Warehousing system

Abstract

Disclosed is a warehousing system, comprising a warehousing area and a material box pick-up and placing device, multiple rows of box stacks being stacked in the warehousing area, and a roadway being arranged between every two adjacent rows of box stacks. The material box pick-up and placing device comprises: a door frame assembly; a temporary storage apparatus, which comprises a chassis, a conveying belt mounted on the chassis, and a box stacking mechanism; and a pick-up and placing apparatus, which is adapted to move in the vertical direction and comprises a first end effector and a second end effector, which are adapted to extend or retract in the horizontal direction. In a process of box pick-up, the first end effector and the second end effector extend toward one side of a target box stack at the same time, respectively grip a first material box and a target material box that are vertically adjacent in the target box stack, and move upward to lift upward the first material box, the target material box, and all material boxes on top of the first material box, then the second end effector drives the target material box to retract, so as to pick up the target material box and transport same via the conveying belt to the box stacking mechanism to be stacked and stored. According to the present invention, the picked-up material boxes can be automatically stacked, thus not requiring goods shelves, and reducing costs.

Description

A warehousing system Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automation technology, and in particular to a warehousing system. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the application scenarios of material box storage and access systems, shelves are often required to stack material boxes. The cost of shelves accounts for a large proportion of the cost of the entire system. Moreover, placing material boxes on shelves has low space utilization, and the frequency of failures caused by vibration and deformation of shelves is high. Another solution in the prior art is to eliminate shelves and set up pick-and-place equipment above the material box storage area to pick up and place material boxes. However, the pick-and-place equipment itself needs to occupy a large space above the storage area, and the supporting parts of the pick-and-place equipment are distributed on the periphery of the storage area, which also requires a large space. This pick-and-place equipment itself is large in size and weight, has high energy consumption, and is difficult to construct.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a storage system to solve the above technical problems.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] To this end, the present invention provides a storage system to solve or at least alleviate the above problems.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a storage system is provided, comprising: a storage area, wherein multiple rows of box stacks are stacked on the ground of the storage area, and lanes are arranged between two adjacent rows of box stacks, each row of box stacks includes multiple box stacks, and each box stack includes multiple stacked material boxes; one or more material box picking and placing devices are suitable for traveling in the lanes between two adjacent rows of box stacks so as to perform picking and placing operations on target material boxes, and the material box storage and placing devices include: a door frame assembly, arranged in a vertical direction; a temporary storage device, including a chassis, a conveyor belt installed on the chassis, and a box stacking mechanism, the box stacking mechanism is installed on the chassis and is located above the conveyor belt; a picking and placing device, the picking and placing device and the box stacking mechanism are respectively installed on opposite sides of the door frame assembly, suitable for moving in the vertical direction, including upper and lower spacings. A first end picker and a second end picker are arranged, and the first end picker and the second end picker are suitable for extending or retracting in the horizontal direction; wherein, during the box retrieval process, the material box storage and retrieval device is suitable for moving to the side of the target box stack, and the first end picker and the second end picker are suitable for simultaneously extending to one side of the target box stack, respectively clamping the first material box and the target material box adjacent to each other in the target box stack, and moving upward with the picking and placing device to lift the first material box and the target material box and all the material boxes located above the first material box upward, and then the second end picker is suitable for driving the target material box to retract, so as to take out the target material box and place the target material box on the conveyor belt, so that the target material box can be transported to the stacking mechanism by the conveyor belt for stacking and storage.

[0007] Optionally, the warehousing system according to the present invention further includes: an auxiliary support assembly, installed on the chassis, including auxiliary legs; wherein, before the first end effector and the second end effector simultaneously extend toward one side of the target box stack, the auxiliary legs are suitable for extending toward one side of the target box stack so as to support the bottom of the target box stack.

[0008] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, after the second end picker drives the target material box to retract, the picking and placing device is suitable for moving downward so that the first end picker and the second end picker move downward at the same time; wherein, the first end picker is suitable for driving the first material box and all material boxes located above the first material box, and after moving downward until they are in contact with the material box below the first material box, the first end picker retracts; the picking and placing device is suitable for continuing to move downward to drive the target material box downward through the second end picker and place it on the conveyor belt.

[0009] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the box stacking mechanism is suitable for: stacking the target boxes taken out each time by the second end picker in sequence until a predetermined number of target boxes taken out are stacked to form a new box stack, so as to perform a warehouse out operation on the new box stack.

[0010] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the first end picker and the second end picker are also suitable for: moving downward with the picking and placing device to the bottom of the target box stack, respectively clamping the two adjacent material boxes at the bottom, and moving upward with the picking and placing device to drive the target box stack to move upward, and then drive the target box stack to retract, and place the target box stack on the conveyor belt so as to perform the outbound operation on the target box stack.

[0011] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the first end picker and the second end picker are further adapted to: drive the target box stack to retract, and move downward with the pick-and-place device to place the target box stack on the conveyor belt, and then move upward with the pick-and-place device to support the upper side of the target box stack.

[0012] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the material box picking and placing equipment is suitable for driving the new box stack out of the lane, and transporting the new box stack to the outbound material box receiving point to unload the new box stack.

[0013] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, after the new box stack is transported to the outbound material box receiving point, the material box picking and placing equipment is suitable for: transporting the new box stack to the outbound conveyor belt that is docked with the conveyor belt, or, through the box stacking mechanism and the conveyor belt, performing reverse operation to place each target material box in the new box stack one by one on the outbound conveyor belt so as to continue to be transported by the outbound conveyor belt.

[0014] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, after the new box stack is transported to the outbound container receiving location, the new box stack is unloaded by another container picking and placing device.

[0015] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, there is a predetermined gap between two adjacent box stacks in each row of box stacks to allow the first end effector and the second end effector to perform a clamping operation.

[0016] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the warehousing area includes a material box storage area and an in-and-out warehouse handover area, the in-and-out warehouse handover area includes an out-and-out conveyor belt, an operating table, and a return conveyor belt, and the operating table is arranged between the out-and-out conveyor belt and the return conveyor belt.

[0017] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, there are columns on both sides of the door frame assembly, and vertical guide rails are provided on the columns; the picking and placing device also includes: a picking and placing lifting frame, which is rollingly connected to the vertical guide rails and is suitable for moving along the vertical guide rails so that the picking and placing device moves in the vertical direction; the first end picker and the second end picker are respectively installed on the picking and placing lifting frame and are arranged at intervals up and down, and are suitable for vertical movement with the picking and placing lifting frame.

[0018] Optionally, the storage system according to the present invention further includes: a lifting transmission assembly installed on the top of the door frame assembly, rotatably connected to the two columns, and connected to the pick-and-place lifting frame of the pick-and-place device through a lifting belt; a lifting power assembly installed on the top of the door frame assembly, connected to the lifting transmission assembly, suitable for driving the lifting transmission assembly to rotate, so that the lifting transmission assembly drives the pick-and-place device to move in the vertical direction through the lifting belt.

[0019] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the pick-and-place lifting frame includes: a vertically arranged first frame body, the first frame body is rollingly connected to the vertical guide rail; a second frame body, the second frame body is formed by the first frame body extending in a first horizontal direction away from the door frame assembly; the first end effector and the second end effector are symmetrically installed on the upper and lower sides of the second frame body, and are suitable for extending or retracting along a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

[0020] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the second end picker has the same structure as the first end picker and is symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the second frame; the first end picker includes: two telescopic box-picking mechanisms arranged at intervals, suitable for extending or retracting along the second horizontal direction so as to clamp the material box through the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms; two clamping mechanisms, respectively connected to the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms, the clamping mechanisms include a clamping power assembly and a clamping transmission assembly, the two clamping power assemblies are suitable for driving the two clamping transmission assemblies to respectively drive the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms to move relatively close to or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms clamp or release the material box.

[0021] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, horizontal linear guide rails in the first horizontal direction are respectively provided at both ends of the upper side of the second frame; the two ends of the telescopic box-taking mechanism are slidably connected to the corresponding horizontal linear guide rails through telescopic sliders; the two clamping transmission assemblies are respectively connected to the corresponding telescopic sliders, and are suitable for driving the corresponding telescopic sliders to slide along the horizontal linear guide rails under the power of the corresponding clamping power assemblies, so that the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms move relatively close to each other or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction.

[0022] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, the telescopic box retrieval mechanism includes: a fixed component, mounted on the telescopic slider; an intermediate component, mounted on the fixed component, the intermediate component having a pulley assembly and a first chain tooth plate; a box clamping component, connected to the intermediate component through the pulley assembly; a telescopic transmission component, connected to the first chain tooth plate of the intermediate component; a telescopic power component, mounted on the fixed component and connected to the telescopic transmission component, suitable for driving the telescopic transmission component to drive the intermediate component through the first chain tooth plate to perform a first telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction relative to the fixed component, and at the same time, the intermediate component drives the box clamping component to perform a second telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction through the pulley assembly, so that the box clamping component extends and clamps the material box or retracts.

[0023] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, a movement speed of the second telescopic movement of the clamping assembly is twice a movement speed of the first telescopic movement of the fixing assembly.

[0024] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, after the box clamping assembly is extended to a predetermined position, the clamping power assembly is suitable for driving the clamping transmission assembly to drive the two telescopic box picking mechanisms to move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two box clamping assemblies of the two telescopic box picking mechanisms clamp the material box.

[0025] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, the box clamping assembly is provided with a box clamping pallet; when the two telescopic box retrieval mechanisms move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, the box clamping pallets of the two box clamping assemblies are suitable for extending into the steps on the side of the material box to support the material box and lift the material box.

[0026] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, the stacking mechanism includes: a stacking frame, which is arranged on one side of the door frame assembly in the vertical direction; a stacking frame lifting frame, which is installed on the stacking frame and is slidably connected to the stacking frame, and is suitable for vertically sliding relative to the stacking frame, and stacking plates are respectively provided on both sides of the stacking frame, wherein the two stacking plates are suitable for relatively close movement so as to extend into the steps on the side of the material box to support the material box, and are suitable for relatively moving away from each other so as to release the material box; a stacking transmission assembly is installed on the top of the stacking frame, and is connected to the stacking frame by the stacking The box lifting belt is connected to the stacker lifting frame; the stacker power assembly is installed on the top of the stacker support frame and is connected to the stacker transmission assembly, suitable for driving the stacker transmission assembly to rotate, so that the stacker transmission assembly drives the stacker lifting frame to perform reciprocating lifting and lowering motion through the stacker lifting belt; wherein, when the stacker lifting frame descends to the target material box on the conveyor belt, the two stacker pallets are suitable for relatively close movement so as to extend into the steps on the side of the target material box to support the target material box; when the stacker lifting frame moves upward, the target material box is lifted and stacked.

[0027] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the four corners of the first frame of the pick-and-place lifting frame are respectively installed with guide wheel groups, which are rollingly connected to the vertical guide rails through the four guide wheel groups, wherein the guide wheel groups include front guide wheels and side guide wheels.

[0028] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, the auxiliary support assembly includes: a horizontally arranged auxiliary lifting plate; two guide support rods, respectively arranged on both sides of the lower end of the auxiliary lifting plate; two auxiliary legs arranged at intervals, respectively installed on the two guide support rods, and suitable for telescopic movement along the corresponding guide support rods; an auxiliary transmission assembly, installed on the auxiliary lifting plate, and connected to the auxiliary legs for transmission; an auxiliary power assembly, installed on the auxiliary lifting plate, suitable for driving the auxiliary transmission assembly to drive the auxiliary legs to telescopic movement along the corresponding guide support rods, so that the auxiliary legs extend toward one side of the target box stack and support the bottom of the target box stack, or retract.

[0029] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the material box picking and placing equipment also includes: a connecting rod assembly, which is installed on the chassis and connected to the auxiliary lifting plate, suitable for driving the auxiliary lifting plate and the auxiliary support assembly to move vertically under the power of the connecting rod power assembly; wherein, when the auxiliary support leg extends to one side of the target box stack, the connecting rod assembly is suitable for driving the auxiliary support assembly to move vertically downward until the auxiliary support leg touches the ground and supports the bottom of the target box stack.

[0030] Optionally, in the storage system according to the present invention, a plurality of guide sleeves are vertically provided on the bottom plate of the chassis; a plurality of auxiliary guide columns are vertically installed above the auxiliary lifting plate, and the plurality of auxiliary guide columns are coaxially matched with a plurality of guide sleeves respectively to guide the vertical movement of the auxiliary lifting plate and the auxiliary support assembly.

[0031] Optionally, in the warehousing system according to the present invention, the connecting rod assembly includes a connecting rod power assembly, a transmission shaft, a synchronous connecting rod, and multiple crank-connecting rod assemblies, wherein the connecting rod power assembly is suitable for driving the multiple crank-connecting rod assemblies to move through the transmission shaft and the synchronous connecting rod, so as to drive the auxiliary lifting plate and the auxiliary support assembly to move vertically.

[0032] The warehousing system provided by the technical solution of the present invention includes a storage area and one or more bin handling devices. Multiple rows of bins can be stacked directly on the floor of the storage area, with lanes arranged between adjacent rows of bins. Each bin handling device is capable of navigating the lanes between adjacent rows of bins in the storage area to perform handling operations on target bins. The bin handling device includes a temporary storage device and a handling device mounted on opposite sides of a gantry assembly. A conveyor belt and a bin stacking mechanism mounted vertically above the conveyor belt are mounted on the chassis of the temporary storage device. The handling device can move vertically, and a first end picker and a second end picker of the handling device can extend or retract horizontally. During the bin retrieval process, the first and second end pickers simultaneously extend toward one side of the target bin stack, respectively gripping the first and target bins adjacent to each other in the target bin stack. They then move upward with the pick-and-place device, lifting the first and target bins, as well as all bins located above the first bin, upward. The second end picker then retracts the target bin to retrieve the target bin and place it on a conveyor belt, which then transports it to the stacking mechanism for stacking. Thus, according to the technical solution of the present invention, bins are stacked directly in the storage area without the need for shelves. The bin retrieval device can travel in the lane between the two rows of bin stacks to retrieve and place any bin. This eliminates the need for shelves, significantly reducing the cost and malfunction rate of the entire storage system. Furthermore, the use of upper and lower end pickers for bin retrieval allows for simultaneous access to a single bin and multiple bins above it, making the operation flexible and quick. Furthermore, the stacking mechanism automatically stacks the retrieved bins, facilitating subsequent unloading and unloading operations.

[0033] In addition, during the outbound unloading operation, the efficiency of the material box outbound can be improved through the coordinated operation of multiple machines.

[0034] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present invention are specifically listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] To achieve the above and related purposes, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings, which indicate various ways in which the principles disclosed herein may be practiced, and all aspects and their equivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout this disclosure, the same reference numerals generally refer to the same parts or elements.

[0036] Figures 1a and 1b respectively show a scenario diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] FIG2 shows another scenario schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a material box picking and placing device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] FIG4 shows a schematic diagram of a box picking state of the material box picking and placing device 300 provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] FIG5a and FIG5b respectively show another schematic diagram of the box picking and placing device 300 provided in an embodiment of the present invention in a box picking state;

[0041] FIG6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a pick-and-place device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of the cooperation structure of the pick-and-place device 100 and the gantry assembly 150 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] FIG8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the auxiliary support assembly 330 and the connecting rod assembly 340 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] FIG10 and FIG11 are schematic structural diagrams respectively showing an auxiliary support assembly 330 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] FIG12 shows a schematic structural diagram of a connecting rod assembly 340 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] FIG13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a box stacking mechanism 230 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] FIG14 is a schematic diagram showing a box stacking mechanism 230 provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the box stacking mechanism 230 forms a new box stack;

[0049] FIG15 shows a schematic structural diagram of a chassis 210 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0051] FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b respectively show a scenario schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1a, the storage system includes a storage area and one or more bin handling devices 300. Multiple rows of bins can be stacked directly on the floor of the storage area, with lanes arranged between adjacent rows. Each row of bins includes multiple bins, and each bin stack includes multiple bins stacked (vertically). In other words, multiple bins can be stacked directly on top of each other on the floor of the storage area, eliminating the need for racks.

[0053] A lane is arranged between each two adjacent rows of box stacks for the box picking and placing device 300 to travel. It should be noted that the box picking and placing device 300 can travel in the lane between two adjacent rows of box stacks and can move along the lane to any box stack to perform a box picking and placing operation on the box stack.

[0054] As shown in Figure 1b, one or more material box picking and placing devices 300 can travel back and forth in the aisle between two adjacent rows of box stacks and operate in parallel to perform picking and placing operations on the target material box. After the operation is completed, they can drive out of the aisle by themselves and place the material box out of the warehouse on the ground conveyor line (or ground) at the destination, or hand it over to other equipment, and then grab the material box that needs to be returned to the warehouse, transport the material box that needs to be returned to the warehouse to the storage area, and put it back to the corresponding position. Then, new target material boxes can be taken out of the warehouse, and the cycle is repeated.

[0055] In an application scenario of an embodiment of the present invention, the material box picking and placing device 300 can travel in an aisle between two adjacent rows of box stacks in a storage area to perform picking and placing operations on the material boxes.

[0056] It should be noted that, in one application scenario, each material box picking and placing device 300 is used to perform a box picking operation on a single material box, taking out one material box from the box stack each time.

[0057] FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a material box picking and placing device 300 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] As shown in FIG3 , in an embodiment of the present invention, a material box picking and placing device 300 includes: a gantry assembly 150 arranged in a vertical direction, a temporary storage device 200 , and a picking and placing device 100 .

[0059] The temporary storage device 200 includes a chassis 210 , a conveyor belt 220 mounted on the chassis 210 , and a box stacking mechanism 230 . The box stacking mechanism 230 is mounted on the chassis 210 and located above the conveyor belt 220 .

[0060] The pick-and-place device 100 and the stacking mechanism 230 are mounted on opposite sides of the gantry assembly 150 and are movable vertically. The pick-and-place device 100 includes a first end effector 110 and a second end effector 120 spaced apart in a vertical arrangement. The first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 can be extended or retracted horizontally.

[0061] It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present invention, the chassis 210 serves as the travel and support mechanism for the bin pick-and-place device 300, capable of movement modes such as forward, backward, rotation, and arc-shaped turns. The gantry assembly 150 is vertically mounted on the chassis, and the pick-and-place device 100 is movably mounted to one side of the gantry. The temporary storage device 200 is mounted at one end of the chassis 210, and is located on either side of the gantry assembly 150, along with the pick-and-place device 100.

[0062] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a box picking state of the material box picking and placing device 300 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following describes the box picking process of the material box picking and placing device 300 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Fig. 4 .

[0063] As shown in FIG4 , in an embodiment of the present invention, when the box picking and placing device 300 is used to perform a box picking operation, the box picking and placing device 300 can be automatically positioned at the side of the target box stack (i.e., the box stack where the target box is located), that is, the box picking and placing device 300 automatically moves to the side of the target box stack so as to remove the target box from the target box stack. During the box picking process, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 of the box picking and placing device 300 can simultaneously extend to one side of the target box stack, and then, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 respectively clamp the first box and the target box adjacent to each other in the target box stack, and then, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 can move vertically upward with the picking and placing device 100 to lift the first box and the target box and all the boxes located above the first box upward. After the first material box, the target material box and all the material boxes located above the first material box are lifted upward, the second end picker 120 can drive the target material box to retract to take out the target material box and place the target material box on the conveyor belt 220 of the chassis. Subsequently, the target material box can be transported to the stacking mechanism 230 (specifically, it can be the lower end of the stacking mechanism 230) through the conveyor belt 220 so that the stacking operation can be performed through the stacking mechanism 230.

[0064] It should be noted that there is a predetermined gap between any two adjacent box stacks in each row of box stacks, so that the first end picker and the second end picker (telescopic box picking mechanism) of the material box picking and placing device 300 can extend from between the two adjacent box stacks and perform clamping operations on the material boxes in the box stacks.

[0065] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the bin picking and placing device 300 further includes an auxiliary support assembly 330 mounted on the chassis 210. The auxiliary support assembly 330 includes auxiliary legs 335. Before the first and second end effectors 110, 120 are adapted to simultaneously extend toward the target bin stack, the auxiliary legs 335 can be extended toward the target bin stack to support the bottom of the target bin stack. Specifically, during bin picking and placing, the device 300 can first extend the auxiliary legs 335 toward the target bin stack so that the auxiliary legs 335 support the bottom of the target bin stack. Then, the first and second end effectors 110, 120 can simultaneously extend toward the target bin stack, respectively gripping the first and target bins in the target bin stack, which are adjacent to each other. It should be noted that the configuration of the auxiliary legs 330 ensures stable bin picking and placing.

[0066] In some embodiments, after the second end effector 120 drives the target container to retract, the pick-and-place device 100 may move downward, so that the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 move downward simultaneously.

[0067] Among them, the first end picker 110 can drive the first material box and all the material boxes located above the first material box to move downward until they are in contact with the material box below the first material box (so that the first material box is placed in the position in the target box stack before the target material box is taken out). Then, the first end picker 110 can be retracted, and then the auxiliary support leg 335 can be retracted.

[0068] Then, the pick-and-place device 100 can continue to move downward, and the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 can move downward synchronously with the pick-and-place device 100. In this way, the second end picker 120 can drive the target container it is holding downward to place the target container on the conveyor belt 220 of the temporary storage device 200. After the second end picker 120 places the target container on the conveyor belt 220 of the temporary storage device 200, the second end picker 120 can release the target container and move upward with the pick-and-place device 100. The conveyor belt 220 can transport the target container to the stacking mechanism 230 at the other end of the chassis (specifically, the lower end of the stacking mechanism 230) so that the stacking operation can be performed by the stacking mechanism 230.

[0069] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a box stacking mechanism 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention stacking boxes to form a new box stack.

[0070] In some embodiments, the stacking mechanism 230 can sequentially stack the target boxes taken out by the second end picker 120 each time. After the number of target boxes taken out by the second end picker 120 reaches a predetermined number, as shown in FIG14 , the stacking mechanism 230 can stack the predetermined number of target boxes taken out by the second end picker 120 to form a new box stack. At this time, the box picking and placing device 300 completes the box picking operation and then performs the outbound operation on the new box stack. When performing the outbound operation on the new box stack, the box picking and placing device 300 can drive the new box stack out of the lane and transport the new box stack to the outbound box receiving area to unload the new box stack.

[0071] Furthermore, when performing outbound operations, the material box picking and placing equipment 300 can drive out of the aisle and transport a predetermined number of target material boxes in the new box stack to the outbound material box receiving area, unload the predetermined number of target material boxes in the new box stack, and then return the material boxes that need to be returned to the warehouse from the return material box.

[0072] After the bin picking and placing device 300 delivers the new stack of boxes to the outbound bin receiving area, the target bin unloading operation can be performed using the methods described in the following embodiments. In the first embodiment, the new stack of boxes can be continuously conveyed toward the end of the chassis 210 by the conveyor belt 220 of the bin picking and placing device 300. After the new stack of boxes is conveyed to the predetermined location, another device (e.g., another bin picking and placing device 300) can be used to unload and remove the entire new stack of boxes from the conveyor belt 220 of the original bin picking and placing device 300. In the second embodiment, the conveyor belt 220 of the bin picking and placing device 300 can be docked with an outbound conveyor belt 351 fixed to the ground, and the new stack of boxes can be directly conveyed to the outbound conveyor belt 351 docked with the conveyor belt 220 for continued transportation via the outbound conveyor belt 351. In a third embodiment, the stacking mechanism 230 and the conveyor belt 220 of the bin picking and placing device 300 can be controlled to operate in reverse order to place each target bin in the new bin stack one by one on the outbound conveyor belt 351 (or the ground) on the ground. Here, by operating the stacking mechanism 230 and the conveyor belt 220 in reverse order, each target bin in the new bin stack can be transported one by one to the bottom of the end picker, and after the end picker grabs the target bins one by one, the target bins are placed on the outbound conveyor belt 351 (or the ground) on the ground. The above-mentioned method of unloading the target bins can achieve more efficient outbound delivery through the coordinated operation of multiple machines, thereby improving the efficiency of bin outbound delivery.

[0073] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1b , the storage area includes a bin storage area, an inbound and outbound transfer area, and may also include a bin picking area and an inventory area (not shown). Corresponding navigation signs may be provided in each of the divided areas of the storage area to assist navigation. The inbound and outbound transfer area includes an outbound conveyor belt 351, an operating table, and a return conveyor belt 352. The operating table may be positioned between the outbound conveyor belt 351 and the return conveyor belt 352. The outbound conveyor belt 351 first transports the target bin to the operating table. Then, the operating table can determine whether the target bin needs to be returned to the warehouse, either mechanically or manually. If so, the return conveyor belt 352 transports the target bin to the return bin, allowing the bin retrieval device 300 to return the target bin to the warehouse. In this way, only a small number of bin retrieval devices 300 are required to efficiently handle the retrieval and inbound and outbound operations for a large number of bins.

[0074] It should be noted that the operation of returning the box to the warehouse is opposite to the operation of unloading the target box, and the reverse operation can be performed using the method in the above embodiment.

[0075] In another application scenario, the material box picking and placing device 300 can perform a box picking operation on a whole stack of material boxes.

[0076] Figure 2 shows another schematic diagram of a storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 5a and 5b respectively show another schematic diagram of a bin retrieval state of the bin retrieval device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The following describes the bin retrieval process for a stack of bins, using Figures 2, 5a, and 5b.

[0077] It should be noted that in another application scenario, when full stacks of containers are retrieved and stored in and out of the warehouse, and there is no sequential requirement for storage, the container stacking arrangement shown in Figure 2 can be used. The container retrieval device 300 can retrieve and place full stacks of containers from the periphery of the storage area. The container stacking arrangement shown in Figure 2 improves space utilization.

[0078] In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 5a and 5b, when the material box picking and placing device 300 is used to perform a box picking operation, the material box picking and placing device 300 can be automatically positioned at the side position of the target box stack so as to perform a box picking operation on the entire target box stack. During the box picking process of the entire target box stack, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 of the material box picking and placing device 300 can move downward with the picking and placing device 100 to the bottom of the target box stack, and the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 can respectively clamp the two adjacent material boxes at the bottom, and then, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 move upward with the picking and placing device 100 to drive the entire target box stack (all material boxes contained in the target box stack) to move upward, and then drive the entire target box stack to retract, and the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 move downward with the picking and placing device 100 and place the target box stack on the conveyor belt 220 so as to perform a warehouse out operation on the entire target box stack.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5 b , after the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 drive the target stack to retract and move downward with the pick-and-place device 100 to place the target stack on the conveyor belt 220, they can move upward with the pick-and-place device 100 to the upper portion of the target stack (near the side area of ​​the top of the target stack) so that the pick-and-place device 100 and its first end effector 110 and second end effector 120 can abut against the upper side of the target stack to support the target stack. In this way, the target stack can be prevented from falling over.

[0080] Then, the target stack can be unloaded. Specifically, the bin retrieval device 300 can drive the target stack out of the lane and transport it to the outbound bin receiving area to unload the target stack. Here, the bin retrieval device 300 can unload the entire target stack using the opposite operation of the above-mentioned unloading operation.

[0081] It can be understood that the above method of retrieving boxes and storing and unloading the entire target box stack is faster and more efficient.

[0082] FIG6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a pick-and-place device 100 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG7 shows a schematic structural diagram of the matching between the pick-and-place device 100 and the portal assembly 150 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Next, the specific structure of the material box picking and placing device 300 provided by the embodiment of the present invention is further introduced.

[0084] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , both sides of the door frame assembly 150 are provided with columns 151 , and vertical guide rails 152 are provided on the columns 151 .

[0085] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 6, the picking and placing device 100 also includes a picking and placing lifting frame 140, which is rollingly connected to the vertical guide rail 152 and can move along the vertical guide rail 152. In this way, a movable connection between the picking and placing device 100 and the gantry assembly 150 is realized, so that the picking and placing device 100 can move in the vertical direction.

[0086] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 are respectively mounted on a pick-and-place lift 140 and spaced apart from each other, and can move vertically with the pick-and-place lift 140. Here, in order to more clearly illustrate the structure of the end effector, only the first end effector 110 is shown in Figure 6.

[0087] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 , the container pick-and-place device 300 further includes a lifting power assembly 311 and a lifting transmission assembly 312. The lifting transmission assembly 312 is mounted on the top of the gantry assembly 150 and is rotatably connected to the two columns 151. Furthermore, the lifting transmission assembly 312 is connected to the pick-and-place lifting frame 140 of the pick-and-place device 100 via a lifting belt 313.

[0088] The lifting power assembly 311 is mounted on top of the gantry assembly 150 and connected to the lifting transmission assembly 312. The lifting power assembly 311 drives the lifting transmission assembly 312 to rotate, thereby driving the pick-and-place device 100 in vertical motion via the lifting belt 313. Simultaneously, the pick-and-place lift 140 of the pick-and-place device 100 moves synchronously along the vertical guide rail 152. The cooperation between the pick-and-place lift 140 and the vertical guide rail 152 guides the vertical motion of the pick-and-place device 100 along the column 151.

[0089] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pick-and-place lift 140 includes a vertically arranged first frame 141 and a horizontally arranged second frame 142. The first frame 141 is in rolling connection with a vertical guide rail 152, and the second frame 142 is formed by the first frame 141 extending in a first horizontal direction away from the gantry assembly 150.

[0090] The first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 are symmetrically mounted on the upper and lower sides of the second frame 142, and the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 can be extended or retracted along a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. Here, the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0091] It should be noted that the second end effector 120 has the same structure as the first end effector 110 and is symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the second frame 142. In the embodiment of the present invention, only the structure of the first end effector 110 is described in detail. The structure of the second end effector 120 can refer to the structure of the first end effector 110 described in the embodiment of the present invention, and will not be repeated here.

[0092] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the first end effector 110 includes two spaced-apart telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115 and two clamping mechanisms, wherein the two clamping mechanisms are respectively connected to the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115. The two telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115 can be extended or retracted along the second horizontal direction so as to clamp a material box (e.g., the first material box described above) through the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115.

[0093] The clamping mechanism includes a clamping power assembly 111 and a clamping transmission assembly 112. The two clamping power assemblies 111 can drive the two clamping transmission assemblies 112 to respectively drive the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115 to move relatively close to or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms 115 clamp or release the material box.

[0094] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , a first horizontal linear guide rail 143 is provided at each end of the upper side of the second frame 142. It should be noted that the upper and lower sides of the second frame 142 are symmetrical structures. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present invention, only the upper side structure of the second frame 142 is described. The lower side structure of the second frame 142 can refer to the upper side structure of the second frame 142.

[0095] Both ends of the telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 are slidably connected to corresponding horizontal linear guide rails 143 through telescopic sliders 116 .

[0096] The two clamping transmission assemblies 112 are respectively connected to the corresponding telescopic sliders 116. The two clamping transmission assemblies 112 can drive the corresponding telescopic sliders 116 to slide along the horizontal linear guide rail 143 under the power of the corresponding clamping power assembly 111, so that the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms 115 can move relatively close to or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction.

[0097] FIG8 shows a schematic structural diagram of a telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , the telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 includes: a fixing component 1151 , an intermediate component 1152 , a box-clamping component 1153 , a telescopic transmission component 1154 , and a telescopic power component 1155 .

[0099] The fixing assembly 1151 is installed on the telescopic slider 116 .

[0100] The intermediate assembly 1152 is installed on the fixed assembly 1151 , and the intermediate assembly 1152 includes a pulley assembly 1158 and a first chain tooth plate 1157 .

[0101] The clamping box assembly 1153 is connected to the intermediate assembly 1152 via a pulley assembly 1158. Here, the pulley assembly 1158 may include a plurality of roller sets.

[0102] The telescopic transmission assembly 1154 is connected to the first chain tooth plate 1157 of the intermediate assembly 1152.

[0103] The telescopic power component 1155 is installed on the fixed component 1151 and connected to the telescopic transmission component 1154. It can drive the telescopic transmission component 1154 to drive the intermediate component 1152 through the first chain tooth plate 1157 to perform a first telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction relative to the fixed component 1151. At the same time, the intermediate component 1152 drives the clamping box component 1153 to perform a second telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction through the pulley component 1158, so that the clamping box component 1153 extends and clamps the material box or retracts.

[0104] In some embodiments, the speed of the second telescopic motion of the clamping assembly 1153 is twice the speed of the first telescopic motion of the fixing assembly 1151. Accordingly, the telescopic distance of the second telescopic motion of the clamping assembly 1153 is twice the telescopic distance of the first telescopic motion of the fixing assembly 1151.

[0105] It should be noted that the size and structure of each material box are the same. In the initial state, the distance between the two clamping box components 1153 is greater than the size of the material box.

[0106] In some embodiments, after the box clamping assembly 1153 is extended to a predetermined position, the clamping power assembly 111 can drive the clamping transmission assembly 112 to drive the two telescopic box taking mechanisms 115 to move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two box clamping assemblies 1153 of the two telescopic box taking mechanisms 115 clamp the material box.

[0107] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , the box clamping assembly 1153 includes a box clamping support 1156. When the two telescopic box-retrieving mechanisms 115 move toward each other in a first horizontal direction, the box clamping support 1156 of the two box clamping assemblies 1153 can extend into the steps on the side of the material box to support and lift the material box. Here, the first and second end effectors can lift the material box as they move upward with the pick-and-place lift 140.

[0108] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 6 , guide wheel assemblies 1415 are mounted at each of the four corners of the first frame 141 of the pick-and-place lift 140. These four guide wheel assemblies 1415 are in rolling connection with the vertical guide rail 152. The guide wheel assemblies 1415 include front guide wheels and side guide wheels. Thus, the four guide wheel assemblies 1415 cooperate with the vertical guide rail 152 to guide the vertical movement of the pick-and-place device 100 along the column 151.

[0109] In some embodiments, the container picking and placing device 300 further includes an auxiliary support assembly 330 and a connecting rod assembly 340 .

[0110] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the auxiliary support assembly 330 and the connecting rod assembly 340 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 10 and 11 respectively show schematic diagrams of the structure of an auxiliary support assembly 330 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0111] 9 , the auxiliary support assembly 330 and the connecting rod assembly 340 may be mounted on the chassis 210 , wherein the auxiliary support assembly 330 may be mounted below the bottom plate 211 , and the connecting rod assembly 340 may be mounted above the bottom plate 211 .

[0112] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the auxiliary support assembly 330 includes: a horizontally arranged auxiliary lifting plate 331, two guide support rods 333, two auxiliary legs 335 arranged at intervals, an auxiliary power assembly 336, and an auxiliary transmission assembly 337.

[0113] The two guide support rods 333 are respectively arranged on both sides of the lower end of the auxiliary lifting plate 331 .

[0114] The two auxiliary legs 335 are respectively mounted on the two guide support rods 333 and can perform telescopic movement along the corresponding guide support rods 333 .

[0115] The auxiliary transmission assembly 337 can be installed on the auxiliary lifting plate 331 and is in transmission connection with the auxiliary supporting legs 335 .

[0116] The auxiliary power assembly 336 is installed on the auxiliary lifting plate 331. The auxiliary power assembly 336 can drive the auxiliary transmission assembly 337 to drive the auxiliary support leg 335 to move telescopically along the corresponding guide support rod 333, so that the auxiliary support leg 335 extends toward the side of the target box stack and is supported at the bottom of the target box stack, or the auxiliary support leg 335 is retracted.

[0117] In some embodiments, the auxiliary leg 335 is equipped with a second chain tooth plate 3354 and multiple auxiliary rollers 3352. The auxiliary rollers 3352 cooperate with the guide support rod 333 and allow the auxiliary leg to telescopically move along the guide support rod 333. The guide support rod 333 provides both guidance and support. The second chain tooth plate 3354 is in transmission connection with the auxiliary transmission assembly 337.

[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 9, the connecting rod assembly 340 is installed on the chassis 210, and the connecting rod assembly 340 is connected to the auxiliary lifting plate 331. It can drive the auxiliary lifting plate 331 and the auxiliary support assembly 330 (relative to the bottom plate 211 of the chassis 210) to move vertically (lift and lower) under the power of the connecting rod power assembly 341.

[0119] When the auxiliary legs 335 extend toward one side of the target box stack, the connecting rod assembly 340 can drive the auxiliary support assembly 330 to move vertically downward until the auxiliary legs 335 touch the ground and support the bottom of the target box stack.

[0120] In addition, after the auxiliary legs 335 stabilize the bottom support of the target box stack, the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 can be extended to perform the box picking and placing operation. After the box picking and placing operation is completed, the connecting rod assembly 340 drives the auxiliary support assembly 330 to move vertically upward and retract the auxiliary legs 335.

[0121] FIG. 12 shows a schematic structural diagram of a connecting rod assembly 340 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0122] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 9 and 12 , a plurality of guide sleeves 213 are vertically mounted on the bottom plate 211 of the chassis 210. A plurality of auxiliary guide posts 334 are vertically mounted above the auxiliary lifting plate 331. The plurality of auxiliary guide posts 334 are coaxially coupled with the plurality of guide sleeves 213 to guide the vertical movement of the auxiliary lifting plate 331 and the auxiliary support assembly 330.

[0123] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG12 , the connecting rod assembly 340 includes a connecting rod power assembly 341, a transmission shaft, a synchronous connecting rod 343, and multiple crank connecting rod assemblies 345. The connecting rod power assembly 341 can drive the multiple crank connecting rod assemblies 345 through the transmission shaft and the synchronous connecting rod 343, thereby driving the auxiliary lifting plate 331 and the auxiliary support assembly 330 to move vertically.

[0124] FIG13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a box stacking mechanism 230 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0125] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13 , the stacker mechanism 230 includes: a stacker support frame 231 , a stacker lifting frame 232 , a stacker transmission assembly 233 , and a stacker power assembly 234 .

[0126] The stacker support frame 231 is vertically arranged on one side of the portal assembly 150 .

[0127] The stacker lift 232 is mounted on the stacker support frame 231 and is slidably connected to the stacker support frame 231, allowing it to slide vertically relative to the stacker support frame 231. Stacker pallets 2325 are provided on either side of the stacker lift 232. The two stacker pallets 2325 can move closer together to extend into the steps on the side of the material box to support the material box, and can also move away from each other to release the material box.

[0128] The stacker transmission assembly 233 is installed on the top of the stacker support frame 231 and is connected to the stacker lifting frame 232 through the stacker lifting belt 235.

[0129] The stack box power assembly 234 is installed on the top of the stack box support frame 231, and the stack box power assembly 234 is connected to the stack box transmission assembly 233, which can drive the stack box transmission assembly 233 to rotate, so that the stack box transmission assembly 233 drives the stack box lifting frame 232 to perform reciprocating lifting motion through the stack box lifting belt 235.

[0130] The conveyor belt 220 can convey the target container to the lower end of the stacking mechanism 230, and the stacking frame 232 of the stacking mechanism 230 can slide downward relative to the stacking frame 231. When the stacking frame 232 descends to the target container on the conveyor belt 220, the two stacking frame support plates 2325 can move closer to each other so as to extend into the steps on the side of the target container to support the target container; when the stacking frame 232 rises, the target container can be lifted and stacked with the support of the two stacking frame support plates 2325.

[0131] Then, the conveyor belt 220 can transport the next target material box to the stacking mechanism 230 (lower end) so that the next target material box is lifted and stacked by the stacking mechanism 230. This cycle repeats until a predetermined number of target material boxes are lifted and stacked to form a new box stack.

[0132] FIG15 shows a schematic structural diagram of a chassis 210 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0133] As shown in Figure 15, chassis 210 includes a base plate 211, drive wheels 212, universal wheels 213, a sweeping dock 214, a safety sensor 215, an emergency stop button 216, and a charging port 217. It may also include electrical components (not shown) such as batteries, control systems, and drive boards. Two sets of drive wheels 212, each powered by power, are located on the left and right sides of base plate 211. Four universal wheels are located at the four corners of base plate 211, and the sweeping dock is located in the center. The remaining components can be arranged as needed. When the two sets of drive wheels 212 rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, the bin handling device 300 moves forward or backward. When the two sets of drive wheels rotate in opposite directions and at the same speed, the bin handling device 300 rotates in place about its own center. When the two sets of drive wheels rotate at different speeds, the bin handling device 300 can move forward in an arc or rotate forward or backward, exhibiting different motion characteristics. The scanner 214 can be used in conjunction with the code posted on the ground to determine the position and angle of the container pick-up and placement device 300. The safety sensor 215 is used to prevent the container pick-up and placement device 300 from colliding with other objects or people.

[0134] In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, the material box picking and placing equipment 300 can perform picking and placing operations on the material boxes in the box stack, which includes multiple stacked material boxes. The material box picking and placing equipment 300 includes a gantry assembly 150, a picking and placing device 100, and a temporary storage device 200.

[0135] The gantry assembly 150 is arranged in a vertical direction. The gantry assembly 150 includes a column 151 , and a vertical guide rail 152 is provided on the column 151 .

[0136] The temporary storage device 200 includes a chassis 210, a conveyor belt 220 mounted on the chassis 210, and a stacking mechanism 230. The stacking mechanism 230 is mounted on the chassis 210 and located above the conveyor belt 220. The stacking mechanism 230 and the pick-and-place device 100 are respectively mounted on opposite sides of the gantry assembly 150.

[0137] The pick-and-place device 100 is mounted on one side of the gantry assembly 150. The pick-and-place device 100 may include a pick-and-place lifting frame 140, a first end effector 110, and a second end effector 120. The pick-and-place device 100 and the temporary storage device 200 are mounted on opposite sides of the gantry assembly 150, respectively.

[0138] The pick-and-place lifting frame 140 is in rolling connection with the vertical guide rail 152 and can move along the vertical guide rail 152 so that the pick-and-place device 100 moves in the vertical direction.

[0139] The first and second end effectors 110, 120 are respectively mounted on a pick-and-place lift 140 and spaced apart from each other. The first and second end effectors 110, 120 can move vertically with the pick-and-place lift 140 and can extend or retract horizontally to remove a target container from a target container stack. Furthermore, the target container can be placed on a conveyor belt 220 for transport to a container stacking mechanism 230 for stacking.

[0140] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first end picker 110 and the second end picker 120 can move vertically with the pick-and-place lifting frame 140 to the position of the target material box of the target box stack, and can simultaneously extend to one side of the target box stack so as to respectively clamp the first material box and the target material box adjacent to each other in the target box stack, and then move upward with the pick-and-place lifting frame 140 to lift the first material box and the target material box and all the material boxes located above the first material box upward. Afterwards, the second end picker 120 can drive the target material box to retract to take out the target material box. Subsequently, the second end picker 120 can also place the target material box on the conveyor belt 220 so that the target material box can be transported to the stacking mechanism 230 for stacking via the conveyor belt 220.

[0141] It should be noted that the second end effector 120 has the same structure as the first end effector 110 and is symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the pick-and-place lift 140. In this embodiment of the present invention, only the structure of the first end effector 110 is described in detail. The structure of the second end effector 120 can refer to the structure of the first end effector 110 described in the embodiment of the present invention, and will not be repeated here.

[0142] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first end tool 110 includes two telescopic box-picking mechanisms 115 arranged at intervals. The two telescopic box-picking mechanisms 115 can be extended or retracted along the second horizontal direction so as to clamp the material box (the first material box) through the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms 115.

[0143] In some embodiments, the first end effector 110 further includes two clamping mechanisms, each of which is connected to two telescopic bin-removing mechanisms 115. The clamping mechanisms include a clamping power assembly 111 and a clamping transmission assembly 112. The two clamping power assemblies 111 can drive the two clamping transmission assemblies 112 to respectively drive the two telescopic bin-removing mechanisms 115 to move relatively closer to or farther from each other along a first horizontal direction perpendicular to the second horizontal direction, so that the two telescopic bin-removing mechanisms 115 can clamp or release the bin.

[0144] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7 , the container pick-and-place device 300 further includes a lifting power assembly 311 and a lifting transmission assembly 312. The lifting transmission assembly 312 is mounted on the top of the gantry assembly 150 and is rotatably connected to the two columns 151. Furthermore, the lifting transmission assembly 312 is connected to the pick-and-place lifting frame 140 of the pick-and-place device 100 via a lifting belt 313.

[0145] The lifting power assembly 311 is mounted on top of the gantry assembly 150 and connected to the lifting transmission assembly 312. The lifting power assembly 311 drives the lifting transmission assembly 312 to rotate, thereby driving the pick-and-place device 100 in vertical motion via the lifting belt 313. Simultaneously, the pick-and-place lift 140 of the pick-and-place device 100 moves synchronously along the vertical guide rail 152. The cooperation between the pick-and-place lift 140 and the vertical guide rail 152 guides the vertical motion of the pick-and-place device 100 along the column 151.

[0146] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the pick-and-place lift 140 includes a vertically arranged first frame 141 and a horizontally arranged second frame 142. The first frame 141 is in rolling connection with a vertical guide rail 152, and the second frame 142 is formed by the first frame 141 extending in a first horizontal direction away from the gantry assembly 150.

[0147] The first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 are symmetrically mounted on the upper and lower sides of the second frame 142, and the first end effector 110 and the second end effector 120 can be extended or retracted along a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. Here, the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0148] 6 , a first horizontal linear guide rail 143 is provided at each end of the upper side of the second frame 142. It should be noted that the upper and lower sides of the second frame 142 are symmetrical structures.

[0149] Both ends of the telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 are slidably connected to corresponding horizontal linear guide rails 143 through telescopic sliders 116 .

[0150] The two clamping transmission assemblies 112 are respectively connected to the corresponding telescopic sliders 116. The two clamping transmission assemblies 112 can drive the corresponding telescopic sliders 116 to slide along the horizontal linear guide rail 143 under the power of the corresponding clamping power assembly 111, so that the two telescopic box-picking mechanisms 115 can move relatively close to or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction.

[0151] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , the telescopic box-taking mechanism 115 includes: a fixing component 1151 , an intermediate component 1152 , a box-clamping component 1153 , a telescopic transmission component 1154 , and a telescopic power component 1155 .

[0152] The fixing assembly 1151 can be installed on the telescopic slider 116 .

[0153] The intermediate assembly 1152 is installed on the fixed assembly 1151 , and the intermediate assembly 1152 includes a pulley assembly 1158 and a first chain tooth plate 1157 .

[0154] The clamping box assembly 1153 is connected to the intermediate assembly 1152 via a pulley assembly 1158. Here, the pulley assembly 1158 may include a plurality of roller sets.

[0155] The telescopic transmission assembly 1154 is connected to the first chain tooth plate 1157 of the intermediate assembly 1152.

[0156] The telescopic power component 1155 is installed on the fixed component 1151 and connected to the telescopic transmission component 1154. It can drive the telescopic transmission component 1154 to drive the intermediate component 1152 through the first chain tooth plate 1157 to perform a first telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction relative to the fixed component 1151. At the same time, the intermediate component 1152 drives the clamping box component 1153 to perform a second telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction through the pulley component 1158, so that the clamping box component 1153 extends and clamps the material box or retracts.

[0157] In some embodiments, the speed of the second telescopic motion of the clamping assembly 1153 is twice the speed of the first telescopic motion of the fixing assembly 1151. Accordingly, the telescopic distance of the second telescopic motion of the clamping assembly 1153 is twice the telescopic distance of the first telescopic motion of the fixing assembly 1151.

[0158] It should be noted that the size and structure of each material box are the same. In the initial state, the distance between the two clamping box components 1153 is greater than the size of the material box.

[0159] In some embodiments, after the box clamping assembly 1153 is extended to a predetermined position, the clamping power assembly 111 can drive the clamping transmission assembly 112 to drive the two telescopic box taking mechanisms 115 to move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two box clamping assemblies 1153 of the two telescopic box taking mechanisms 115 clamp the material box.

[0160] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8 , the box clamping assembly 1153 includes a box clamping support 1156. When the two telescopic box-retrieving mechanisms 115 move toward each other in a first horizontal direction, the box clamping support 1156 of the two box clamping assemblies 1153 can extend into the steps on the side of the material box to support and lift the material box. Here, the first and second end effectors can lift the material box as they move upward with the pick-and-place lift 140.

[0161] In the above embodiments, each power assembly (the lifting power assembly, the clamping power assembly, the telescopic power assembly, the auxiliary power assembly, the connecting rod power assembly, and the stacking box power assembly) may include a drive motor to provide power. The drive motor may be any conventional drive motor. It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the specific structure of each power assembly, as long as each power assembly can connect to the corresponding transmission assembly and drive the transmission assembly to move.

[0162] The material box picking and placing equipment provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a storage area and one or more material box picking and placing devices. Multiple rows of box stacks can be directly stacked on the floor of the storage area, with lanes arranged between adjacent rows of box stacks. Each material box picking and placing device is capable of navigating the lanes between adjacent rows of box stacks in the storage area to perform picking and placing operations on target material boxes. The material box picking and placing equipment includes a temporary storage device and a picking and placing device mounted on opposite sides of a gantry assembly. A conveyor belt and a box stacking mechanism mounted vertically above the conveyor belt are mounted on the chassis of the temporary storage device. The picking and placing device can move vertically, and a first end picker and a second end picker of the picking and placing device can extend or retract horizontally. During the bin retrieval process, the first and second end pickers simultaneously extend toward one side of the target bin stack, respectively gripping the first and target bins adjacent to each other in the target bin stack. They then move upward with the pick-and-place device, lifting the first and target bins, as well as all bins located above the first bin, upward. The second end picker then retracts the target bin to retrieve the target bin and place it on a conveyor belt, which then transports it to the stacking mechanism for stacking. Thus, according to the technical solution of the present invention, bins are stacked directly in the storage area without the need for shelves. The bin retrieval device can travel in the lane between the two rows of bin stacks to retrieve and place any bin. This eliminates the need for shelves, significantly reducing the cost and malfunction rate of the entire storage system. Furthermore, the use of upper and lower end pickers for bin retrieval allows for simultaneous access to a single bin and multiple bins above it, making the operation flexible and quick. Furthermore, the stacking mechanism automatically stacks the retrieved bins, facilitating subsequent unloading and unloading operations.

[0163] In addition, during the outbound unloading operation, the efficiency of the material box outbound can be improved through the coordinated operation of multiple machines.

[0164] Throughout this specification, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, terms such as "connected" and "fixed" should be understood in a broad sense. Furthermore, terms such as "front," "back," "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "top," and "bottom" indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on those shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the device or unit referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific position. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0165] It should be understood that in order to streamline the disclosure and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof.

[0166] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal numbers "first," "second," "third," etc. to describe common objects merely indicates that different instances of similar objects are involved and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must have a given order in time, space, ranking, or in any other manner.

Claims

1. A storage system, comprising: A storage area, wherein multiple rows of box stacks are stacked on the ground of the storage area, and a lane is arranged between two adjacent rows of box stacks, each row of box stacks includes multiple box stacks, and each box stack includes multiple stacked material boxes; One or more bin access devices are adapted to travel in the lane between two adjacent rows of bin stacks to perform access operations on target bins, the bin access devices comprising: The gantry assembly is arranged in a vertical direction; The temporary storage device comprises a chassis, a conveyor belt mounted on the chassis, and a box stacking mechanism, wherein the box stacking mechanism is mounted on the chassis and located above the conveyor belt; A pick-and-place device, the pick-and-place device and the stacking mechanism are respectively installed on opposite sides of the gantry assembly, suitable for moving in the vertical direction, including a first end picker and a second end picker arranged in an upper and lower interval, the first end picker and the second end picker are suitable for extending or retracting in the horizontal direction; Wherein, during the box retrieval process, the material box storage and retrieval equipment is suitable for moving to the side of the target box stack, and the first end picker and the second end picker are suitable for extending to one side of the target box stack at the same time, respectively clamping the first material box and the target material box adjacent to each other in the target box stack, and moving upward with the picking and placing device to lift the first material box and the target material box and all the material boxes located above the first material box upward, and then the second end picker is suitable for driving the target material box to retract to take out the target material box and place the target material box on the conveyor belt, so as to transport the target material box to the stacking mechanism through the conveyor belt for stacking and storage.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein: The material box picking and placing equipment also includes: An auxiliary support assembly, mounted on the chassis, comprising auxiliary legs; Wherein, before the first end effector and the second end effector are simultaneously extended toward one side of the target box stack, the auxiliary support leg is adapted to be extended toward one side of the target box stack so as to be supported at the bottom of the target box stack.

3. The storage system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: After the second end picker drives the target material box to retract, the pick-and-place device is adapted to move downward so that the first end picker and the second end picker move downward simultaneously; The first end picker is suitable for driving the first material box and all material boxes located above the first material box to move downward until they are in contact with the material box below the first material box, and then the first end picker retracts; The pick-and-place device is suitable for continuing to move downward, so as to drive the target material box to move downward through the second end picker and place it on the conveyor belt.

4. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The box stacking mechanism is suitable for stacking the target boxes taken out by the second end picker in sequence each time, until a predetermined number of the taken out target boxes are stacked to form a new box stack, so as to perform a warehouse out operation on the new box stack.

5. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first end picker and the second end picker are also suitable for: moving downward with the pick-and-place device to the bottom of the target box stack, respectively clamping the two adjacent material boxes at the bottom, and moving upward with the pick-and-place device to drive the target box stack to move upward, then drive the target box stack to retract, and place the target box stack on the conveyor belt so as to perform the outbound operation on the target box stack.

6. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein: The first end picker and the second end picker are further adapted to: drive the target box stack to retract, move downward with the pick-and-place device to place the target box stack on the conveyor belt, and then move upward with the pick-and-place device to resist the upper side of the target box stack.

7. The storage system according to claim 4, wherein: The material box picking and placing equipment is suitable for driving the new box stack out of the lane and transporting the new box stack to the outbound material box receiving place, unloading The new box stack is described below.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: After the new box stack is transported to the outbound material box receiving point, the material box picking and placing equipment is suitable for: transporting the new box stack to the outbound conveyor belt that is docked with the conveyor belt, or, through the box stacking mechanism and the conveyor belt, performing reverse operation to place each target material box in the new box stack one by one on the outbound conveyor belt, so as to continue to be transported by the outbound conveyor belt.

9. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein: After the new box stack is transported to the outbound container receiving station, the new box stack is unloaded by another container picking and placing device.

10. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: There is a predetermined gap between two adjacent box stacks in each row of box stacks to allow the first end tool and the second end tool to perform a clamping operation.

11. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The storage area includes a material box storage area and an in-and-out warehouse interface area. The in-and-out warehouse interface area includes an out-of-warehouse conveyor belt, an operating table, and a return conveyor belt. The operating table is arranged between the out-of-warehouse conveyor belt and the return conveyor belt.

12. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The two sides of the door frame assembly are respectively provided with columns, and the columns are provided with vertical guide rails; The pick-and-place device also includes: A pick-and-place lifting frame, which is rollingly connected to the vertical guide rail and is suitable for moving along the vertical guide rail so that the pick-and-place device moves in the vertical direction; The first end picker and the second end picker are respectively mounted on the pick-and-place lifting frame and are arranged with an interval up and down, and are suitable for vertical movement with the pick-and-place lifting frame.

13. The storage system according to claim 12, wherein: The material box picking and placing equipment also includes: A lifting transmission assembly is installed on the top of the gantry assembly, is rotatably connected to the two columns, and is connected to the pick-and-place lifting frame of the pick-and-place device through a lifting belt; The lifting power assembly is installed on the top of the gantry assembly and connected to the lifting transmission assembly, and is suitable for driving the lifting transmission assembly to rotate so that the lifting transmission assembly drives the picking and placing device to move in the vertical direction through the lifting belt.

14. The storage system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The pick-and-place lifting frame comprises: A first frame arranged vertically, wherein the first frame is rollingly connected to the vertical guide rail; a second frame, the second frame being formed by extending the first frame in a first horizontal direction away from the door frame assembly; The first end tool and the second end tool are symmetrically mounted on upper and lower sides of the second frame, and are suitable for extending or retracting along a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction.

15. The storage system according to claim 14, wherein: The second end tool has the same structure as the first end tool and is symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the second frame; the first end tool comprises: Two telescopic box-taking mechanisms arranged at intervals are suitable for extending or retracting along a second horizontal direction so as to clamp the material box by the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms; The two clamping mechanisms are respectively connected to the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms, and the clamping mechanisms include a clamping power assembly and a clamping transmission assembly. The two clamping power assemblies are suitable for driving the two clamping transmission assemblies to respectively drive the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms to move relatively close to or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms clamp or release the material box.

16. The storage system according to claim 15, wherein: Both ends of the upper side of the second frame are respectively provided with horizontal linear guide rails in the first horizontal direction; The two ends of the telescopic box-taking mechanism are respectively slidably connected to the corresponding horizontal linear guide rails through telescopic sliders; The two clamping transmission assemblies are respectively connected to the corresponding telescopic sliders, and are suitable for driving the corresponding clamping power assembly under the power of the corresponding clamping power assembly. The telescopic slide block slides along the horizontal linear guide rail so that the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms move relatively close to each other or relatively away from each other along the first horizontal direction.

17. The storage system according to claim 16, wherein: The telescopic box-taking mechanism comprises: A fixing component, mounted on the telescopic slider; An intermediate component is installed on the fixed component, and the intermediate component has a pulley component and a first chain tooth plate; A clamping box assembly connected to the intermediate assembly via the pulley assembly; A telescopic transmission assembly connected to the first chain tooth plate of the intermediate assembly; A telescopic power assembly is installed on the fixed assembly and connected to the telescopic transmission assembly, and is suitable for driving the telescopic transmission assembly to drive the intermediate assembly through the first chain tooth plate to perform a first telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction relative to the fixed assembly. At the same time, the intermediate assembly drives the box clamping assembly to perform a second telescopic movement along the second horizontal direction through the pulley assembly, so that the box clamping assembly can extend and clamp the material box or retract.

18. The storage system according to claim 17, wherein: The movement speed of the second telescopic movement of the clamping box assembly is twice the movement speed of the first telescopic movement of the fixing assembly.

19. The storage system according to claim 17 or 18, wherein: After the box clamping assembly is extended to a predetermined position, the clamping power assembly is suitable for driving the clamping transmission assembly to drive the two telescopic box taking mechanisms to move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, so that the two box clamping assemblies of the two telescopic box taking mechanisms clamp the material box.

20. The storage system according to claim 19, wherein: The box clamping assembly is provided with a box clamping support plate; When the two telescopic box-taking mechanisms move relatively close to each other along the first horizontal direction, the box-clamping support plates of the two box-clamping assemblies are adapted to extend into the steps on the side of the material box so as to support and lift the material box.

21. The storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein: The stacking mechanism comprises: A stacking box support frame is arranged on one side of the portal assembly in a vertical direction; A stacker lifting frame is mounted on the stacker support frame and is slidably connected to the stacker support frame, and is suitable for vertically sliding relative to the stacker support frame. Stacker pallets are respectively provided on both sides of the stacker lifting frame, wherein the two stacker pallets are suitable for relatively close movement so as to extend into the steps on the side of the material box to support the material box, and are suitable for relatively moving away so as to release the material box; A stacker transmission assembly is installed on the top of the stacker support frame and connected to the stacker lifting frame through a stacker lifting belt; A stacker power assembly is installed on the top of the stacker support frame, connected to the stacker transmission assembly, and is suitable for driving the stacker transmission assembly to rotate, so that the stacker transmission assembly drives the stacker lifting frame to perform reciprocating lifting motion through the stacker lifting belt; Among them, when the stacker lifting frame descends to the target material box on the conveyor belt, the two stacker pallets are suitable for moving relatively close to each other so as to extend into the steps on the side of the target material box to support the target material box; when the stacker lifting frame moves upward, the target material box is lifted and stacked.

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