve as the storage area 130, and the other channel 120 may serve as the second operating channel 600. For example, if 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 serves as the storage area 130, and the channel 120 on the left side serves as the second operating channel 600.

[0165] 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.

[0166] FIG11 is a top view of a fixed carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG3 and FIG11 , in some examples, the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 may have at least three channels 120 arranged along a first direction y, with each channel 120 extending along a second direction x. Of the multiple channels 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, two channels 120 adjacent to the lanes 10a on either side 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.

[0167] 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 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.

[0168] There is a channel 120 between the two channels 120 adjacent to the lanes 10a on both sides, and the channel 120 can serve as the second operating channel 600. It is understandable that the second operating channel 600 located at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 can be called the fourth sub-operating channel 620.

[0169] The embodiment of the present disclosure increases the number of second operating channels 600 by using at least one channel 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 as the second operating channel 600, and enables the first handling robot 400, whether empty or loaded, to operate in the fixed carrier 100, while reducing the probability of operating in the alley 10a, thereby avoiding the first handling robot 400 interfering with the operation of the transfer robot 200 in the alley 10a.

[0170] The disclosed embodiment increases the storage capacity of the storage area 10 for movable carriers 300 by providing at least three channels 120 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, two of which are used as storage areas 130. This allows more target items on the fixed carrier 100 to be transported via the movable carrier 300 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, without having to transport the movable carriers 300 at other fixed carriers 100 to the targeted fixed carrier 100. In addition, the second operating channel 600 (the fourth sub-operating 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 operating channel 600, allowing the first handling robot 400 located in the second operating channel 600 to dock with the storage areas 130 on both sides.

[0171] 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 passes 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.

[0172] In addition, when the fixed carrier 100 has a second operating channel 600 at the bottom, the reserved space 130a overlapping along the first direction y, the lane 10a on one side of the fixed carrier 100 and the second operating channel 600 at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100 together form a first sub-operating channel 510.

[0173] As shown in FIG3 , in some examples, at least one fixed carrier 100 includes two sub-fixed carriers ( 101 and 102 ), each of which has two first cargo locations 110 along a first direction y, forming a double-deep structure. The two sub-fixed carriers are arranged opposite each other along the first direction y, such that the first cargo locations 110 a in the inner depth of the two sub-fixed carriers are connected. The first cargo locations 110 b in the outer depth of the two sub-fixed carriers are arranged adjacent to the lane 10 a on one side of the fixed carrier 100.

[0174] For example, the fixed carrier 100 has a first side and a second side disposed opposite each other along a first direction y. The first side is the side of the first sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the first side lane 10a. The first cargo position 110 of the first sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the first side lane 10a is an outer deep position, and the first cargo position 110 away from the first side lane 10a is an inner deep position. The second side is the side of the second sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the second side lane 10a. The first cargo position 110 of the second sub-fixed carrier adjacent to the second side lane 10a is an outer deep position, and the second cargo position 310 away from the second side lane 10a is an inner deep position. The transfer robot 200 on the first side docks with the outer and inner deep positions of the first sub-fixed carrier, and the transfer robot 200 on the second side docks with the outer and inner deep positions of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0175] The bottom portions of the two sub-fixed carriers in the outer deep position form an accommodating area 130, so that the fixed carrier 100 forms two spaced-apart accommodating areas 130. The bottom portions of the two sub-fixed carriers in the inner deep position form a second operating channel 600. It will be appreciated that the two inner deep bottom portions together form a second operating channel 600, ensuring the width of the second operating channel 600 so that the unloaded first handling robot 400 or the loaded first handling robot 400 can operate smoothly along the second operating channel 600.

[0176] In some examples, when the two sub-fixed carriers are three-deep or above structures, there may be multiple second running channels 600 located at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100.

[0177] For example, if both sub-fixed carriers are three-deep structures, two second operating channels 600 can be formed at the bottom of the fixed carrier 100, one of the second operating channels 600 is formed by the space at the two inner deep bottoms of the first sub-fixed carrier, and the other second operating channel 600 is formed by the space at the two inner deep bottoms of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0178] 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 space 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 space 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 space at the bottom of the first two inner deep positions of the second sub-fixed carrier.

[0179] For example, in a picking task, the empty first 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 carriers 300 in the storage areas 130 on both sides without having to run the first transport robot 400 into the alleys 10a on both sides of each storage area 130, thereby shortening the operating path of the empty first transport robot 400 to reach each movable carrier 300.

[0180] For another example, in a shelving task, the loaded first 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.

[0181] Alternatively, when multiple target items in the movable carrier 300 need to be shelved on two opposite sub-fixed carriers, the loaded first handling robot 400 can move to the second operating 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 to shelve the items through the transfer robot 200 on the corresponding side, without having to carry 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 operating 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.

[0182] The disclosed embodiment rationally utilizes the space at the bottom of the multi-depth fixed carrier 100, enriches the second operating channel 600 of the first transport robot 400, enables the first transport robot 400 to reach the target movable carrier 300 or workstation 20 more quickly, and also enriches the avoidance paths of multiple first transport robots 400, thereby preventing multiple first transport robots 400 from avoiding each other and affecting work efficiency.

[0183] 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.

[0184] In some examples, storage area 10 may include fixed carriers a and fixed carriers b. For example, fixed carriers a may be located at the front and rear edges of storage area 10, while fixed carriers b may be located within storage area 10. For example, fixed carriers a may be located at each of the front and rear edges of storage area 10, with multiple fixed carriers b spaced apart between fixed carriers a. Thus, each fixed carrier b has lanes 10a on both sides, with the side of fixed carrier a facing fixed carrier b forming lane 10a.

[0185] 9a and 9b , 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 configured for the operation of the unloaded first handling robot 400 to increase the operating channel 120 of the unloaded first handling robot 400.

[0186] 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 first handling robot 400 can run in the storage area 130 along the carrying space 330 of the movable carrier 300. On the one hand, the unloaded first handling robot 400 can run 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 first handling 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.

[0187] It should be noted that the above-mentioned channel for the operation of the unloaded first transport robot 400 means that it can only be operated by the unloaded first transport robot 400. 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 first 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 first transport robot 400, and cannot be operated by the loaded first transport robot 400.

[0188] 9a and 9b , in some examples, the first handling robot 400 may be a lifting robot. For example, the first handling robot 400 may include a chassis, a lifting assembly, and a load-bearing assembly fixed to the lifting assembly. The lifting assembly may drive the load-bearing assembly to move up and down during the lifting process to achieve the transport of the movable carrier 300. For example, the lifting assembly of the handling robot may drive the load-bearing assembly downward so that the entire first handling robot 400 can enter the load-bearing space 330 of the movable carrier 300. The lifting assembly then drives the load-bearing assembly upward so that the load-bearing assembly lifts the movable carrier 300 so that the movable carrier 300 is lifted off the ground. This, in turn, drives the entire first handling robot 400 to move via the chassis, thereby driving the movable carrier 300 to move.

[0189] In this way, when the unloaded first 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 first 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 first transport robot 400 and the movable carrier 300.

[0190] In some examples, the first handling robot 400 may also be a mechanical gripper robot. For example, the first handling robot 400 includes a chassis and a mechanical gripper movably disposed on the chassis. When docking with the movable carrier 300, the first handling robot 400 may move to the side of the movable carrier 300 and grasp the movable carrier 300 with the mechanical gripper to lift the movable carrier 300 off the ground. The present disclosure does not limit the structure of the first handling robot 400 or the handling method.

[0191] 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 first transport robots 400 avoiding each other and ensure smooth operation of the first transport robots 400.

[0192] In some examples, the first operating channel 500 , the second operating channel 600 , and the accommodating area 130 may all be bidirectional channels 120 .

[0193] In some examples, the height of the movable carrier 300 can be matched to 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 shelving 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. For example, the height of the movable carrier 300 can be a suitable height value such as 0.8m, 1.0m, or 1.2m, and can be adjusted according to the average height of the actual staff.

[0194] 7 and 8 , 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 or arching their backs, thereby improving the efficiency of the staff in docking with the second cargo position 310 and alleviating the staff's work fatigue.

[0195] For example, the partition 320 can be directly set to an inclined state, that is, the partition 320 is in an inclined state at all times. For example, the partition 320 is tilted at an angle of 7° to 8°. This not only facilitates the docking of the staff with the second cargo position 310, but also allows the transfer robot 200 to dock with the second cargo position 310 at this tilted angle, ensuring that the docking between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300 is not affected. For example, the tilt angle of the partition 320 can be a suitable value such as 7°, 7.5°, or 8°.

[0196] For another example, a drive structure may be provided on the movable carrier 300, and the drive structure is connected to the partition 320. When the movable carrier 300 is docked with a worker, the drive structure may drive the partition 320 to an inclined state to facilitate docking by the worker. In other states, the drive 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 prevent it from sliding off the partition 320. For another example, when the movable carrier 300 is docked with the transfer robot 200, the drive structure may drive the partition 320 to a horizontal state to facilitate docking between the transfer robot 200 and the movable carrier 300.

[0197] In some examples, one end of the partition 320 is rotatably mounted on a vertical beam of the movable carrier 300, and the drive structure can be a cylinder mounted at the bottom of the other end of the partition 320. The cylinder can drive the other end of the partition 320 to rise and fall, thereby making the other end of the partition 320 higher than or flush with the one end, allowing the partition 320 to switch between an inclined state and a horizontal state. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the structural configuration of the drive structure, as long as the partition 320 can be switched between an inclined state and a horizontal state under the drive structure.

[0198] In some examples, the movable carrier 300 includes at least two layers of second storage locations 310. At least the second storage location 310 on the top layer of the movable carrier 300 is configured to cache target items that have been ordered, and at least the second storage location 310 on 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 below.

[0199] By placing the target item of the order on the top shelf of the movable carrier 300, the transfer robot 200 can more quickly place the target item on the second shelf 310 on the top shelf of the movable carrier 300 during the picking task, and the picking personnel can quickly pick out the target item on the top shelf. This also facilitates the shelf personnel to quickly place the target item on the second shelf 310 on the top shelf of the movable carrier 300 during the shelving task, and the transfer robot 200 can more quickly remove the target item from the top shelf of the movable carrier 300 and shelve it on the first shelf 110.

[0200] In addition, the empty containers can be stored for a long time on the second cargo position 310 at the bottom of the movable carrier 300, so that when a shelving task is received, the first handling robot 400 can directly transport the movable carrier 300 to the shelving workstation, and the shelving personnel can place 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.

[0201] In addition, Class A items 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 the Class A item is found, the first handling robot 400 can directly transport the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation, and the picking personnel can pick the Class A item without having 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 carrying the items up and down.

[0202] For example, at night, the storage area 10 will perform sorting based on the daytime order data. Target items with a high hit rate will be sorted and placed on the movable carriers 300 below. For example, the transfer robot 200 can transfer the target items with a high hit rate to the bottom shelf of the movable carriers 300, thus completing the sorting work. This ensures that the hit rate of target items stored in the same movable carrier 300 is high, ensuring that the movable carriers 300 transported to the workstation 20 have a sufficient number of target items, thereby reducing the transportation of useless target items.

[0203] In some examples, the height of the movable carrier 300 matches the height of the staff, so 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.

[0204] 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.

[0205] 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 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.

[0206] For example, 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, thereby improving the working efficiency of the warehousing 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 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 providing the movable carrier 300 with 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, thereby saving the area outside the fixed carrier 100 occupied by the movable carrier 300.

[0207] As shown in Figure 6, in some examples, the transfer robot 200 may include a busbar 230, and the busbar 230 may include a conductor and a current receiver, wherein the conductor may be a copper body wrapped in a protective cover, and the end of the conductor is connected to the power supply, 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.

[0208] 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 configured to contact the conductor when the traveling component 212 moves along the track 140, so that the current collector can continue to receive power during the movement along the track 140 driven by the traveling component 212, so as to provide power to the traveling component 212 and ensure the normal operation of the traveling component 212.

[0209] The provision of the busbar 230 reduces the number of cables and the load on the transfer robot 200, thereby reducing the impact of the cables on the life of the transfer robot 200 and ensuring stable operation of the pick-and-place system. In addition, the reduction in the number of cables eliminates the need for drag chains, thereby ensuring the structural stability of the transfer robot 200.

[0210] In addition, the transfer robot 200 is powered by the busbar 230, the charging efficiency is high, the waiting time of the transfer robot 200 is short, and there is no need for other transfer robots 200 to replace it, thereby saving the number of transfer robots 200 used. In addition, compared with the related art, the transport robot A walking on the ground of the alley 10a needs to travel to the charging pile outside the alley 10a for charging, the embodiment of the present disclosure powers the transfer robot 200 by the busbar 230, avoiding the traffic congestion caused by the charging process of the first transport robot 400 in the related art, and improving the efficiency of the transfer robot 200 in retrieving and returning boxes.

[0211] 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 set on the walking component 212 can continuously contact the conductor.

[0212] In some examples, the fixed carrier 100 may be provided with a track 140, and the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism 210 is suspended on the track 140 via a travel assembly 212 and runs along the track 140. For example, a track 140 may be provided on a top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, and the travel assembly 212 may be provided at the top or a first position of the frame 211, where 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, thereby allowing the frame 211 to be stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 via the travel assembly 212.

[0213] 2a and 6 , in some examples, the fixed carrier 100 may be provided with a plurality of tracks 140, which are spaced apart along the height direction of the fixed carrier 100. The lifting mechanism 210 cooperates with the plurality of tracks 140 to guide and move on the fixed carrier 100 along the plurality of tracks 140. For example, the frame 211 of the lifting mechanism 210 may be provided with a plurality of sets of running assemblies 212 spaced apart along the height direction z. The plurality of sets of running assemblies 212 are disposed correspondingly to the tracks 140, so that the frame 211 moves along the corresponding tracks 140 via the plurality of sets of running assemblies 212, and at least one set of running assemblies 212 is suspended from the tracks 140, so that the frame 211 is suspended on the fixed carrier 100.

[0214] For example, two rails 140 are provided on the fixed carrier 100, and the two rails 140 respectively include a first rail 140a and a second rail 140b, and the second rail 140b is located above the first rail 140a. The traveling assembly 212 of the lifting mechanism 210 includes a first traveling assembly 212a and a second traveling assembly 212b, and the first traveling assembly 212a moves along the first rail 140a, and the second traveling assembly 212b moves along the second rail 140b. The first rail 140a is located below the second rail 140b. The second rail 140b can be set on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, and the second traveling assembly 212b is set at the top or first position of the stand 211, and the second traveling assembly 212b runs along the second rail 140b. The first track 140a can be set on the middle beam or bottom beam of the fixed carrier 100, and the first walking component 212a is set at the middle, bottom or 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 first walking component 212a runs along the first track 140a, thereby improving the running stability of the stand 211 on the fixed carrier 100.

[0215] Exemplarily, at least one of the first traveling component 212a and the second traveling component 212b is suspended on the corresponding track 140, for example, the second traveling component 212b is suspended on the second track 140b, and the first traveling component 212a only runs along the first track 140a without being suspended on the first track 140a.

[0216] In some examples, each group of traveling components 212 , that is, the traveling components 212 that cooperate with the same track 140 , may be one or more.

[0217] For example, the stand 211 is a pole extending in the height direction z, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is movably arranged on the pole. Then, there is one walking assembly 212 that cooperates with one of the tracks 140, and one walking assembly 212 is arranged on the pole.

[0218] For another example, the stand 211 includes a top connecting rod 211a and two vertical rods 211b extending along the height direction z. The top connecting rod 211a is connected between the tops of the two vertical rods 211b, so that the stand 211 forms a portal structure (see Figures 4 to 6). In this way, each set of running components 212 may include one or two running components 212. For example, a running component 212 can be set on any vertical rod 211b of the stand 211, and the running component 212 drives the entire stand 211 to run along the track 140 through the vertical rod 211b.

[0219] For another example, each group of traveling components 212 may have two, and each upright pole 211b is set on the track 140 through the traveling component 212, so that the entire stand 211 can run stably along the track 140.

[0220] Figure 12 is a side view of Figure 6, and Figure 13 is a partial enlarged view of point I in Figure 12. Referring to Figures 12 and 13, in some examples, the travel assembly 212 may include a driving member 2121 and a driving wheel 2122, wherein the driving member 2121 is connected to the frame 211, and the driving wheel 2122 is connected to the driving member 2121, and the driving wheel 2122 is configured to run along the track 140 under the drive of the driving member 2121.

[0221] 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 process, the output shaft of the motor drives the driving wheel 2122 to roll along the track 140 to drive the stand 211 to move.

[0222] 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 .

[0223] 13 , the top and bottom of the track 140 are disposed opposite to each other along a height direction of the track 140. For example, the height direction of the track 140 is consistent with the height direction of the fixed carrier 100.

[0224] 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.

[0225] As shown in FIG13 , in some examples, the drive wheel 2122 can 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 drive wheel 2122 can be located on the side of the track 140 that faces away from the fixed carrier 100, with the rolling surface of the drive wheel 2122 in contact with the side of the track 140 so that the rolling surface of the drive wheel 2122 rolls along the side of the track 140. In this way, when the stand 211 bounces up and down, the rolling surface of the drive wheel 2122 can be prevented from separating from the track 140 and idling, thereby ensuring that the drive wheel 2122 drives the stand 211 to run stably along the track 140.

[0226] 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, as shown in the y direction in FIG. 3 and FIG. 13 .

[0227] In some examples, the walking component 212 may include a guide wheel 2123, which is connected to the stand 211 of the lifting mechanism. The guide wheel 2123 is configured to move along the extension direction of the track 140 under the drive of the stand 211 of the lifting mechanism, so as to prevent the walking component 212 from driving the stand 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 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 remains stable.

[0228] 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.

[0229] In some examples, the rolling axis of the guide wheel 2123 extends along the height direction z of the track 140, such that the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 contacts the sidewalls of the track 140. For example, the track 140 may include a bottom wall and two sidewalls disposed opposite each other along the width direction. The guide wheel 2123 is located in a groove of the track 140 formed by the bottom wall and the two sidewalls, and the rolling surface of the guide wheel 2123 contacts the inner surfaces of the two sidewalls and rolls along the inner surfaces of the two sidewalls.

[0230] 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.

[0231] 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.

[0232] It will be appreciated that in this example, the thickness of the guide wheel 2123 coincides with the width of the track 140, thereby reducing the width of the track 140 and, in turn, the distance between the pick-and-place mechanism 220 on the stand 211 and the fixed carrier 100. This shortens the pick-and-place distance of the pick-and-place mechanism 220, thereby improving the pick-and-place accuracy and efficiency of the pick-and-place mechanism 220. Furthermore, when the width of the track 140 is reduced, the height of the track 140 can be increased to improve the bearing capacity of the track 140 on the travel assembly 212.

[0233] 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.

[0234] For example, a groove (such as the above-mentioned track groove) can be provided 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. 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 both run along the groove and be confined between the two side walls without offset.

[0235] As shown in Figure 13, for another 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. 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.

[0236] 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.

[0237] Taking the V-shaped cross-sectional shape of groove 2124 as an example, the rolling surface of guide wheel 2123 is provided with a V-shaped groove along the circumference. Accordingly, the top or bottom of track 140 is formed into a V-shaped structure. For example, the two side walls of the top of track 140 are inclined surfaces, and the distance between the two inclined surfaces gradually decreases from the middle to the end of track 140. When the top of track 140 extends into the V-shaped groove, the two inclined surfaces of track 140 contact the groove walls of the V-shaped groove. In this way, guide wheel 2123 rolls along the two inclined surfaces of track 140 and limits deviation in the width direction of track 140. In addition, the provision of the V-shaped groove can reduce the contact area between the rolling surface of guide wheel 2123 and track 140, thereby reducing the frictional resistance between guide wheel 2123 and track 140, allowing guide wheel 2123 to run smoothly along track 140.

[0238] 6 , in some examples, the stand 211 of the transfer robot 200 may be a first-level stand 211 , that is, the height of the stand 211 is fixed and does not change.

[0239] 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 along the height direction z of the fixed carrier 100, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can transfer the target items between the first cargo position 110 of each layer and the second cargo position 310 of the movable carrier 300.

[0240] In this example, the height of the fixed stand can be selected according to the actual height of the fixed carrier 100 .

[0241] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of one type of transfer robot and a fixed carrier provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of another state of the transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 16 is a side view of Figure 15, Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of another state of the transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 18 is a side view of Figure 17, Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another type of transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the structure of one type of stand provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 4, 5, and 14 to 20, 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 stand 211 to achieve the overall height variability 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 at a level other than 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 configured 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-up and placement mechanism 220 is set on the lifting frame 2112, so that the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 can move relative to the fixed frame 2111 under the drive of the lifting frame 2112. In addition, the pick-up and placement 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-up and placement 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 understood 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 , as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 .

[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, as shown in Figures 14 and 15.

[0247] When the height of the fixed carrier 100 is equal to 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 is fully extended relative to the fixed frame 2111 , as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 .

[0248] In this way, the lifting frame 2112 can move to different positions 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 accommodate fixed carriers 100 of different heights, thereby saving the mass production cost of the transfer robot 200.

[0249] 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.

[0250] 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 disclosure 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.

[0251] 14 to 19 , in some examples, there is one lifting stand 2112 , which is telescopic relative to the fixed stand 2111 to enable the stand 2111 to switch between different heights.

[0252] As shown in Figure 20, in some examples, there can be multiple lifting frames 2112. Among the multiple lifting frames 2112, two adjacent lifting frames 2112 can move relative to each other, and the secondary lifting frame 2112 moves relative to the fixed frame 2111. 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 and retracted relative to the fixed frame 2111, so that the overall height of the frame 211 can be changed.

[0253] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer robot provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG22 is a partial enlarged view of point A in FIG21. Referring to FIG14 to FIG18, FIG21 and FIG22, in some examples, a fixed frame 2111 may be located above a lifting frame 2112. The fixed frame 2111 is suspended on a track 140 on one side of the fixed carrier 100 via a traveling assembly 212. The lifting frame 2112 may move along the fixed frame 2111 and may move along a second direction of the fixed carrier 110 driven by the traveling assembly 212. The lifting frame 2112 moves downward relative to the fixed frame 2111 to extend the fixed frame 2111, thereby extending the overall length of the frame 211. The lifting frame 2112 moves upward relative to the fixed frame 2111 to retract the fixed frame 2111, thereby shortening the overall length of the frame 211.

[0254] 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 .

[0255] For example, a track 140 may be provided on the top crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100 , and the travel assembly 212 may be provided on the top of the fixed stand 2111 , so that the fixed stand 2111 is stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212 .

[0256] 5 and 14 , for another example, two rails 140 are provided on the fixed carrier 100, the top of the fixed stand 2111 can be guided and engaged with the second rail 140b by the second walking component 212b and move along the second rail 140b, and the bottom of the fixed stand 2111 or a position near the bottom can be guided and engaged with the first rail 140a by the first walking component 212a and move along the first rail 140a.

[0257] In some examples, the second track 140b can be disposed on the top crossbeam of the fixed vehicle 100, the second travel assembly 212b can be disposed on the top of the fixed frame 2111, and the second travel assembly 212b can run along the second track 140b. The first track 140a can be disposed on the middle crossbeam or the bottom crossbeam of the fixed vehicle 100, the first travel assembly 212a can be disposed at or near the bottom of the fixed frame 2111, and the first travel assembly 212a can run along the first track 140a, thereby improving the operational stability of the fixed frame 2111 on the fixed vehicle 100. 19 and 20 , the fixed stand 2111 may be located below the lifting stand 2112, wherein the lifting stand 2112 moves upward 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 downward relative to the fixed stand 2111 to retract the fixed stand 2111, thereby shortening the overall length of the stand 211.

[0258] 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 stand 2111 , so that the fixed stand 2111 is stably suspended on the fixed carrier 100 through the travel assembly 212 .

[0259] For another example, the fixed carrier 100 is provided with two tracks 140. The first track 140, namely the first track 140a, can be provided on the bottom crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100, and the first running assembly 212a is provided at the bottom of the fixed frame 2111. The first running assembly 212a runs along the first track 140a. The second track 140, namely the second track 140b, can be provided on the middle crossbeam of the fixed carrier 100. The second running assembly 212b is provided at or near the top of the fixed frame 2111. The second running assembly 212b runs along the second track 140b, thereby improving the operational stability of the fixed frame 2111 on the fixed carrier 100.

[0260] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to Figures 21 and 22, the travel assembly 212 in the lifting mechanism 210 may include a sliding seat 2125. A driving member (also known as a second driving mechanism) 2121 is disposed on the sliding seat 2125. The sliding seat 2125 is guided and engaged on the track 140 and is configured to be controlled by the driving member 2121, i.e., the second driving mechanism, to move on the track 140.

[0261] In some examples, the guide wheel 2123 may be disposed on the sliding seat 2125 , and the sliding seat 2125 moves along the extension direction of the track 140 via the guide wheel 2123 .

[0262] In some examples, the fixed stand 2111 is connected to the sliding base 2125 and is configured to extend in the height direction of the fixed carrier 100; the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is configured to move in the height direction of the fixed stand 2111. The driving member 2121 can be a motor that controls the movement of the sliding base 2125 along the track 140. The entire transfer robot 200 is slidably engaged with the track 140 via the sliding base 2125, thereby moving laterally in the lane 10a.

[0263] For example, the first traveling assembly 212a may include a sliding seat 2125. The sliding seat 2125 may be slidably engaged on the first track 140a via a driving member 2121 and a driving wheel 2122 to slide along the first track 140a.

[0264] In some examples, the height of the sliding seat 2125 can be flush with the first rail 140 a , and the lowest point thereof is no higher than the height of the movable carrier 300 , thereby avoiding blocking the movable carrier 300 from entering and exiting the accommodating area 130 .

[0265] The fixed stand 2111 is fixedly connected to the sliding seat 2125 . Specifically, the bottom of the fixed stand 2111 is connected to the sliding seat 2125 and is configured to be higher than the top of the movable carrier 300 .

[0266] In some examples, the lifting frame 2112 is configured to be controlled by the third driving mechanism 2113 to move in the height direction along the fixed frame 2111. The pick-and-place mechanism 220 is connected to the lifting frame 2112 and is configured to be controlled by the first driving mechanism 2114 to move in the height direction along the lifting frame 2112.

[0267] In some examples, the lifting stand 2112 is not shorter than the height of the movable carrier 300, so as to ensure that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can move to a height aligned with the lowest level of the movable carrier 300.

[0268] The installation of the lifting frame 2112 allows the target items on the movable carrier 300 to be retrieved while the fixed frame 2111 does not block the entrance and exit of the storage area 130. In addition, the fixed frame 2111, the lifting frame 2112 and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 together constitute a secondary motion structure in the vertical direction. The multi-stage motion structure can make the pick-and-place mechanism 220 move into position faster. For example, when the pick-and-place mechanism 220 at the top is to move to the bottom to retrieve a box, the first drive mechanism 2114 and the third drive mechanism 2113 can be started at the same time, so that the pick-and-place mechanism 220 descends relative to the lifting frame 2112 while the lifting frame 2112 also descends relative to the fixed frame 2111, thereby making the pick-and-place mechanism 220 move into position faster.

[0269] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, before the first handling robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 into or out of the storage area 130, the control server is configured to control the lifting frame 2112 to move along the fixed frame 2111 to a position higher than the movable carrier 300 to avoid the movable carrier 300.

[0270] When the first handling robot 400 drives the movable carrier 300 to enter or leave the storage area 130, the lifting stand 2112 and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 may block the moving path of the first handling robot 400, and avoidance is required at this time.

[0271] For example, the lifting stand 2112 and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 need to move together to a position above the movable carrier 300. Since the bottom end of the fixed stand 2111 is higher than the movable carrier 300, and the pick-and-place mechanism 220 is completely guided and connected to the lifting stand 2112, the lifting stand 2112 only needs to move to a position where its bottom end is higher than the movable carrier 300 to complete the avoidance.

[0272] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to FIG22 , the top of a fixed stand 2111 is slidably engaged with the second track 140b. The second track 140b can be arranged parallel to the first track 140a and fixed at a position higher than the top of the fixed carrier 100. For example, the second track 140b can be fixed to the ceiling of the storage area 10. The bottom end of the fixed stand 2111 can be fixedly connected to a sliding seat 2125. The sliding seat 2125 is guided and engaged with the first track 140a via the first travel assembly 212a, and moves along the first track 140a.

[0273] In some examples, the top of the fixed frame 2111 can be slidably engaged with the second track 140b through a pulley, and there is no need to set a driving member 2121 on the top of the fixed frame 2111. The entire fixed frame 2111 can be driven only by the driving member 2121 located at the bottom, so that the bottom of the fixed frame 2111 moves along the first track 140a, and the top of the fixed frame 2111 slides along the second track 140b through the pulley, thereby reducing the components of the transfer robot 200, making the transfer robot 200 lightweight, and saving the movement power consumption of the transfer robot 200.

[0274] By sliding the top end of the fixed frame 2111 onto the second rail 140b, the addition of the second rail 140b improves the stability of the transfer robot 200 compared to a connection method that only fixes the bottom end of the fixed frame 2111. Furthermore, the sliding fit of the top end of the fixed frame 2111 onto the second rail 140b reduces the resistance to the movement of the fixed frame 2111, thereby reducing the work performed by the driving member 2121 and lowering transportation costs.

[0275] As shown in Figure 22, in some examples, the third driving mechanism 2113 can be a motor that controls the movement of the lifting frame 2112 relative to the fixed frame 2111 in the vertical direction, and the first driving mechanism 2114 can be a motor that controls the movement of the picking and placing mechanism 220 relative to the lifting frame 2112 in the vertical direction.

[0276] In some examples, the third driving mechanism 2113 may include a first driving member and a motion assembly, wherein one end of the motion assembly is connected to the first driving member, and the lifting frame 2112 is connected to the fixed frame 2111 via the motion assembly. The motion assembly 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 driving member.

[0277] In some examples, the first drive member may include, but is not limited to, a motor, a drive cylinder, etc. The motion assembly may include, but is not limited to, a chain drive, a gear drive, or a roller screw drive. The disclosed embodiments do not restrict the structure of the first drive member and the motion assembly, as long as the lifting frame 2112 can be driven by the first drive member and the motion assembly to move along the fixed frame 2111.

[0278] In some examples, the first drive mechanism 2114 may include a second drive member and a transmission assembly 213, wherein the transmission assembly 213 is connected to the second drive member. Driven by the second drive member, the transmission assembly 213 can drive the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to move along the lifting frame 2112. The second drive member 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. The transmission assembly 213 includes, but is not limited to, one of a chain drive, a gear drive, and a roller screw drive.

[0279] As shown in FIG19 , in other examples, the transfer robot may not include a second drive member, and the transmission assembly 213 may include a pulley block 2132 and a transmission unit 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, etc., which are commonly used pulleys in the art and are installed at the end of the lifting frame 2112. One end of the transmission unit 2131 is fixedly connected to the pick-and-place mechanism 220, and the other end passes through the pulley block 2132 and is fixedly connected to the fixed frame 2111, so that the fixed frame 2111, the lifting frame 2112, the pulley block 2132, and the transmission unit 2131 constitute a movable pulley mechanism.

[0280] For the sake of convenience of description, the part of the transmission part 2131 located on the first side of the pulley group 2132 can be called the first part, which is connected to the fixed frame 2111, and the part of the transmission part 2131 located on the second side of the pulley group 2132 can be called the second part, which is connected to the pick-up and placement mechanism 220.

[0281] In some examples, when the fixed frame 2111 is below the elevating frame 2112, the pulley assembly 2132 may be connected to the top of the elevating frame 2112. When the elevating frame 2112 extends from the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission portion 2131 increases and the length of the second portion decreases, causing the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission portion 2131 to move upward along the elevating frame 2112. When the elevating frame 2112 retracts into the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission portion 2131 decreases and the length of the second portion increases, causing the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission portion 2131 to move downward along the elevating frame 2112. In some examples, when the fixed frame 2111 is above the elevating frame 2112, the pulley assembly 2132 may be connected to the bottom of the elevating frame 2112. When the elevating frame 2112 extends out of the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission portion 2131 increases, while the length of the second portion decreases, causing the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission portion 2131 to move downward along the elevating frame 2112. When the elevating frame 2112 retracts into the fixed frame 2111, the length of the first portion of the transmission portion 2131 decreases, while the length of the second portion increases, causing the pick-and-place mechanism 220 connected to the second portion of the transmission portion 2131 to move upward along the elevating frame 2112.

[0282] 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 first driving mechanism 2114 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.

[0283] The warehousing system of the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a work task:

[0284] The control server is configured to control the stand 211 to move along the track 140 when receiving a work task, driven by the walking component 212, so that the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier 100; the lifting stand 2112 in the stand 211 can move along the fixed stand 2111 under the drive of the third driving mechanism 2113, and / or the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 moves along the lifting stand 2112, so that the pick-up and placement 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.

[0285] 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. The pick-up and placement mechanism 220 only needs to move along the lifting stand 2112 on the first driving mechanism 2114 so that the pick-up and placement mechanism 220 reaches the target cargo location.

[0286] 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. At the same time, the picking and placing mechanism 220 can move along the lifting stand 2112 under the drive of the transmission assembly 213, so that the picking and placing mechanism 220 reaches the target cargo location.

[0287] When the picking and placing mechanism 220 arrives at the target cargo location, the picking and placing mechanism 220 transfers the target item taken out from the movable carrier 300 to the target cargo location; or, the picking and placing mechanism 220 takes out the target item on the target cargo location and continues to move along the second direction and height direction of the fixed carrier 100 until it reaches the idle movable carrier 300 under the fixed carrier 100, and transfers the target item to the second cargo location 310 of the movable carrier 300.

[0288] It is understandable that the way in which the pick-and-place mechanism 220 carrying the target object moves along the second direction and the height direction of the fixed carrier 100 is similar to the movement of the above-mentioned empty pick-and-place mechanism 220, and will not be repeated here.

[0289] The control server controls the first 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 location in the first cargo location 110; or, the first transport robot 400 moves to the movable carrier 300 with the target item and transports the movable carrier 300 to the target position.

[0290] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a picking work task:

[0291] 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-up and placement 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 placement mechanism 220 moves along the lifting stand 2112, so that the pick-up and placement 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.

[0292] The pick-and-place mechanism 220 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 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.

[0293] The control server controls the first transport robot 400 to move to the movable carrier 300 having the target item, and transports the movable carrier 300 to the picking workstation so that the operator can pick the target item.

[0294] In some examples, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a put-away work task:

[0295] The control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 containing the target item from the loading station to the fixed carrier 100. For example, the first transfer robot 400 may first transfer the movable carrier 300 containing an empty container to the loading station, where the operator, such as a human operator, places the target item in the empty container. The first transfer robot 400 then transfers the movable carrier 300 containing the target item from the loading station to the fixed carrier 100.

[0296] The stand 211 is driven by the walking assembly 212 to run 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.

[0297] 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 location in the first cargo location 110, transfers the target item to the target cargo location, and completes the shelving work.

[0298] In some examples, a transfer robot 200 may be hung on one side of each fixed carrier 100 , that is, one transfer robot 200 is configured to pick up and place items on one of the fixed carriers 100 .

[0299] For example, in the storage area 10, multiple fixed carriers 100, such as shelves, are arranged at intervals, and a transfer robot 200 is hung on the side of each shelf facing the aisle 10a. The transfer robot 200 only docks with the shelf on one side of the transfer robot 200 to retrieve and return items from the shelf on one side.

[0300] In some examples, the transfer robot 200 is shared between two adjacent fixed carriers 100 .

[0301] 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 retrieve 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, suspended from a fixed carrier 100 on one side of the lane 10a via a travel assembly 212. The transfer robot 200 can dock with the fixed carriers 100 on either side of the lane 10a, or with the movable carriers 300 below the fixed carriers 100 on either side. This can reduce the width of the lane 10a and increase the storage density of the storage area 10.

[0302] 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.

[0303] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, with continued reference to Figures 21 and 22, at least two first rails 140a are provided, and at least two first rails 140a are respectively provided on the fixed carriers 100 on opposite sides of the alley 10a; the transfer robot 200 is configured to transfer target items between the fixed carriers 100 and the movable carriers 300 on opposite sides of the alley 10a.

[0304] The two first rails 140a are both fixed at a position higher than the movable carrier 300, so as not to affect the movable carrier 300 on both sides of the alley 10a from moving out of the accommodating area 130. The two first rails 140a can make the transfer robot 200 move more smoothly and avoid swinging. Continuing with the example of the fork, the fork on the pick-and-place mechanism 220 can fork in both directions, and the fork can extend from the opposite ends of the pick-and-place mechanism 220 to pick and place the target items located on both sides of the alley 10a. In this way, only one transfer robot 200 can be set in each alley 10a, which further saves costs and reduces the space occupied by the alley 10a, thereby shortening the width of the alley 10a and improving the storage density of the storage area 10.

[0305] 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.

[0306] In some examples, multiple transfer robots 200 are set in the alley 10a, and the multiple transfer robots 200 are set along the extension direction of the alley 10a. Each transfer robot 200 can operate along the preset area of ​​the fixed carrier 100 to be responsible for docking with the 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 to ensure that the box retrieval and return work in other areas continues.

[0307] In some examples, the warehousing system provided herein further includes a second transport robot. Specifically, in this example, the warehousing system includes a storage area, a workstation, a first transport robot, a second transport robot, and a control server. The storage area stores items required for various picking orders, each of which is placed in a different container. When the warehousing system receives a picking order, the control server controls the transport robot to travel back and forth between the storage area and the workstation multiple times to transport all containers matching the picking order to the workstation for processing until all items on the order are collected.

[0308] It can be understood that, in this example, the target item is a container containing items.

[0309] A movable carrier containing multiple storage containers is arranged in the storage area, and the first handling robot is configured to transfer the movable carrier between the storage area and the workstation. The movable carrier can be a shelf that is not fixed to the work surface. After the first handling robot runs under the movable carrier to be transported, it can move the shelf to transport the shelf and all the containers stored therein. Different items with a high hit rate can be placed in each container stored on the same movable carrier. In this way, when the entire shelf is transported to the workstation for processing, there is a probability that multiple hit containers can be transported to the workstation at the same time, thereby improving picking efficiency.

[0310] The second handling robot is configured to transfer containers between the storage area and the workstation. When the container is a cargo box, the second handling robot is a cargo box handling robot. Compared to the first handling robot, which is used to transport movable carriers, the second handling robot offers greater flexibility and faster movement speed, and each handling time is significantly shorter than that of the first handling robot.

[0311] The control server is configured to control the second transport robot to transport the target container to the workstation for processing in response to the target container in the scheduling instruction meeting the first preset condition; and to control the first transport robot to transport the movable carrier storing the target container to the workstation for processing in response to the target container in the scheduling instruction meeting the second preset condition.

[0312] The present disclosure sets two preset conditions to control the handling operations of the two handling robots separately. The first handling robot used to carry the movable carrier only carries the target container when it meets the first preset condition. This ensures that the movable carrier carried to the workstation has a sufficient number of target containers, thereby reducing the handling of useless containers and improving the efficiency of the joint handling of the two robots.

[0313] The specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0314] 1a to 2b and 23, the present disclosure provides a warehousing system, comprising: a warehousing area 10, a workstation 20, a first handling robot 400, a second handling robot 800 and a control server. Items involved in a variety of picking orders are stored in the warehousing area 10, and these items are placed in different containers. When the warehousing system receives a picking order, the control server will control the handling equipment (such as the first handling robot 400 and the second handling robot 800) to travel back and forth between the warehousing area 10 and the workstation 20 multiple times, so as to transport all the containers hit by the picking order to the workstation 20 for processing until all the items on the order are collected.

[0315] Among them, the setting method of the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300 in the storage area 10 can directly refer to the relevant content above and will not be repeated here.

[0316] In some examples, the second handling robot 800 is configured to transfer items, such as containers, between the storage area 10 and the workstation 20. When the container is a cargo box, the second handling robot 800 is a cargo box handling robot. Compared to the first handling robot 400 used to handle movable carriers 300, the second handling robot 800 has greater flexibility and a faster movement speed, and each handling time is significantly less than that of the first handling robot 400. The second handling robot 800 can handle containers originally stored on the movable carrier 300 or containers originally stored on the fixed carrier 100.

[0317] The control server is configured to, in response to a target container in a scheduling instruction meeting a first preset condition, control the second transfer robot 800 to transfer the target container to the workstation 20 for processing; and, in response to a target container in a scheduling instruction meeting a second preset condition, control the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 containing the target container to the workstation 20 for processing. Specifically, the second preset condition is that the number of target containers on the movable carrier 300 is greater than a threshold; and / or the first preset condition is that the number of target containers on the movable carrier 300 is less than a threshold, or that the target container is located on the fixed carrier 100.

[0318] In actual applications, as shown in Figures 1a and 1b, the warehousing system includes multiple workstations 20, and multiple workstations 20 can process multiple different picking orders at the same time, thereby improving picking efficiency. Therefore, the number of target containers mentioned above is the number of target containers going to the same workstation 20, that is, the number of target containers corresponding to the same picking order. The same picking order can contain multiple items, each of which is located in a different container. Some of these containers may be stored on a fixed carrier 100, and some may be stored on a movable carrier 300. Furthermore, multiple target containers may be located on the same movable carrier 300. In this case, the efficiency of directly transporting the movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 is higher than transporting these target containers separately. The efficiency of transporting the target containers located on the same movable carrier 300 individually is lower than the critical value of the efficiency of transporting the movable carrier 300, which is the "threshold" in the first preset condition and the second preset condition.

[0319] Take the threshold number of "three" as an example: when there is only one or two target containers located on the same movable carrier 300 in the picking order going to the same workstation 20, or when the target container is located on the fixed carrier 100, the first preset condition is met, and the second transfer robot 800 is controlled to transfer the target container to the workstation 20 for processing; when there are three or more target containers located on the same movable carrier 300 in the picking order going to the same workstation 20, the second preset condition is met, and the control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 storing the target container to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0320] The present disclosure sets two preset conditions to control the handling operations of the two handling robots. The first handling robot 400, which is used to carry the movable carrier 300, only carries the target container when it meets the second preset condition. This ensures that the movable carrier 300 carried to the workstation 20 has a sufficient number of target containers, thereby reducing the handling of useless containers and improving the efficiency of the combined handling of the two robots.

[0321] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control server is configured to control the second transfer robot 800 to transfer at least one target container on the same movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 for processing, or to control the second transfer robot 800 to collect target containers on different movable carriers 300 one by one and transfer them together to the workstation 20 for processing. Multiple target containers belonging to the same picking order may be located on the same movable carrier 300 or on different movable carriers 300.

[0322] When the number of target containers on the same movable carrier 300 is less than a threshold, there is at least one target container on the movable carrier 300, and the second transfer robot 800 needs to transfer all target containers on the movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 for processing. If the target containers are located on multiple different movable carriers 300, and the number of target containers on each of these movable carriers 300 is less than the threshold, the second transfer robot 800 can move to the location of each target container in sequence, collect the target containers stored on different movable carriers 300 one by one, and transfer them all to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0323] This further improves the efficiency of picking individual orders. The control server can plan the movement path of the second handling robot 800 based on the location of the target container, allowing the single second handling robot 800 to travel through the storage area 10, collect the target containers one by one, and then directly transfer these target containers to the workstation 20 for processing. This arrangement avoids the second handling robot 800 from making multiple round trips between the workstation 20 and the storage area 10, saving time and improving handling efficiency.

[0324] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in reference figures 2b and 21, the warehousing system further includes a transfer robot 200, which is configured to transfer containers between the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300. In one of the usage scenarios, the storage area 10 will perform sorting work at night based on the order data during the day. Containers with a higher hit rate will be sorted onto the movable carrier 300 below, and containers with a lower hit rate will be sorted onto the fixed carrier 100 at a higher position. The transfer robot 200 can transfer containers between the fixed carrier 100 and the movable carrier 300, thereby completing the sorting work. In addition, during the night sorting, different containers with strong correlation will also be sorted onto the same mobile carrier 300, so that more target containers meet the second preset condition, further improving the sorting efficiency of the warehousing system.

[0325] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to Figure 23, the warehousing system may include a cache carrier 900 for temporarily storing target containers; after the control server is configured to control the transfer robot 200 to transfer target containers whose number is less than a threshold from the fixed carrier 100 and / or the movable carrier 300 to the cache carrier 900, the second handling robot 800 is configured to transfer the target containers located in the cache carrier 900 to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0326] In some examples, the buffer carrier 900 is located below the fixed carrier 100. Multiple sets of corresponding fixed carriers 100 and movable carriers 300 can be equipped with a buffer carrier 900. Containers located on the fixed carrier 100 cannot be directly transferred from the transfer robot 200 to the second handling robot 800. Therefore, the buffer carrier 900 is required as a transfer station for the target containers.

[0327] When the target container meets the second preset condition, that is, the number of target containers located on the same movable carrier 300 is greater than the threshold (such as the two movable carriers 300 located on the right side of Figure 23), the first handling robot 400 is required to transport the movable carrier 300 where the target container is located to the workstation 20.

[0328] If the target container meets the first preset condition, that is, the target container is located on a fixed carrier, or the number of target containers located on the same movable carrier 300 is less than a threshold (such as the movable carrier 300 on the left side of Figure 23 ), the second handling robot 800 needs to transport the target container to the workstation 20. In this case, the target container originally located on the movable carrier 300 or the fixed carrier 100 will first be transported to the buffer carrier 900 by the transfer robot 200, and then the second handling robot 800 will collect the containers located on each buffer carrier 900 and transport them to the workstation 20.

[0329] Figure 24 is a top view schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to Figure 24, a cache carrier 900 is arranged at the end area of ​​a fixed carrier 100, and a docking area 10b is provided at the end area of ​​the cache carrier 900. The second handling robot 800 is configured to walk to the docking area 10b and then pick up and place the target container located on the cache carrier 900. The cache carrier 900 is arranged at the end area of ​​the storage area 130 surrounded by the fixed carrier 100. When the movable carrier 300 is located in the storage area 130, the cache carrier 900 is located at the end area of ​​the movable carrier 300.

[0330] Specifically, as shown in FIG24 , in one embodiment of the present disclosure, two cache carriers 900 are provided at the end regions of a group of three fixed carriers 100 and the three movable carriers 300 below them, and a docking area 10b is provided at the end region of each cache carrier 900. When a target container is located on a fixed carrier 100, or on a movable carrier 300 and the number thereof is less than a threshold, the target container is transported by the transfer robot 200 to the nearest cache carrier 900 at the end region for temporary storage. The second transport robot 800 can move to each docking area 10b to transport the target container located on the corresponding cache carrier 900.

[0331] To increase the handling speed of the second handling robot 800, the number of containers it can carry at a time can be controlled. For example, the second handling robot 800 can be controlled to carry only three containers at a time. This ensures that the weight of each container handled is not excessive and that the scattered containers located in the various docking areas 10b can be handled promptly. Furthermore, the second handling robot 800's shape can be controlled. For example, the second handling robot 800 can be designed to be shorter, reducing its weight and increasing its movement speed. This allows the second handling robot 800 to complete its handling tasks promptly while also maximizing handling speed, thereby improving sorting efficiency.

[0332] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, with continued reference to FIG. 24 , the orthographic projections of the cache carrier 900 and the docking area 10b in the direction of the extension of the alley 10a are located on the fixed carrier 100; the planned path of the second handling robot 800 is isolated from the alley 10a. The cache carrier 900 and the docking area 10b are located in the end area of ​​the fixed carrier 100, and their orthographic projections in the direction of the alley 10a are located on the fixed carrier 100. In other words, the cache carrier 900 and the docking area 10b do not occupy the area of ​​the alley 10a. Therefore, the second handling robot 800 that travels between the various docking areas 10b will most of the time travel in the end area of ​​the fixed carrier 100 and will not frequently cross the alley 10a. The movable carrier 300 will pass through the alley 10a when being transported by the first handling robot 400, while the second handling robot 800 can avoid the alley 10a as much as possible, thus achieving path isolation between the second handling robot 800 and the first handling robot 400.

[0333] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, with continued reference to FIG24 , spaces for picking up and placing containers are provided on both sides of the fixed carrier 100, and transfer robots 200 are provided on both sides of the fixed carrier 100 to carry containers on one side of the fixed carrier 100. At this time, a buffer carrier 900 is provided in the end area of ​​one side of the fixed carrier 100, and a docking area 10b is provided in the corresponding end area of ​​the other side. After the transfer robot 200 carries the target container on one side of the fixed carrier 100, it can place it directly on the buffer carrier 900 on this side, and the second transfer robot 800 can move to the docking area 10b of the same end area to carry the target container.

[0334] As shown in Figure 24 , each set of fixed carriers 100 is equipped with two buffer carriers 900 and two docking areas 10b, which are arranged diagonally. As indicated by the arrow on the left side of Figure 24 , the second transfer robot 800 can sequentially move to the docking area 10b at the end of each set of fixed carriers 100 to transfer the target container on the corresponding buffer carrier 900.

[0335] The second handling robot 800, located on the left side of Figure 24 , moves in the direction of the arrow and can collect target containers originally stored on the underside of each group of fixed carriers 100 (see the viewing direction of Figure 24 ). This further achieves path isolation. The transfer robot 200 can carry containers from one side of the fixed carrier 100, while the second handling robot 800 carries containers from the other side of the fixed carrier 100. This avoids path conflicts between the second handling robot 800 and the transfer robot 200, thereby improving handling efficiency.

[0336] The present disclosure also provides a scheduling method for a warehousing system, which is implemented by the above-mentioned warehousing system. The method includes the following steps:

[0337] The control server controls the transfer robot 200 to transfer the target object on the fixed carrier 100 to the mobile carrier 300;

[0338] In response to the scheduling instruction, the control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the mobile carrier 300 storing the target object to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0339] For example, when the warehousing system receives a work task, such as a picking task, the control server responds to the scheduling instruction corresponding to the picking task and controls the transfer robot 200 to move on the corresponding fixed carrier 100 to reach the target storage location in the first storage location 110, remove the target item, such as the target container, and transfer the target item to a movable carrier 300 with an empty storage location. Then, the first transfer robot 400 responds to the scheduling instruction from the control server, moves to the movable carrier 300 with the target item, and transfers the movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 for picking the target item.

[0340] In some examples, the control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the mobile carrier 300 storing the target object to the workstation 20 for processing in response to the scheduling instruction, including the following steps:

[0341] In response to the target object in the scheduling instruction, such as the target container, meeting the second preset condition, the control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 storing the target container to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0342] In some examples, the scheduling method for a warehousing system may further include:

[0343] When the target container in the scheduling instruction meets the first preset condition, the control server controls the second transport robot 800 to transport the target container to the workstation 20 for processing;

[0344] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the target container in the scheduling instruction meets the first preset condition, the control server controls the second transfer robot 800 to transfer the target container to the workstation for processing, including:

[0345] In response to the target container in the scheduling instruction being located on the movable carrier 300 and the number of target containers being lower than a threshold, the control server controls the transfer robot to transfer the target container on the movable carrier 300 to the buffer carrier 900; and / or, in response to the target container in the scheduling instruction being located on the fixed carrier 100, the control server controls the transfer robot 200 to transfer the target container on the fixed carrier 100 to the buffer carrier 900;

[0346] The second transfer robot 800 transfers the target container cache carrier 900 to the workstation 20 for processing in response to the scheduling instruction of the control server.

[0347] FIG25 is a flow chart of a scheduling method for a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. For ease of understanding, the above scheduling method is described in detail with reference to FIG25. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the scheduling method for a warehousing system includes the following steps:

[0348] S101: Receive a picking order.

[0349] After receiving a picking order, the control server locates the specific location of each container for each item based on the items in the order. These containers are referred to as target containers. Target containers may be stored on a movable carrier 300 or a fixed carrier 100. A single movable carrier 300 may hold a large number of target containers or only a small number.

[0350] S102: Determine whether the target container meets the first preset condition. If yes, execute step S103; if not, execute step S104.

[0351] When the target container is on a fixed carrier 100, the first pre-set condition is met; at this point, the control server can control the transfer robot 200 to transfer the target container on the fixed carrier 100 to the buffer carrier 900 for temporary storage. When the target container is on a movable carrier 300 and the number of target containers on the movable carrier 300 is less than a threshold, the first pre-set condition is met; at this point, the control server can control the transfer robot 200 to transfer the target container on the movable carrier 300 to the buffer carrier 900 for temporary storage.

[0352] S103 : the second transport robot 800 transports the target container to the workstation 20 .

[0353] When the target containers meet the first preset condition, the transfer robot 200 transfers these target containers to the buffer carrier 900 , and then the second handling robot 800 needs to transport the above target containers to the workstation 20 .

[0354] In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the second handling robot 800 is configured to take out the target containers on different cache carriers 900 one by one in response to the scheduling instructions of the control server until the predetermined take-out quantity is met and sent to the workstation 20 for processing.

[0355] In some examples, the second transfer robot 800 can travel to the docking area 10b corresponding to each buffer carrier 900 to collect target containers temporarily stored on the buffer carrier 900. To improve the handling efficiency of the second transfer robot 800, the second transfer robot 800 will proceed to the workstation 20 after collecting a certain number of containers in a single transfer. The "predetermined number of containers to be removed" can be set based on the actual handling capacity of the second transfer robot 800 to maximize handling efficiency.

[0356] S104: Determine whether the target container meets the second preset condition. If yes, execute step S105; if not, end the program.

[0357] When the target container is located on movable carrier 300 and the number of target containers on movable carrier 300 exceeds a threshold, the second preset condition is satisfied. If the target container meets neither the first nor the second preset condition, it indicates that the item in the picking order does not exist, possibly in another storage system or out of stock. At this point, the relevant procedures for controlling the transportation of this storage system terminate.

[0358] S105 : the first transfer robot 400 transfers the movable carrier 300 storing the target container to the workstation 20 .

[0359] When the target container satisfies the second preset condition, the control server controls the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 storing the target container to the workstation 20 .

[0360] In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the steps of controlling the first transfer robot 400 to transfer the movable carrier 300 storing the target container to the workstation 20 for processing include:

[0361] The transfer robot 200 moves to a position avoiding the movable carrier 300 in response to the dispatching instruction of the control server;

[0362] The first transfer robot 400 transfers the movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 for processing in response to the scheduling instruction of the control server.

[0363] The first handling robot 400 may be blocked by the transfer robot 200 while carrying the movable carrier 300. For example, the transfer robot 200 may be blocked at the entrance or exit of the storage area 13 where the target movable carrier 300 is parked. In this case, the transfer robot 200 must move out of the way. Only after the transfer robot 200 moves out of the way can the movable carrier 300 be successfully transported out of the storage area 130. During the process of transporting the movable carrier 300, the transfer robot 200 located in the lane 10a may also block the path. In this case, the transfer robot 200's lifting frame 2112 and pick-and-place mechanism 220 must be raised along the fixed frame 2111 to a position higher than the movable carrier 300 to avoid the way.

[0364] After the transfer robot 200 completes the avoidance, the first handling robot 400 can carry the movable carrier 300 to the workstation 20 for processing, thereby picking up a plurality of target containers located on the movable carrier 300 .

[0365] The above specific implementation methods further illustrate the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not used to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A storage system, comprising: A storage area (10), in which a plurality of movable carriers (300) for storing articles are arranged; a workstation (20), the workstation (20) being configured to process the article; a first transport robot (400), the first transport robot (400) being configured to transfer the movable carrier (300) between the storage area (10) and the workstation (20); A fixed carrier (100) for storing articles is provided in the storage area (10); The warehousing system further comprises a transfer robot (200), and an alley (10a) is formed between two adjacent fixed carriers (100); a first track (140a) extending along the alley (10a) is arranged 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 first track (140a) to move to a position corresponding to a different column on the fixed carrier (100) or the movable carrier (300); the transfer robot (200) is configured to transfer the items between the fixed carrier (100) and the movable carrier (300).

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The bottom of the fixed carrier (100) has a receiving area (130) for parking the movable carrier (300).

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: The transfer robot (200) comprises: a lifting mechanism (210), the lifting mechanism (210) cooperates with the first track (140a) and is configured to move along the first track (140a); A pick-and-place mechanism (220), wherein the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is configured to pick up and place articles; the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is disposed on the lifting mechanism (210), and is configured to be controlled by a first driving mechanism (2114) to move in a height direction relative to the lifting mechanism (210) to a position corresponding to a different row on the fixed carrier (100) or the movable carrier (300).

4. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: Before the first handling robot (400) drives the movable carrier (300) to enter or leave the containing area (130), the lifting mechanism (210) moves on the first track (140a) 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).

5. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein: The lifting mechanism (210) comprises: A stand (211) is configured to extend along the height direction of the fixed carrier (100); the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is disposed on the stand (211) and is configured to be controlled by a first driving mechanism (2114) to move along the stand (211); The first walking assembly (212a) is arranged on the stand (211) and is guided and matched on the first track (140a). The first walking assembly (212a) is configured to move on the first track (140a).

6. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein: The stand (211) comprises: A fixed stand (2111), the first walking assembly (212a) is arranged on the fixed stand (2111) and is configured to extend in the height direction of the fixed carrier (100); the pick-and-place mechanism (220) is configured to move in the height direction of the fixed stand (2111); The lifting frame (2112) is guided and matched on the fixed frame (2111); the lifting frame (2112) is configured to be controlled by a third driving mechanism (2113) to move in the height direction along the fixed frame (2111); the picking and placing mechanism (220) is connected to the lifting frame (2112) and is configured to be controlled by a first driving mechanism (2114) to move in the height direction along the lifting frame (2112).

7. The storage system according to claim 6, wherein: The bottom of the fixed stand (2111) is higher than the top of the movable carrier (300); before the first transport robot (400) drives the movable carrier (300) to enter or leave the storage area (130), the lifting stand (2112) moves along the fixed stand (2111) to a position higher than the movable carrier (300) to avoid the movable carrier (300).

8. The storage system according to claim 6, further comprising a second track (140b), and the top of the fixed stand (2111) is slidably matched with the second track (140b).

9. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The second track (140b) is arranged on the ceiling of the storage area (10), and the top of the fixed stand (2111) is slidably connected to the second track (140b).

10. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein: The second track (140b) is disposed on the fixed carrier (100) and is higher than the first track (140a); The lifting mechanism (210) further comprises a second walking assembly (212b), wherein the second walking assembly (212b) is arranged on the fixed stand (2111) and is guided on the second track (140b), and the second walking assembly (212b) is configured to move on the second track (140b).

11. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: At least two of the first tracks (140a) are provided, and the at least two first tracks (140a) are respectively provided on the fixed carriers (100) on opposite sides of the lane (10a); the transfer robot (200) is configured to transfer articles between the fixed carriers (100) and the movable carriers (300) on opposite sides of the lane (10a).

12. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The first track (140a) is arranged on the fixed carrier (100) on one side of the lane (10a), and the transfer robot (200) is configured to transfer items on the fixed carrier (100) and the movable carrier (300) on both sides of the lane (10a).

13. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein: The first walking assembly (212a) comprises a sliding seat (2125); The sliding seat (2125) is arranged on the stand (211) and is guided and matched on the first track (140a). The sliding seat (2125) is configured to be controlled by the driving member (2121) to move on the first track (140a).

14. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein: The walking assembly (212) of the lifting mechanism (210) comprises: A driving member (2121) connected to the stand (211); A driving wheel (2122) connected to the driving member (2121), the driving wheel (2122) being configured to run along the track (140) under the drive of the driving member (2121); A guide wheel (2123) connected to the stand (211), wherein the guide wheel (2123) is configured to move along an extension direction of the track (140) under the drive of the stand (211); Wherein, the walking component (212) includes the first walking component (212a) and the second walking component (212b), the track (140) includes the first track (140a) and the second track (140b), the first walking component (212a) moves along the first track (140a), and the second walking component (212b) moves along the second track (140b).

15. The storage system according to claim 14, wherein: 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.

16. The storage system according to claim 14, wherein: 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).

17. The storage system according to claim 14, wherein: 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 driving member (2121) and is electrically connected to the driving member (2121), and the current collector is configured to contact the conductor when the driving member (2121) moves along the track (140).

18. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein: The first handling robot (400) is configured to transfer the movable carrier (300) between the storage area (10) and the workstation (20) in one state, and is configured to be separated from the movable carrier (300) in another state.

19. The storage system according to claim 18, wherein: 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 cross-arranged, and the first operating channel (500) and the second operating channel (600) are configured to provide operation for the first transport robot (400) with or without load.

20. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: 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) is a receiving area (130) at the bottom of the fixed carrier (100), and at least another channel (120) is configured as the second operating channel (600).

21. The storage system according to claim 20, wherein: 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 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).

22. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The second operating channel (600) includes a lane (10a) on one side of the fixed carrier (100).

23. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The first operating channel (500) comprises a first sub-operating channel (510) that penetrates all the fixed carriers (100) along the first direction; A reserved space (130a) is provided in the receiving area (130) at the bottom of the fixed carrier (100), and the reserved space (130a) is formed by spacing between a plurality of the movable carriers (300). At least one of the reserved spaces (130a) in all the receiving 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).

24. The storage system according to claim 23, wherein: Along the second direction, the number of movable carriers (300) spaced between each two adjacent reserved spaces (130a) is the same or different.

25. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein: 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) is configured to allow the unloaded first transport robot (400) to operate.

26. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the movable carrier (300) has a carrying space (330), and the first 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.

27. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: 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 of the first cargo position (110) in the fixed carrier (100), take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier (300) with an empty cargo position; the first handling robot (400) moves to the movable carrier (300) with the target item according to the first work task, and carries the movable carrier (300) to the workstation (20) to process the target item; And / or, the warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving the second work task: The first 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 a target cargo position of the fixed carrier (100); And / or, the warehousing 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 (100) according to the third work task to reach the first target cargo position of the first cargo position (110) in the fixed carrier (100), take out the target item, and transfer the target item to the movable carrier (300) with an empty cargo position; the first handling 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.

28. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The height of the movable carrier (300) is 0.8m to 1.2m.

29. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The movable carrier (300) comprises a partition (320), a 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 the workstation (20).

30. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The movable carrier (300) includes at least two layers of second cargo locations (310), wherein at least the second cargo location (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 location (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.

31. The storage system according to claim 6, wherein: The warehousing system is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a work task: The fixed stand (2111) is driven by the first walking assembly (212a) to run along the first track (140a), so that the pick-up and placement mechanism (220) moves along the second direction of the fixed carrier (100); the lifting stand (2112) moves along the fixed stand (2111), and / or the pick-up and placement mechanism (220) moves along the lifting stand (2112), so that the pick-up and placement 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) on the fixed carrier (100); 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.

32. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 31, further comprising: a second transport robot (800), the second transport robot (800) being configured to transfer a target object between the storage area (10) and the workstation (20); A control server, the control server being configured to control a second transport robot (800) to transport the target object to the workstation (20) for processing in response to the target object in the scheduling instruction satisfying a first preset condition; And in response to the target object in the dispatch instruction satisfying a second preset condition, the first transport robot (400) is controlled to transport the movable carrier (300) storing the target object to the workstation (20) for processing.

33. The storage system according to claim 32, wherein: The control server is configured to control the second transport robot (800) to transfer at least one of the target items on the same movable carrier (300) to the workstation (20) for processing, or is configured to control the second transport robot (800) to collect the target items on different movable carriers (300) one by one and transfer them together to the workstation (20) for processing.

34. The storage system according to claim 32, wherein: The second preset condition is that the number of target objects on the movable carrier (300) is higher than a threshold value; and / or the first preset condition is that the number of target objects on the movable carrier (300) is lower than a threshold value, or the target objects are located on the fixed carrier (100).

35. The storage system according to claim 34, wherein: The number of target items is the number of target items going to the same workstation (20).

36. The warehousing system according to claim 32 further includes a cache carrier (900) for temporarily storing target items; after the control server is configured to control the transfer robot (200) to transfer target items whose quantity is less than a threshold from the fixed carrier (100) and / or the movable carrier (300) to the cache carrier (900), the second handling robot (800) is configured to transfer the target items located in the cache carrier (900) to the workstation (20) for processing.

37. The storage system according to claim 36, wherein: The cache carrier (900) is arranged at the end area of ​​the fixed carrier (100), and the end area of ​​the cache carrier (900) is provided with a docking area (10b), and the second handling robot (800) is configured to take and place the target item located on the cache carrier (900) after walking to the docking area (10b).

38. The storage system according to claim 37, wherein: The cache carrier (900) and the orthographic projection of the docking area (10b) in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the lane (10a) are located on the fixed carrier (12); the planned path of the second handling robot (800) is isolated from the lane (10a).

39. The warehousing system according to claim 32 further includes a container loading and unloading device (21) located at the workstation (20), and the container loading and unloading device (21) is configured to transfer the target item between the workstation (20) and the movable carrier (300); and / or, transfer the target item between the workstation (20) and the second handling robot (800).

40. A scheduling method for a warehousing system, implemented by the warehousing system according to any one of claims 1 to 39, comprising the following steps: The control server controls the transfer robot (200) to transfer the target object on the fixed carrier (100) to the mobile carrier (300); In response to the dispatch instruction, the control server controls the first transport robot (400) to transfer the mobile carrier (300) storing the target object to the workstation (20) for processing.

41. The scheduling method for a warehousing system according to claim 40, wherein: The control server controls the first transport robot (400) in response to the dispatch instruction to transfer the mobile carrier (300) storing the target object to the workstation (20) for processing, comprising: When the target object in the dispatch instruction satisfies a second preset condition, the control server controls the first transport robot (400) to transfer the movable carrier (300) storing the target object to the workstation (20) for processing; The scheduling method further includes: In response to the target object in the dispatch instruction satisfying a first preset condition, the control server controls the second transport robot (800) to transfer the target object to the workstation (20) for processing.

42. The scheduling method for a warehousing system according to claim 41, wherein: The control server controls the second transport robot (800) to transfer the target object to the workstation (20) for processing in response to the target object in the scheduling instruction meeting the first preset condition, comprising: In response to the target item in the dispatch instruction being located on the movable carrier (300), and the quantity of the target item being lower than a threshold, the control server controls the transfer robot (200) to transfer the target item on the movable carrier (300) to the cache carrier (900); and / or, in response to the target item in the dispatch instruction being located on the fixed carrier (100), the control server controls the transfer robot (200) to transfer the target item on the fixed carrier (100) to the cache carrier (900); The second transport robot (800) transfers the target item on the cache carrier (900) to the workstation (20) for processing in response to the scheduling instruction of the control server.

43. The scheduling method for a warehousing system according to claim 42, wherein: The second handling robot (800) is configured to take out the target items on different cache carriers (900) one by one in response to the scheduling instructions of the control server, and send them to the workstation (20) for processing after a predetermined take-out quantity is met.

44. The scheduling method for a warehousing system according to claim 41, wherein: The step of controlling the first transport robot (400) to transfer the movable carrier (300) storing the target object to the workstation (20) for processing comprises: The transfer robot (200) moves to a position avoiding the movable vehicle (300) in response to a dispatching instruction from a control server; The first transport robot (400) transfers the movable carrier (300) to the workstation (20) for processing in response to the dispatching instruction of the control server.

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