Airrob stacker crane and three-dimensional article conveying apparatus

Abstract

An AirRob stacker crane and a three-dimensional article conveying apparatus. The AirRob stacker crane comprises a fork (1), four drive mechanisms (2), ropes (3), and fixing members; the four drive mechanisms (2) surround the fork (1), and the drive mechanisms (2) are higher than the fork (1); the ropes (3) are in one-to-one correspondence with the drive mechanisms (2), the top parts of the ropes (3) are connected to the drive mechanisms (2), the bottom parts of the ropes (3) are connected to the fork (1), so as to allow the fork (1) to remain balanced, and the drive mechanisms (2) control the ropes (3) to extend and retract; the fixing members are mounted on the drive mechanisms (2), and the drive mechanisms (2) are mounted on external components by means of the fixing members. The three-dimensional article conveying apparatus comprises two rows of racks (4) and the AirRob stacker crane, the two rows of racks (4) are arranged in parallel, the fork (1) is located between the two rows of racks (4), the drive mechanisms (2) are mounted on the racks (4) by means of the fixing members, each row of racks (4) is provided with two drive mechanisms (2), the racks (4) are provided with a plurality of compartments (5) used for loading and unloading articles, and the drive mechanisms (2) allow the fork (1) to be aligned with any compartment (5) by controlling the ropes (3) to extend and retract. The present AirRob stacker crane and three-dimensional article conveying apparatus can quickly move the fork (1) to a specified position by means of control of the ropes (3).

Description

Flying box stacker and three-dimensional freight device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 24, 2023, with application number 202323186984.0 and application name “Flying Box Stacker and Three-Dimensional Freight Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of stackers, and in particular to a flying box stacker and a three-dimensional freight device. Background Art

[0003] In related technologies, stackers mostly use two modes to load goods into or take goods out of shelves. These two modes are flying box mode and ordinary large and small cart mode. The flying box mode is fully named Airrob, which was proposed by Libiao Company. It mainly adopts a solution similar to that of a stacker. The stacker track is fixed to the side of the shelf and powered by a sliding bus bar. A fork is hung on the column, and the column slides along the track. The fork is moved to the corresponding container through the movement of the column. The ordinary large and small cart mode is that the ACR robot performs up and down box unloading, and the cart walks in the aisle. A lifting column solution is adopted, in which the fork is installed on the lifting column and the cart carries a battery.

[0004] Among them, since the flying box mode uses upper and lower tracks, the columns run on the tracks, the cost of one meter of track is high, the track requires very high installation precision in the shelf, and the implementation is difficult. In addition, since the flying box is powered by a busbar, the cost is high and the busbar is not easy to maintain.

[0005] However, the ACR solution has a problem with the size of the chassis. The movement of the large robot will affect the movement of the small car, which is inefficient. The fork and column are heavy, which further increases the power and cost of the motor.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve or partially solve the problems existing in the related art, the present application provides a flying box stacker and a three-dimensional freight device, which can quickly move the fork to a specified position by controlling the rope and can also reduce costs.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a flying box stacker, comprising a cargo fork, four driving mechanisms, a rope, and a fixing member; the four driving mechanisms are surrounded by the cargo fork, and the driving mechanisms are higher than the cargo fork; the ropes correspond to the driving mechanisms one by one, and the tops of the ropes are connected to the driving mechanisms; the bottoms of the ropes are connected to the cargo fork to keep the cargo fork balanced; the driving mechanism controls the retraction and extension of the ropes; the fixing member is installed on the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is installed on an external component through the fixing member.

[0009] Furthermore, the four driving mechanisms are located at the same height.

[0010] Furthermore, the four driving mechanisms are distributed in a rectangular shape.

[0011] Furthermore, there are four ropes, the forks are suspended at the bottom ends of the ropes, and the connections between the forks and the four ropes are distributed in a rectangular shape.

[0012] Furthermore, there are two ropes, and both ends of each rope are connected to the two driving mechanisms respectively, and the bottom of the rope supports the fork.

[0013] Furthermore, the rope is a steel wire rope.

[0014] The second aspect of the present application provides a three-dimensional freight device, including two rows of shelves and the flying box stacker, the two rows of shelves are arranged in parallel, the fork is located between the two rows of shelves, the driving mechanism is installed on the shelves through the fixing parts, two driving mechanisms are installed on each row of shelves, the shelves are provided with a plurality of grids for loading and unloading goods, and the driving mechanism controls the retraction and extension of the rope to align the fork with any one of the grids.

[0015] Furthermore, the driving mechanism is installed on a side of the shelf facing another shelf, and the driving mechanism is located at a corner of the shelf.

[0016] Furthermore, the highest point of the rope is higher than the grid.

[0017] Furthermore, the grid is located between two driving mechanisms on the same shelf.

[0018] The technical solution provided by the present application may include the following beneficial effects: the rope is retracted and released by the driving mechanism, and the rope drives the fork to move, so that the fork can be quickly moved to the designated position. There is no need to set up tracks and busbars on site, which reduces the installation cost. Compared with the busbar power supply method, it is easier to maintain the driving mechanism and rope, which further reduces the cost. The fork will not occupy ground space in the air, and the space utilization rate is higher. The movement of the fork will not be affected by the driving of the freight cart, and the loading and unloading efficiency is higher.

[0019] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by describing in more detail exemplary embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals generally represent the same components in the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0021] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flying box stacker according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG2 is another structural schematic diagram of a flying box stacker according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG3 is a top view of the flying box stacker shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Reference numerals: fork 1; drive mechanism 2; rope 3; shelf 4; grid 5; cache plate 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following describes embodiments of the present application in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the present application can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0026] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used in this application to describe various information, this information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, the first information may also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information may also be referred to as the first information. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0028] Unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connect," "fixed," and the like should be interpreted broadly. For example, they may refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; mechanical connection or electrical connection; direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0029] In response to the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a flying box stacker that can quickly move the fork to a specified position by controlling the rope, and can also reduce costs.

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a flying box stacker according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Referring to Figure 1, a flying container stacker includes a fork 1, four drive mechanisms 2, a rope 3, and a fixed component. The fork 1 can transport cargo forward or backward, as well as remove cargo forward or backward. The four drive mechanisms 2 are arranged in a quadrilateral, surrounding the fork 1 and higher than the fork 1. The drive mechanisms 2 include a servo motor and a reel for winding and releasing the rope 3. The servo motor controls the reel's rotation.

[0033] FIG2 is another schematic structural diagram of the flying box stacker shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Referring to Figures 1-2, the rope 3 corresponds one-to-one to the drive mechanism 2. The top of the rope 3 is connected to the drive mechanism 2, and the drive mechanism 2 controls the retraction and extension of the rope 3. Specifically, one end of the top of the rope 3 is wound on the reel. When the drive mechanism 2 drives the reel to rotate, the reel can release the rope 3 or retract the rope 3. The bottom of the rope 3 is connected to the fork 1. The rope 3 is a steel wire rope. The steel wire rope is light in weight and low in cost. The drive mechanism 2 can use a small motor to retract and extend the steel wire rope. The place where the rope 3 first contacts the fork 1 after coming out of the drive mechanism 2 is assumed to be the contact point. Each drive mechanism 2 corresponds to a contact point. At least three of the four contact points are not collinear to ensure that when the drive mechanism 2 drives the fork 1 to move through the rope 3, the fork 1 can maintain balance. The fixing part is installed on the drive mechanism 2, and the drive mechanism 2 is installed on the external component through the fixing part.

[0035] In this embodiment, the external component is a shelf 4. In some other embodiments, the external component is a ceiling of a warehouse. In other embodiments, the external component is a guide rail fixed above the shelf 4. The guide rail is above a plurality of shelves 4 arranged in parallel. The drive mechanism 2 can be installed on the guide rail through a fixing part, and the drive mechanism 2 can slide along the length direction of the guide rail, so that the fork 1 can be transferred between the plurality of shelves 4 arranged in parallel. Among them, the fixing part is a part that can indirectly fix other external components, such as a bolt, a nail, a bracket, a slider, etc. For example, if the external component is a shelf 4, the fixing part can be a bolt, and the drive mechanism 2 is fixed to the shelf 4 by the bolt; if the external component is the ceiling of a warehouse, the fixing part can be a nail, and the drive mechanism 2 is fixed to the ceiling of the fork 1 by the nail.

[0036] During the actual working process, when the fork 1 needs to be raised, the four driving mechanisms 2 reel in the ropes 3 at the same time, and the ropes 3 can drag the fork 1 upwards. When the fork 1 needs to be moved diagonally upward, the two driving mechanisms 2 in the direction in which the fork 1 needs to move forward accelerate to reel in the ropes 3, and the other two driving mechanisms 2 reel in the ropes 3 relatively slowly, and the fork 1 can move diagonally upward; when the fork 1 needs to be lowered, the four driving mechanisms 2 release the ropes 3 at the same time, and the fork 1 can be lowered. When the fork 1 needs to be controlled to move diagonally downward, the speed of two of the driving mechanisms 2 releasing the ropes 3 is controlled to be faster, and the speed of the other two driving mechanisms 2 releasing the ropes 3 is relatively slow, so that the fork 1 can move diagonally downward. The rope 3 is retracted and released by the driving mechanism 2, and the rope 3 drives the fork 1 to move, so that the fork 1 can be quickly moved to the specified position. There is no need to set up tracks and busbars on site, which reduces the installation cost. Compared with the busbar power supply method, it is easier to maintain the driving mechanism 2 and the rope 3, which further reduces the cost. The fork 1 will not occupy ground space in the air, and the space utilization rate is higher. The movement of the fork 1 will not be affected by the movement of the freight cart, and the loading and unloading efficiency is higher.

[0037] Referring to Figures 1-2, in this embodiment, the four drive mechanisms 2 are located at the same height and arranged in a rectangular pattern. This facilitates calculation of the amount of rope 3 required to be retracted and extended by the drive mechanisms 2 when the fork 1 moves, and also facilitates coordination among the four drive mechanisms 2 to adjust the amount of rope 3 retracted and extended. In other embodiments, for external components of varying heights, such as shelves 4 of varying heights, the drive mechanisms 2 can also be mounted on top of the shelves 4, with each shelf 4 corresponding to a drive mechanism 2. In this case, even though the four drive mechanisms 2 are located at different heights, the drive mechanisms 2 can still adjust the position of the fork 1 by retracting and extending the rope 3.

[0038] Referring to Figures 1-2, in one embodiment, there are four ropes 3, and the fork 1 is suspended at the bottom ends of the ropes 3. The connection points between the fork 1 and the four ropes 3 are distributed in a rectangular shape. Specifically, the bottom ends of the ropes 3 are the contact points with the fork 1, and the four contact points are distributed in a rectangular shape. When the driving mechanism 2 drives the fork 1 to move through the ropes 3, the fork 1 can maintain balance, and it is convenient to calculate the amount of retraction and extension of the ropes 3 by the driving mechanism 2 when moving the fork 1.

[0039] In one embodiment, there are two ropes 3, each rope 3 is roughly U-shaped, and the two ends of each rope 3 are respectively connected to two driving mechanisms 2, and the bottom of the rope 3 supports the fork 1. Taking the external component as a shelf 4 as an example, on the same shelf 4, one end of the rope 3 is connected to one of the driving mechanisms 2, and the other end of the rope 3 is connected to the other driving mechanism 2. The bottom of the U-shape of the rope 3 supports the fork 1. Specifically, an H-shaped pulley is provided at the bottom of the fork 1, and the pulley can slide along the rope 3. When the driving mechanism 2 retracts the rope 3, the fork 1 rises and slides along the rope 3, thereby realizing a straight vertical rise or an oblique upward movement of the fork 1.

[0040] FIG3 is a top view of the flying box stacker shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Referring to Figures 1-3 , corresponding to the aforementioned embodiment of the device for implementing the application function, this application also provides a three-dimensional freight device and corresponding embodiments. The three-dimensional freight device includes two rows of shelves 4 and a fly-box stacker. The two rows of shelves 4 are arranged in parallel. A cargo fork 1 is positioned between the two rows of shelves 4 . A drive mechanism 2 is mounted to the shelves 4 via a fixing member. Two drive mechanisms 2 are installed on each row of shelves 4 . The shelves 4 are provided with multiple compartments 5 for loading and unloading cargo. The drive mechanism 2 is controlled by a rope 3 to retract and extend, allowing the cargo fork 1 to align with any compartment 5 .

[0042] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism 2 is installed on the side of the shelf 4 facing another shelf 4, and the driving mechanism 2 is located at the corner above the shelf 4. The four driving mechanisms 2 are distributed in a rectangular shape, and the driving mechanism 2 is set at the corners of the shelf 4. It can be ensured that the driving mechanism 2 can move the fork 1 to the grid 5 at the corner of the shelf 4 through the rope 3, and align the fork 1 with the grid 5 at the corner of the shelf 4.

[0043] In some embodiments, the grid 5 is located between two driving mechanisms 2 on the same shelf 4, ensuring that the driving mechanism 2 can move the fork 1 to the grid 5 near the side of the shelf 4 through the rope 3 and align the fork 1 with the grid 5 near the side of the shelf 4.

[0044] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism 2 also includes a pulley group, and the servo motor can be installed at any position of the shelf 4. After the rope 3 is output from the reel, it changes direction through the pulley group and then reaches the fork 1, wherein the pulley group is higher than the fork 1 and the grid 5, the highest point of the rope 3 is located in the pulley group, and the highest point of the rope 3 is higher than the grid 5.

[0045] 1 and 3 , in this embodiment, the drive mechanism 2 can control the fork 1 to rise or fall in a straight line, or to move the fork 1 diagonally upward or downward. The distance between the fork 1 and the shelf 4 is less than 50 cm. After the fork 1 is aligned with the grid 5, the cargo on the fork 1 can be pushed into the grid 5 across the gap between the fork 1 and the shelf 4. In other embodiments, the distance between the fork 1 and the shelf 4 can be unlimited. The drive mechanism 2 can control the fork 1 to move forward or backward toward the shelf 4 via the rope 3. Specifically, two drive mechanisms 2 on the same shelf 4 can pull the fork 1 toward the fork 1 where the drive mechanism 2 is located by winding the rope 3, causing the fork 1 to move forward toward one of the shelves 4. Conversely, when the two drive mechanisms 2 on the other shelf 4 wind up the rope 3, the fork 1 can be moved backward.

[0046] Referring to Figure 1, in some embodiments, in order to facilitate the transportation of goods, the shelf 4 is also provided with a cache plate 6, which is located under the grid 5. When the goods in the grid 5 need to be transported outside the flying box stacker, the driving mechanism 2 can control the fork 1 to move to the corresponding grid 5, and then take out the goods in the grid 5. The driving mechanism 2 then controls the fork 1 to move to the cache plate 6, and the fork 1 pushes the goods onto the cache plate 6. The driving mechanism 2 controls the fork 1 to reset, and then the external AGV trolley moves to the cache plate 6, takes the goods on the cache plate 6 and sends it to the external workstation. In addition, the cache plate 6 can also be used as a transition area for inputting goods into the flying box stacker. Specifically, when the goods need to be placed in the grid 5 from the outside, the external AGV trolley can transport the goods to the cache plate 6, the driving mechanism 2 controls the fork 1 to move to the cache plate 6, and the fork 1 takes out the goods. The driving mechanism 2 then controls the fork 1 to move to the set grid 5, and then the fork 1 pushes the goods into the corresponding grid 5. Preferably, in order to facilitate the external AGV trolley to lift the goods on the buffer plate 6, a plurality of hollow holes are provided on the buffer plate 6. The external AGV trolley can lift the goods through the hollow holes and then carry the goods away from above the buffer plate 6.

[0047] The scheme of the present application has been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. Those skilled in the art should also be aware that the actions and modules involved in the description are not necessarily required for this application. In addition, it is understood that the steps in the method of the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted in sequence, merged and deleted according to actual needs, and the modules in the device of the embodiment of the present application can be merged, divided and deleted according to actual needs.

[0048] The embodiments of the present application have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A flying box stacker, characterized in that: include: Forks; Four driving mechanisms, the four driving mechanisms are surrounded by the fork, and the driving mechanisms are higher than the fork; A rope, wherein the rope corresponds to the driving mechanism one by one, the top of the rope is connected to the driving mechanism; the bottom of the rope is connected to the fork to keep the fork balanced; the driving mechanism controls the retraction and extension of the rope; A fixing member is mounted on the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is mounted on an external component through the fixing member.

2. The flying box stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The four driving mechanisms are located at the same height.

3. The flying box stacker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The four driving mechanisms are distributed in a rectangular shape.

4. The flying box stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are four ropes, the forks are suspended at the bottom ends of the ropes, and the connections between the forks and the four ropes are distributed in a rectangular shape.

5. The flying box stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two ropes, and both ends of each rope are connected to the two driving mechanisms respectively, and the bottom of the rope supports the fork.

6. The flying box stacker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rope is a steel wire rope.

7. A three-dimensional cargo transport device, comprising two rows of shelves and the flying box stacker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Two rows of shelves are arranged in parallel, the fork is located between the two rows of shelves, the driving mechanism is installed on the shelves through the fixing parts, two driving mechanisms are installed on each row of shelves, the shelves are provided with a plurality of grids for loading and unloading goods, and the driving mechanism controls the retraction and extension of the rope to align the fork with any one of the grids.

8. The three-dimensional cargo transport device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The driving mechanism is installed on a side of the shelf facing another shelf, and the driving mechanism is located at a corner of the shelf.

9. The three-dimensional cargo transport device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The highest point of the rope is higher than the grid.

10. The three-dimensional cargo transport device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The grid is located between two drive mechanisms on the same shelf.

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