Warehousing system based on goods shelf robots

Abstract

A warehousing system based on goods shelf robots, said system comprising: goods shelves, which are provided with storage positions configured to store goods containers; goods shelf robots, which are arranged on the goods shelves by means of guide rails and are configured to pick goods containers from the storage positions and place same at a buffer part, or pick goods containers from the buffer part and place same in storage positions; and a conveying device, which is configured to pick the goods containers buffered at the buffer part and transport same to a target position, or to transport, to the buffer part, goods containers to be stored. According to the described warehousing system, it is possible to improve the system operational efficiency, save the operational costs, reduce the space of a lane between goods shelves, and increase the capacity of goods shelves.

Description

A warehousing system based on shelf robots

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application number 2023116860098, filed with the Patent Office of China on December 7, 2023, entitled “A Warehousing System Based on Shelf Robot”; the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this disclosure. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of warehousing equipment, and in particular relates to a warehousing system based on a shelf robot. Background Art

[0004] The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0005] Warehousing systems typically employ a multi-layered structure of shelves arranged vertically from top to bottom, with each layer storing multiple items. For such shelf structures, existing technologies often utilize stacker cranes, which can move between shelves, automatically navigate to designated locations, and retrieve or place items. This approach allows for fast and accurate storage and retrieval of goods, and can be automated without human supervision.

[0006] However, this method of retrieval requires a larger aisle space for the stacker crane, which in turn sacrifices storage capacity. Furthermore, the stacker crane's operating speed is slow, making it inadequate for large-scale warehousing. Furthermore, the stacker crane requires high-power motors and hydraulics, which wastes energy and results in high energy costs.

[0007] Public content

[0008] In response to the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a warehousing system based on shelf robots, which can improve the system operation efficiency, save operating costs, and reduce the space in the aisles between shelves, thereby increasing the capacity of the shelves.

[0009] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0010] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a warehousing system based on a shelf robot, comprising:

[0011] a rack provided with storage locations configured to store cartons;

[0012] a shelf robot, which is arranged on the shelf via a guide rail and is configured to take out a cargo box from the storage location and place it in a buffer, or take out a cargo box from the buffer and place it in the storage location;

[0013] The conveying equipment is configured to take out the cargo boxes cached in the cache unit and transport them to the target location, or to move the cargo boxes to be stored to the cache unit.

[0014] As a further technical solution, the shelf is provided with at least one layer of working platform along the height direction, and a corresponding cache portion is provided on each layer of the working platform.

[0015] As a further technical solution, the conveying equipment includes at least one conveying trolley, which can travel along the channel formed by the working platform to store and retrieve cargo boxes.

[0016] As a further technical solution, the shelf is a single-depth shelf or a multi-depth shelf.

[0017] As a further technical solution, the cache portion includes a cache location, and the cache location is arranged in the shelf.

[0018] As a further technical solution, when the shelf is a multi-depth shelf, the cache portion further includes a travel passage for a transport trolley to enter and exit the shelf.

[0019] As a further technical solution, the cache location includes a support rod configured to carry a cargo box.

[0020] As a further technical solution, two support rods are provided; the two support rods are spaced apart and located on both sides of the cache position, and the distance between the two support rods is less than the width of the cargo box; when storing, the cargo box can be supported on the support rods on both sides of the cache position. As a further technical solution, the cache position includes a first power transmission mechanism, which is configured to actively transfer the cargo box to the conveying equipment. As a further technical solution, the cache section includes a temporary storage rack, which is arranged on the side of the shelf, and the temporary storage rack is provided with multiple temporary storage positions for temporary storage of cargo boxes.

[0021] As a further technical solution, the transport trolley has a lifting mechanism;

[0022] Alternatively, the transport trolley is provided with a horizontally reciprocating pickup mechanism;

[0023] Alternatively, a second power delivery mechanism is provided on the delivery trolley.

[0024] As a further technical solution, the cache unit includes a first power transmission section, which is arranged under the shelf. The shelf robot transports the cargo box to the first power transmission section or picks up the cargo from the first power output section.

[0025] As a further technical solution, the conveying equipment includes a second power conveying section, and the first power conveying section and the second power conveying section form a connected conveying line.

[0026] As a further technical solution, the conveyor lines of adjacent shelves are connected to form a storage and outbound loop.

[0027] As a further technical solution, the conveyor line is provided with a lifting device at the point where it connects to the picking platform, and is configured to lift cargo boxes.

[0028] As a further technical solution, the conveyor line is arranged in a slope form, and its height gradually increases from the shelf to the picking platform.

[0029] As a further technical solution, the conveyor line is provided with a lifting and transferring device to be configured as a cargo box buffer.

[0030] As a further technical solution, the shelf robot includes a column, a lifting mechanism and a box-taking mechanism;

[0031] The columns are arranged along the height direction of the shelves; the lifting mechanism is arranged on the columns and connected to the box-taking mechanism; the lifting mechanism is used to drive the box-taking mechanism to move up and down along the columns; the box-taking mechanism is used to take out or put in the cargo box.

[0032] As a further technical solution, the shelf robot further includes a walking mechanism and a guide rail; the walking mechanism is arranged on the column and movably cooperates with the guide rail; the guide rail is arranged along the extension direction of the shelf.

[0033] The beneficial effects of the above disclosure are as follows:

[0034] The warehousing system disclosed in the present invention can save operating costs by directly setting up shelf robots on the shelves, which can operate on the shelves to pick up and place goods on the shelves. In addition, since the shelf robots occupy a small area, the space in the aisles between the shelves can be reduced, thereby increasing the capacity of the shelves. At the same time, the shelf robots are simple and convenient to operate in picking up and transporting goods.

[0035] The warehousing system disclosed in the present invention sets a cache position at the bottom of the shelf. When taking and placing goods, the shelf robot takes them out from the shelf to the cache position or from the cache position to the storage position, and then the conveyor cart transports the goods to the manual picking platform. The conveyor cart and the shelf robot can operate simultaneously and separately, there is no waiting time, and the time consumed in storing and retrieving goods can be shortened.

[0036] The warehousing system disclosed in the present invention has a temporary storage rack set on the side of the shelf. When taking and placing goods, the shelf robot takes them out from the shelf to the temporary storage rack or from the temporary storage rack to the storage position, and then the conveyor cart transports the goods to the manual picking platform. The conveyor cart and the shelf robot can operate simultaneously and separately, and there is no waiting time, which can shorten the time consumed in storing and retrieving goods.

[0037] The warehousing system disclosed herein is provided with a conveyor line at the bottom of the shelf. When picking and placing goods, the shelf robot takes the goods from the shelf to the conveyor line or from the conveyor line to the storage position. The conveyor line can directly deliver the goods to the manual picking table. The operation mode is simpler and the operation speed is greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of the present disclosure, are used to provide further understanding of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and the description thereof are configured to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute improper limitations on the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system based on a shelf robot according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a shelf according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a shelf robot according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0042] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a transport trolley according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the corresponding transport trolley and cache position according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an enlarged structure of a cache bit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system based on a shelf robot according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a shelf in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the corresponding transport trolley and cache position according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system based on a shelf robot according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0049] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system based on a shelf robot according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a conveyor line according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a lifting device according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the ninth embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] In the figure: the distances or sizes between parts are exaggerated to show the positions of the parts, and the diagram is for illustration only;

[0054] Among them, 100, shelf, 200, shelf robot, 300, conveyor trolley, 400, manual picking platform, 500, temporary storage rack, 600, conveyor line, 700, lifting device, 800, working platform;

[0055] 101, frame, 102, lane, 103, storage position, 104, cache position, 105, cargo box, 106, cache rod, 107, power transmission mechanism;

[0056] 201, column, 202, lifting mechanism, 203, walking mechanism, 204, guide rail, 205, box-taking mechanism;

[0057] 301, trolley chassis, 302, lifting mechanism, 303, traveling wheels;

[0058] 601, first conveyor line, 602, second conveyor line, 603, first connecting section, 604, second connecting section, 605, lifting and transferring device;

[0059] 701 cylinder, 702 fixed plate, 703 support rod, 704 lifting plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Example 1:

[0061] In a typical embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 , a warehousing system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which includes a shelf 100 , a shelf robot 200 , a transport trolley 300 and a manual picking platform 400 .

[0062] As shown in FIG2 , the rack 100 includes a plurality of spaced-apart racks 101 , with lanes 102 formed between adjacent racks 101 . In this embodiment, the rack 100 is a single-depth rack, meaning that each rack 100 has only one storage location in the depth direction, which can accommodate only one cargo box 105 . Each rack has multiple rows and columns of storage locations 103 in the height direction, and the cargo boxes 105 are configured to store cargo. The cargo boxes can be bins, cartons, or other containers.

[0063] In order to save storage space, the rack 101 of the shelf 100 can be arranged as follows: two racks 101 form a group and are arranged in a back-to-back manner, and two adjacent groups of racks 101 share one aisle. In this way, the number of aisles can be reduced, the storage shelves are arranged more compactly, the picking up of goods is faster, and the storage capacity can be greatly increased.

[0064] A cache position 104 is set at the lower part of the frame 101, and the cache position 104 is set below the storage position 103. One cache position 104 is set in the depth direction of the frame 101, and a layer of cache positions or multiple layers of cache positions are set in the height direction of the frame 101; it can be understood that one layer of cache position 104 can meet the cache requirements, save space, and provide more storage positions 103; of course, if the cache amount is large and the cache time is long, at least two layers of cache positions 104 can also be set at the bottom of the frame 101, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0065] There is a certain distance between the bottom of the cache position 104 and the ground, etc., so that the transport vehicle 300 can enter under the cache position 104 to pick up the cargo box 105 thereon.

[0066] Furthermore, the frame 101 is provided with two cache rods 106 corresponding to each cache position 104. The two cache rods 106 are arranged at intervals and are located on both sides of the cache position 104. The distance between the two cache rods is less than the width of the cargo box 105. When storing, the cargo box 105 can be supported on the cache rods 106 on both sides of the cache position, because the cache rods 106 can also be called support rods.

[0067] As shown in FIG6 , as another implementation method, the cache position can be set as a power conveying mechanism 107, that is, a conveying roller, belt conveyor or chain conveyor that is actively driven by a driving element such as a motor, and is configured to actively transfer the cargo box to the conveying cart.

[0068] The shelf robot 200 is fixedly mounted on the frame 101 of the shelf 100 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the shelf robot 200 includes a column 201 , a lifting mechanism 202 , a walking mechanism 203 , a guide rail 204 and a box-taking mechanism 205 .

[0069] Specifically, the column 201 is arranged along the height direction of the shelf, and the guide rail 204 is arranged along the extension direction of the shelf. The column 201 is provided with a traveling mechanism 203 , which cooperates with the guide rail 204 and can move along the guide rail 204 .

[0070] The guide rail 204 is fixed to the side of the frame 101 of the shelf 100 ; at least one guide rail 204 is provided on the frame 101 .

[0071] The column 201 is equipped with a lifting mechanism 202, which is connected to the box-taking mechanism 205. The lifting mechanism 202 can drive the box-taking mechanism 205 to move up and down along the column 201. The box-taking mechanism 205 can take out the cargo box 105 on the rack 101 and transport it to the cache position 104, or send the cargo box 105 from the cache position 104 to the corresponding storage position 103 of the rack 101.

[0072] It should be noted that the lifting mechanism 202 can adopt a driving mechanism such as a synchronous belt, a gear rack, a chain, a wire rope, etc., as long as it can drive the box-taking mechanism 205 to move; the box-taking mechanism 205 can be provided with a slider to cooperate with the column 201 and slide along it.

[0073] Furthermore, the box-retrieving mechanism 205 can be in the form of a telescopic fork, a telescopic clamp, a suction cup, a hook, a telescopic fork + suction cup, etc., which can reciprocate along the depth direction of the shelf to remove or deliver the cargo box 105 on the rack 101. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the box-retrieving mechanism 205 is described in the drawings as an example of a telescopic fork.

[0074] It can be understood that adjacent racks 101 sharing the same aisle can choose to set the shelf robot 200 on one of the racks 101, but not on the other rack 101. The shelf robot 200 is located between the two adjacent racks 101. In this way, the adjacent racks 101 share one shelf robot 200 to pick up goods; in the specific setting, the distance between the adjacent racks 101 matches the length of the box picking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200, so that the box picking mechanism 205 only needs to run in reverse to store and retrieve the cargo boxes 105 on the racks 101 on both sides of the shelf robot 200. For example, when the box picking mechanism 205 is a telescopic fork, the telescopic fork is set to be telescopic in both directions.

[0075] In this way, the number of shelf robots can be reduced, the cost of storage equipment can be saved, and the interference problem that may occur when shelf robots are installed on adjacent racks 101 can be avoided; and installing a shelf robot on each rack 101 is also an optional solution, and it is only necessary to increase the distance between the racks 101 to avoid interference between the two shelf robots.

[0076] As shown in FIG4 , the transport trolley 300 includes a trolley chassis 301 , a jacking mechanism 302 is provided on the top of the trolley chassis 301 , and running wheels 303 are provided on the bottom of the trolley chassis 301 . The running wheels 303 drive the trolley chassis 301 to move.

[0077] The transport trolley 300 can move to the corresponding cargo position below the cache position 104 of the frame 101, and the lifting mechanism 302 lifts the cargo box 105 upward between the two cache rods 106 of the cache position 104. The cargo box 105 is then moved to the top of the transport trolley 300. The transport trolley 300 drives the cargo box to drill out from the bottom of the frame to the aisle 102, and the transport trolley 300 moves along the aisle 102 to be transported to the manual picking platform 400.

[0078] The lifting mechanism 302 can adopt existing structures such as a scissor-type structure, a cylinder, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0079] In other optional embodiments, the conveying trolley 300 may not be provided with a lifting mechanism 302, but may be provided with a horizontally reciprocating picking mechanism. The picking mechanism may be in the form of a telescopic fork, a telescopic clamp, a suction cup, a hook or a telescopic fork + suction cup, etc., which can move back and forth along the depth direction of the shelf to take out or deliver the cargo box 105 on the cache position 104; in this solution, the height of the cache position 104 of the shelf 100 can be set lower, and there is no need to reserve driving space for the conveying trolley 300. The conveying trolley 300 can directly pick up goods and drive in the aisle 102.

[0080] In some other embodiments, the conveying trolley 300 is not provided with a lifting mechanism, but is provided with a power conveying mechanism. The power conveying mechanism can be an electric conveying roller, a belt conveyor or a chain conveyor, etc., which can actively move the cargo box.

[0081] In this embodiment, the transport cart 300 travels within the lane 102 and operates in the same lane 102 as the racking robot 200. To avoid interference between the transport cart 300 and the racking robot 200 at the buffering position 104, their movements can be spaced apart by a certain time interval. For example, after the racking robot 200 first delivers the cargo box 105 to the corresponding buffering position 104 of the shelf 101, the racking robot 200 moves to another position, and then the transport cart 300 enters the corresponding buffering position 104 at the bottom of the shelf 101 through the lane 102 to retrieve the cargo box.

[0082] Among them, the manual picking platform 400 can be in the form of a platform, which is at a certain distance from the shelf 100. After the transport cart 300 picks up the goods, it runs to the side of the manual picking platform 400, and the lifting mechanism 302 of the transport cart 300 lifts the cargo box 105 to the manual picking height.

[0083] In this embodiment, the workflow of the warehousing system is as follows:

[0084] The shelf robot 200 picks a container 105 to be shipped from the shelf 101 of the shelf 100. The container retrieval mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the corresponding storage location 103, takes the container 105 out of the shelf 101, and then moves to the bottom of the shelf 101 to place the container 105 in the buffer location 104.

[0085] The empty transport trolley 300 drills under the buffer position 104 on the side of the shelf 100. After reaching the buffer position 104 corresponding to the cargo box 105, the lifting mechanism 302 lifts up and lifts the cargo box 105 to a certain height before moving forward. The transport trolley 300 carries the cargo box 105 and drills out from the lane 102 between the shelves 100.

[0086] The transport trolley 300 transports the cargo box 105 to the manual picking platform 400, and the jacking mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 rises to the manual picking height for manual picking of materials;

[0087] After the materials are manually picked, the lifting mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 is lowered to the low position, and the transport trolley 300 moves from the lane 102 to the corresponding buffer position 104, then turns and drills into the bottom of the shelf 100, placing the cargo box 105 to be stored in the buffer position 104;

[0088] The box-taking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 obtains the cargo box 105 to be stored from the buffer position 104 , moves to the corresponding storage position 103 , and places the cargo box 105 into the storage position 103 .

[0089] When the transport trolley 300 is provided with a horizontally reciprocating picking mechanism, the transport trolley 300 no longer drills into the bottom of the shelf 100 , but directly picks up or puts goods from the cargo box 105 of the corresponding cache position 104 in the lane 102 .

[0090] Example 2:

[0091] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , a storage system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the shelf 100 .

[0092] In this embodiment, the shelf 100 is a double-deep shelf, that is, two storage locations 103 are set in the depth direction of the shelf, which can accommodate two cargo boxes 105.

[0093] As shown in Figure 8, a cache position 104 is set at the lower part of the rack 101, but only one cache position 104 is set in the depth direction of the shelf. As a result, a driving channel for the conveyor cart is formed under the storage position where no cache position is set. The shelf robot takes the cargo boxes from the rack and puts them into the cache position. After the conveyor cart obtains the cargo boxes at the cache position, it walks under the storage position where no cache position is set and then transports them to the manual picking platform 400.

[0094] In this embodiment, since a driving channel for the conveyor cart is formed under the storage position where the shelf does not have a cache position, the conveyor cart no longer occupies the aisle to operate, and will not interfere with the shelf robot. The storage and retrieval process is faster, and work efficiency is improved.

[0095] In this embodiment, in order to save space, two adjacent rack bodies 100 of the shelf 100 can also be set as a group and arranged in a back-to-back manner.

[0096] In this embodiment, the workflow of the warehousing system is as follows:

[0097] The shelf robot 200 picks a container 105 to be shipped from the shelf 101 of the shelf 100. The container retrieval mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the corresponding storage location 103, takes the container 105 out of the shelf 101, and then moves to the bottom of the shelf 101 to place the container 105 in the buffer location 104.

[0098] The empty transport trolley 300 drills under the buffer position 104 on the side of the shelf 100. After reaching the buffer position 104 corresponding to the cargo box 105, the lifting mechanism 302 lifts up and lifts the cargo box 105 to a certain height and moves forward. The transport trolley 300, carrying the cargo box 105, turns at a position where there is no buffer position at the bottom of the shelf and drills out from the side of the shelf.

[0099] The transport trolley 300 transports the cargo box 105 to the manual picking platform 400, and the jacking mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 rises to the manual picking height for manual picking of materials;

[0100] After the materials are manually picked, the lifting mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 is lowered to the low position, and the transport trolley 300 enters from the side of the shelf 100 where no buffer position is set, and after moving to the buffer position 104, the container 105 to be stored is placed in the buffer position 104;

[0101] The box-taking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 obtains the cargo box 105 to be stored from the buffer position 104 , moves to the corresponding storage position 103 , and places the cargo box 105 into the storage position 103 .

[0102] When the transport trolley 300 is provided with a horizontally reciprocating picking mechanism, the transport trolley 300 picks up or puts out goods from the cargo box 105 in a driving passage where no buffering position is provided at the lower part of the shelf.

[0103] Example 3:

[0104] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG10 , a warehousing system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the cache.

[0105] In this embodiment, a buffer position is no longer provided at the bottom of the shelf 100, but a temporary storage rack 500 is provided at the side of the shelf. The temporary storage rack 500 can be provided with multiple temporary storage positions for temporarily storing the supply boxes 105.

[0106] The temporary storage rack 500 has a side opening corresponding to each temporary storage position, so that the transport vehicle 300 can enter under the temporary storage rack 500 to lift the cargo box 105 and then move it out.

[0107] In order to ensure that the shelf robot 200 can stably store the cargo box 105 on the temporary storage rack 500, the guide rail 204 of the shelf robot 200 can be extended partially to above the temporary storage rack 500, or the setting position of the temporary storage rack 500 just corresponds to the position when the shelf robot 200 moves to the end side of the shelf.

[0108] After the box-taking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 takes the cargo box 105 out of the shelf 100 , it moves along the guide rails 204 to the temporary storage rack 500 and stores the cargo box 105 on the temporary storage rack 500 .

[0109] In this embodiment, the workflow of the warehousing system is as follows:

[0110] The shelf robot 200 picks a container 105 to be shipped from the shelf 101 of the shelf 100. The container retrieval mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the corresponding storage location 103, takes the container 105 out of the shelf 101, and then moves to the temporary storage rack 500 on the side of the shelf 100, placing the container 105 on the temporary storage rack 500.

[0111] The empty transport trolley 300 moves to the bottom of the temporary storage rack 500, and the lifting mechanism 302 lifts up to lift the cargo box 105 to a certain height and moves forward;

[0112] After the transport trolley 300 moves out of the temporary storage rack 500, it transports the cargo box 105 to the manual picking platform 400, and the jacking mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 rises to the manual picking height for manual picking of materials;

[0113] After the materials are manually sorted, the lifting mechanism 302 of the transport trolley 300 is lowered to the low position, and the transport trolley 300 moves to the temporary storage rack 500 to place the cargo box 105 to be stored on the temporary storage rack 500;

[0114] The box-taking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the end side of the shelf, obtains the cargo box 105 to be stored from the temporary storage rack 500 , moves to the corresponding storage position 103 , and places the cargo box 105 in the storage position 103 .

[0115] When the transport trolley 300 is provided with a horizontally reciprocating cargo pickup mechanism, the transport trolley 300 picks up cargo from or places cargo on the side of the temporary storage rack 500 .

[0116] Example 4:

[0117] In this embodiment, a storage system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the second embodiment in the configuration of the cache.

[0118] In this embodiment, based on the second embodiment, a buffer position is no longer provided at the bottom of the shelf 100, but a temporary storage rack 500 is provided at the side of the shelf. The arrangement of the temporary storage rack 500 is the same as that of the third embodiment.

[0119] The workflow of the warehousing system in this embodiment is the same as that in the third embodiment.

[0120] Embodiment 5:

[0121] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG11 , a warehousing system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the first embodiment in the form of transporting cargo boxes.

[0122] In this embodiment, a cache position is no longer provided at the lower portion of the shelf 100 , but a conveyor line 600 is provided below the storage position 103 of the shelf 100 , and the conveyor line 600 extends to the manual picking station 400 .

[0123] Specifically, as shown in FIG12 , the conveyor line 600 includes a first conveyor line 601, a second conveyor line 602, a first connecting section 603, a second connecting section 604, and a lifting and moving device 605; the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602 are arranged in parallel, and there is a certain interval between the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602;

[0124] The first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602 both include a first power conveying section and a second power conveying section. The first power conveying section is arranged below the shelf, that is, it acts as a cache. It can be seen that the first power conveying section and the second power conveying section can be the same conveyor line.

[0125] A first connecting section 603 is provided between one end of the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602, and a second connecting section 604 is provided between the other ends of the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602. The first connecting section 603 and the second connecting section 604 are connected to the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602 to form a loop.

[0126] Manual picking platforms 400 can be set on the sides of the first connecting section 603 and the second connecting section 604. Lifting devices 700 can be set at the first connecting section 603 and the second connecting section 604 to lift the cargo box 105 to the manual picking height.

[0127] It should be noted that the four conveyor lines forming the loop can operate in a circular manner. In this way, even if a cargo box is picked up on the second conveyor line 602 side, it will run to the second conveyor line 603 via the second connecting section 604 and the first conveyor line 601, and then the cargo box will be lifted by the lifting device 700. This operation control method is simple and will not cause interference in entering and leaving the warehouse. The cargo boxes shipped out of the first conveyor line 601 can be picked by the picking station at the first connecting section 603 and can be put into the warehouse at the second conveyor line 602. The cargo boxes shipped out of the second conveyor line 602 can be picked or not picked by the second connecting section 604 and then put into the warehouse at the first conveyor line. Similarly, the reverse conveying is also applicable.

[0128] Lifting and transferring devices 605 are provided at corresponding positions of the first conveyor line 601 and the warehousing conveyor line 602, and are configured to serve as a buffer for the cargo boxes 105.

[0129] The jacking and transferring device 605 is only arranged on the first power transmission section below the shelf 100. The jacking and transferring device 605 does not move with the first power transmission section. Multiple jacking and transferring devices 605 can be arranged adjacent to each other in sequence and fixedly arranged at the first power transmission section below the shelf 100; the jacking and transferring device 605 can be in the form of a bracket with a jacking structure (such as a cylinder, an oil cylinder, etc.). When the shelf robot sends the cargo box to the conveyor line, the jacking structure of the jacking and transferring device 605 rises to support the cargo box, and then the jacking structure falls to support the cargo box on the first power transmission section for transportation. By cooperating with the conveyor line through the jacking and transferring device, it can be avoided that when the cargo box is directly picked up and placed on the conveyor line, the friction between the cargo box and the conveyor line is too large, causing wear of the cargo box / conveyor line.

[0130] When the shelf robot adopts a telescopic clamping box-picking mechanism, a lifting and transferring device may not be provided.

[0131] As shown in Figure 13, the jacking device 700 includes a cylinder 701, which is fixed to the frame of the first connecting section 603 through a fixing plate 702. The cylinder 701 is connected to the support rod 703, and a jacking plate 704 is set on the top of the support rod 703. The cylinder 701 is actuated to move the jacking plate 704 upward to lift the cargo box on the first connecting section 603.

[0132] In this embodiment, the workflow of the warehousing system is as follows:

[0133] The shelf robot 200 picks a container 105 to be shipped from the rack 101 of the shelf 100. The container retrieval mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the corresponding storage location 103, takes the container 105 from the rack 101, and then moves to the conveyor line below the shelf 100 to place the container 105 on the lifting and transferring device 605 of the first conveyor line 601 or the second conveyor line 602.

[0134] The cargo box is transported out of the warehouse by the conveyor line and transported to the lifting device 700 via the first conveyor line 601 and the first connecting section 603. The lifting device 700 lifts the cargo box 105 to a high position for manual material picking.

[0135] After the materials are manually picked, the lifting device 700 drives the cargo box 105 to a lower position, and the cargo box 105 is transported to the bottom of another shelf 100 through the first connecting section 603 and the second conveyor line 602;

[0136] The box-picking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the transfer device 605 of the conveyor line below the shelf, obtains the cargo box 105 to be stored, moves to the corresponding storage position 103, and places the cargo box 105 in the storage position 103.

[0137] Example 6:

[0138] In this embodiment, a storage system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the fifth embodiment in the arrangement of the conveyor line.

[0139] In this embodiment, the first connecting section 603 and the second connecting section 604 are no longer provided with a lifting device 700. Instead, the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602 are set to a slope form, and the height gradually increases from the shelf to the manual picking platform. The height of the first connecting section 603 corresponds to the height of the manual picking platform. The first conveyor line transports the cargo box to the first connecting section 603 for direct manual picking.

[0140] In this embodiment, the workflow of the warehousing system is as follows:

[0141] The shelf robot 200 picks a container 105 to be shipped from the rack 101 of the shelf 100. The container retrieval mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the corresponding storage location 103, takes the container 105 from the rack 101, and then moves to the conveyor line below the shelf 100 to place the container 105 on the lifting and transferring device 605 of the first conveyor line 601 or the second conveyor line 602.

[0142] The cargo box is transported out of the warehouse by the conveyor line. The cargo box is gradually lifted to the first connecting section 603 via the first conveyor line 601 and then to the manual picking station for manual picking of materials.

[0143] After the materials are manually picked, the cargo box 105 is gradually lowered and transported to the bottom of the shelf 100 through the first connecting section 603 and the second conveyor line 602;

[0144] The box-picking mechanism 205 of the shelf robot 200 moves to the transfer device 605 of the conveyor line below the shelf, obtains the cargo box 105 to be stored, moves to the corresponding storage position 103, and places the cargo box 105 in the storage position 103.

[0145] Embodiment seven:

[0146] In this embodiment, a warehousing system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the second embodiment in the form of transporting cargo boxes.

[0147] In this embodiment, a conveyor line 600 is used to transport the cargo boxes, and the arrangement of the conveyor line 600 is the same as that of the fifth embodiment. The working process of the storage system in this embodiment is the same as that of the fifth embodiment.

[0148] Embodiment 8:

[0149] In this embodiment, a storage system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the seventh embodiment in the arrangement of the conveyor line.

[0150] In this embodiment, the first connecting section 603 and the second connecting section 604 are no longer provided with a lifting device 700. Instead, the first conveyor line 601 and the second conveyor line 602 are set in a slope form. The setting form of the conveyor line 600 is the same as that of the sixth embodiment.

[0151] The workflow of the warehousing system in this embodiment is the same as that in the sixth embodiment.

[0152] Embodiment 9:

[0153] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG14 , a storage system based on a shelf robot is proposed, which differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the shelves.

[0154] When the shelves are high, the shelving robot, after retrieving a box stored at a higher position, must descend to the lowest position to place the box in a buffer, which is inefficient. Therefore, to improve the shelving robot's efficiency, at least one work platform 800 can be provided in the middle of the shelf 100. Each work platform has corresponding storage locations and a buffer, but multiple work platforms share a single shelving robot. For each work platform, after the shelving robot retrieves a box stored in the corresponding storage location on that platform, it will place it in the buffer provided on that platform, eliminating the need to descend to the lowest position to buffer the goods, thereby improving efficiency.

[0155] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the cache section provided on each working platform may be in the form of a cache position, temporary storage rack or conveying cache in the above embodiments, and the cache section provided on each working platform may be the same or different, and there is no limitation on this.

[0156] In this embodiment, when the shelf height is high and a work platform is required in the middle of the shelf, the work platform can be a steel platform. The steel platform is laid below the shelf storage space and extends to the picking platform, connecting the multiple shelves to form a driving channel for transport carts to store and retrieve goods, or a channel for laying conveyor lines. When the shelf height is low enough, the work platform is the ground, and a buffer can be set up on the ground.

[0157] It should be noted that at least one picking platform and at least one conveyor cart can be set up on each working platform, which are configured to realize the storage and unloading of goods on the working platform on that layer. Of course, one picking platform can also pick goods stored on multiple working platforms, or one conveyor cart can dock multiple layers of working platforms. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0158] The corresponding workflow in this embodiment can refer to the aforementioned embodiment.

[0159] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Industrial Applicability

[0160] In summary, the present disclosure provides a warehousing system based on a shelf robot, which can improve the system operation efficiency, save operating costs, and reduce the space in the aisles between shelves, thereby increasing the capacity of the shelves.

Claims

1. A storage system based on a shelf robot, characterized in that it includes: A shelf provided with storage locations configured to store cargo boxes; A shelf robot, which is arranged on the shelf via a guide rail and is configured to take out a cargo box from the storage position and place it in a cache, or take out a cargo box from the cache and place it in the storage position; The conveying equipment is configured to take out the cargo boxes cached in the cache section and transport them to the target location, or to move the cargo boxes to be stored in the cache section.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shelf is provided with at least one layer of working platform along the height direction, and a corresponding buffer part is provided on each layer of the working platform.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conveying equipment includes at least one conveying trolley, which can travel along the channel formed by the working platform to store and retrieve cargo boxes.

4. The storage system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shelf is a single-depth shelf or a multi-depth shelf.

5. The storage system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cache section includes a cache position, and the cache position is arranged in the shelf.

6. The storage system according to claim 5, characterized in that When the shelf is a multi-depth shelf, the cache portion also includes a travel passage for a transport vehicle to enter and exit the shelf.

7. The storage system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The cache location includes support rods configured to carry a cargo box.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, characterized in that: There are two support rods; the two support rods are arranged at intervals and are located on both sides of the cache position, and the distance between the two support rods is smaller than the width of the cargo box; when storing, the cargo box can be supported on the support rods on both sides of the cache position.

9. The storage system according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that: The cache location includes a first power delivery mechanism configured to actively transfer the cargo box to the conveying equipment.

10. The storage system according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that: The cache section includes a temporary storage rack, which is arranged on the side of the shelf and has a plurality of temporary storage positions for temporary storage of cargo boxes.

11. The storage system according to any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that: The conveying trolley has a lifting mechanism; Or, the transport trolley is provided with a horizontally reciprocating picking mechanism; Alternatively, a second power delivery mechanism is provided on the delivery trolley.

12. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The cache unit includes a first power transmission section, which is arranged below the shelf. The shelf robot transports the cargo box to the first power transmission section, or picks up the cargo from the first power output section.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, characterized in that: The conveying equipment includes a second power conveying section, and the first power conveying section and the second power conveying section form a connected conveying line.

14. The storage system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The conveyor lines of adjacent shelves are connected to form a storage and retrieval loop.

15. The storage system according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: The conveyor line is provided with a lifting device at the place where it is connected to the picking platform, and is configured to lift the cargo box.

16. The storage system according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that: The conveyor line is arranged in a slope form, and its height gradually increases from the shelf to the picking platform.

17. The storage system according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The conveyor line is provided with a lifting and transferring device to be configured as a cargo box buffer.

18. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that: The shelf robot comprises a column, a lifting mechanism and a box taking mechanism; The columns are arranged along the height direction of the shelf; the lifting mechanism is arranged on the columns and connected to the box taking mechanism; the lifting mechanism is used to drive the box taking mechanism to move up and down along the columns; the box taking mechanism is used to take out or put in the cargo box.

19. The storage system according to claim 18, characterized in that: The shelf robot also includes a walking mechanism and a guide rail; the walking mechanism is arranged on the column and movably cooperates with the guide rail; the guide rail is arranged along the extension direction of the shelf.

Images