Sorting system and sorting method

Abstract

A sorting system and a sorting method. The sorting system comprises a sorting apparatus, a first robot and a second robot. The sorting apparatus comprises a sorting mechanism, storage warehouse racks and a docking warehouse rack, wherein the storage warehouse racks are arranged in two rows, and comprise a plurality of storage layers; each storage layer comprises a plurality of material bin compartments; each material bin compartment is configured to store a material bin to be loaded; the docking warehouse rack is arranged adjacent to the storage warehouse racks, and is configured to temporarily store fully loaded material bins or empty material bins awaiting replenishment; and the sorting mechanism is arranged between the two rows of storage warehouse racks, and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transfer said goods into the material bins on the storage warehouse racks. The first robot is configured to pick and place the fully loaded material bins or the empty material bins between the storage warehouse racks and the docking warehouse rack. The second robot is configured to pick and place the fully loaded material bins or the empty material bins between the docking warehouse rack and a material bin transfer station. Applying the embodiments of the present application can realize automatic replacement of the material bins of the sorting system, thereby improving the sorting efficiency and the space utilization rate of the sorting system.

Description

Sorting system and sorting method

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent applications filed with the Patent Office of China on June 21, 2024, with application number 202410814791.5, with the invention title “A sorting system and sorting method”, application number 202421441602.6, with the utility model title “A sorting system”, application number 202410815047.7, with the invention title “A sorting system and sorting method”, and application number 202421441644.X, with the utility model title “A sorting system”, and the Chinese patent application filed with the Patent Office of China on December 6, 2024, with application number 202423019927.8, with the utility model title “A sorting system”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of logistics and warehousing technology, and in particular to a sorting system and a sorting method. Background Art

[0003] With the continuous improvement of intelligent logistics and warehousing technology, processes such as packaging and handling can be completed by intelligent robots. However, the sorting process still requires human participation. For example, during the sorting process, workers need to remove full material boxes from the shelves of the sorting equipment to the next link, and also need to replenish empty material boxes in the vacant positions, which reduces sorting efficiency.

[0004] At present, relevant technologies are mainly focused on the research of sorting equipment to improve sorting efficiency. However, after the sorting equipment has loaded the goods to be sorted into the filling box, the box still needs to be replaced manually, which limits the sorting efficiency. In addition, the height of the sorting equipment shelves is limited by the height of the staff, resulting in low space utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a sorting system and a sorting method to achieve automatic replacement of bins, thereby improving sorting efficiency and space utilization. The specific technical solutions are as follows:

[0006] An embodiment of the present application proposes a sorting system, comprising: a sorting device, a first robot and a second robot; the sorting device comprises: a sorting mechanism, a storage shelf and a docking shelf; the storage shelf is arranged in two rows, comprising a plurality of storage layers; each of the storage layers comprises a plurality of bin openings, each bin opening being used to store a bin to be loaded; the docking shelf is arranged adjacent to the storage shelf, and is used to temporarily store full bins or empty bins to be replenished; the sorting mechanism is arranged between the two rows of storage shelves, and is configured to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the bins of the storage shelves; the first robot is configured to pick up and place full bins or empty bins between the storage shelves and the docking shelf; the second robot is configured to pick up and place full bins or empty bins between the docking shelf and the bin transfer station.

[0007] An embodiment of the present application also provides a sorting method, using a control device, which is communicatively connected to a sorting mechanism, a first robot, and a second robot of the sorting device in the aforementioned sorting system; the method includes: instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted, and transporting the goods to be sorted to an unfilled bin on a storage shelf; when there is a full bin on the storage shelf, instructing the first robot to move the full bin on the storage shelf to a docking shelf, wherein the full bin is a bin that is filled with goods or in which all goods on a bound order have been sorted; instructing the second robot to move the full bin on the docking shelf to a bin transfer station; when at least one bin opening on the storage shelf is vacant, instructing the second robot to move an empty bin from the bin transfer station to the docking shelf; and instructing the first robot to move an empty bin from the docking shelf to an vacant bin opening on the storage shelf.

[0008] The sorting system and method provided in the embodiments of the present application utilize a first robot to retrieve and place bins between storage racks and docking racks, while a second robot retrieves and places bins between the docking racks and a bin transfer station. This enables automated bin replacement within the sorting system, improving both sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the replacement of bins by the first robot, instead of manual bin replacement, allows the height of the storage racks to exceed the height restrictions imposed by staff, expands the number of bin slots that can be configured on the storage racks, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0009] An embodiment of the present application also provides a sorting system, including: a sorting mechanism, shelves, a handling robot and a material box connecting conveyor line; the shelves are arranged in two rows, including a plurality of storage layers arranged at intervals along the vertical direction; each of the storage layers includes a plurality of material box openings, and each material box opening is used to store a material box to be loaded; the sorting mechanism is arranged between the two rows of shelves, configured to receive the goods to be sorted, and transport the goods to be sorted to the material boxes of the shelves; the material box connecting conveyor line is arranged adjacent to the shelves, and is configured to transport empty material boxes toward the shelves, or transport full material boxes in a direction away from the shelves; the handling robot is configured to pick up and place full material boxes or empty material boxes between the shelves and the material box connecting conveyor line.

[0010] An embodiment of the present application also provides a sorting method, using a control device, which is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism, the handling robot and the bin connecting conveyor line in the aforementioned sorting system; the method includes: instructing the bin connecting conveyor line to start, so that the bin connecting conveyor line can convey empty bins toward the shelf, and convey full bins away from the shelf; instructing the sorting mechanism to receive goods to be sorted, and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfull bins on the shelf; when there are full bins on the shelf, instructing the handling robot to move the full bins on the shelf to the bin connecting conveyor line; when at least one bin opening on the shelf is vacant, instructing the handling robot to move the empty bins on the bin connecting conveyor line to the vacant bin opening on the shelf.

[0011] An embodiment of the present application further provides a control device, including: a memory for storing a computer program; and a processor for implementing the sorting method described in any of the above embodiments when executing the program stored in the memory.

[0012] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the sorting method described in any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0013] The sorting system and sorting method provided in the embodiments of the present application realize the automatic replacement of the bins of the sorting system by means of a transport robot that picks and places bins between the shelf and the bin connection conveyor line. This improves the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared to the manual bin replacement method. In addition, the replacement of bins by the transport robot instead of by the human operator can make the height of the shelf exceed the height limit of the staff, expand the number of bin openings that can be configured on the shelf, and improve the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the bin connection conveyor line can transport empty bins toward the shelf or transport full bins away from the shelf, realizing the automatic transmission of empty and full bins, further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0014] The embodiment of the present application also provides a sorting system, comprising: at least two sorting devices, a box-changing robot and a box-transporting device; the at least two sorting devices are arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and a box-changing robot channel is formed between two parallel and adjacent sorting devices; each of the sorting devices can sort the received goods to be sorted into respective boxes; the at least two sorting devices are provided with a storage area for storing boxes and a docking area for docking with the box-transporting device; the box-transporting device is used to transport empty boxes to the docking area of ​​the sorting device, or to transport full boxes located in the docking area of ​​the sorting device to the outside of the sorting device; the box-changing robot is hung on any sorting device on both sides of the box-changing robot channel, can travel along the box-changing robot channel, and is used to transport the empty boxes in the docking area of ​​the two sorting devices on both sides of the box-changing robot channel to the storage area of ​​the sorting device, or to transport the full boxes in the storage area to the docking area of ​​the sorting device.

[0015] In the sorting system provided by the embodiment of the present application, the box-changing robot is mounted on any of the sorting devices on both sides of the box-changing robot channel and can travel along the box-changing robot channel. The system is used to transport the empty bins in the docking area of ​​the two sorting devices on both sides of the box-changing robot channel to the storage area of ​​the sorting device, or to transport the full bins in the storage area to the docking area of ​​the sorting device. This improves the utilization rate of the box-changing robot, reduces the cost of the sorting system, and realizes the automatic replacement of the bins of the sorting system. Compared with the manual box-changing method, the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy are improved. In addition, the box-changing robot replaces the manual box-changing method, which can make the height of the sorting device exceed the height limit of the staff, thereby improving the storage capacity, sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. The bin transport equipment is used to transport the empty bins to the docking area of ​​the sorting device, or to transport the full bins located in the docking area of ​​the sorting device to the outside of the sorting device, thereby realizing the automatic transmission of empty and full bins, and further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings described herein are used to provide further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute improper limitations on the present application.

[0017] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first sorting system of the present application;

[0018] FIG2 is a schematic front view of the sorting system shown in FIG1 ;

[0019] FIG3 is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG1 ;

[0020] FIG4 is a schematic side view of the sorting system shown in FIG1 ;

[0021] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first robot shown in FIG1 ;

[0022] FIG6 is a schematic front view of the first robot shown in FIG1 ;

[0023] FIG7 is a schematic top view of the first robot shown in FIG1 ;

[0024] FIG8 is a schematic side view of the first robot shown in FIG1 ;

[0025] FIG9 is a schematic top view of the docking rack shown in FIG1 ;

[0026] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG1 ;

[0027] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot lifting the material box shown in FIG1;

[0028] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG11 docking with the material box transfer station;

[0029] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG12 after docking with the material box transfer station;

[0030] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second sorting system of the present application;

[0031] FIG15 is a schematic front view of the sorting system shown in FIG14;

[0032] FIG16 is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG14 ;

[0033] FIG17 is a schematic side view of the sorting system shown in FIG14 ;

[0034] FIG18 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the first sorting method provided by the present application;

[0035] FIG19 is a flow chart of a second embodiment of the first sorting method provided by this application;

[0036] FIG20 is a flow chart of a third embodiment of the first sorting method provided by the present application;

[0037] FIG21 is a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of the first sorting method provided by the present application;

[0038] FIG22 is a structural diagram of a first control device provided by the present application;

[0039] FIG23a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the third sorting system of the present application;

[0040] FIG23 b is a schematic front view of the sorting system shown in FIG23 a ;

[0041] FIG23c is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG23a;

[0042] FIG23d is a schematic side view of the sorting system shown in FIG23a;

[0043] FIG24 is a schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the material box and the conveyor line shown in FIG23a;

[0044] FIG25 a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transport robot shown in FIG23 a ;

[0045] FIG25 b is a schematic front view of the transport robot shown in FIG23 a ;

[0046] FIG25c is a schematic top view of the transport robot shown in FIG23a;

[0047] FIG25 d is a schematic side view of the transport robot shown in FIG23 a ;

[0048] FIG26 is a schematic top view of a fourth sorting system of the present application;

[0049] FIG27 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application;

[0050] FIG28 is a flow chart of a second embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG29 is a flow chart of a third embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application;

[0052] FIG30 is a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application;

[0053] FIG31 is a structural diagram of a second control device provided by this application;

[0054] FIG32 a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of five sorting systems of the present application;

[0055] FIG32 b is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG32 a ;

[0056] FIG32c is a schematic front view of the sorting device shown in FIG32a;

[0057] FIG33 is a schematic top view of the docking layer shown in FIG32a;

[0058] FIG34 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transfer robot shown in FIG32a;

[0059] FIG35 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the box-changing robot shown in FIG32a;

[0060] FIG36 a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sixth sorting system of the present application;

[0061] FIG36 b is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG36 a ;

[0062] FIG36c is a schematic front view of the sorting device shown in FIG36a;

[0063] FIG37 is a schematic top view of a seventh sorting system of the present application;

[0064] FIG38 is a schematic top view of the eighth sorting system of the present application.

[0065] Reference numerals in Figures 1 to 22: Sorting equipment 100; sorting mechanism 110; guiding mechanism 111; shuttle guide rail 1111; shuttle sorting vehicle 112; storage shelf 120; storage layer 121; bin opening 1211; crossbeam 122; docking shelf 130; temporary storage location 131; through slot 1311; lifting mechanism 140; infeed table 150; first robot 200; column door frame 210; door column 211; transport mechanism 220; lifting assembly 221; picking assembly 222; sliding guide rail 230; second robot 300; moving chassis 310; lifting mechanism 320; lifting platform 321; bin transfer station 400; docking position 401; conveying section 402; full bin conveying line 410; empty bin replenishing line 420; conveyor belt 430; bin 500; First channel 600 ; second channel 700 ; third channel 800 ; fourth channel 900 .

[0066] Figure 23a to Figure 31 are marked with the following symbols: sorting mechanism 2-100; feeding table 2-110; lifting mechanism 2-120; guiding mechanism 2-130; shuttle guide rail 2-131; shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140; shelf 2-200; storage layer 2-210; material box grid 2-211; accommodating space 2-220; beam 2-230; handling robot 2-300; column door frame 2-310; door column 2-311; handling mechanism 2-320; lifting component 2-321; picking component 2-322; sliding guide rail 2-330; material box connecting conveyor line 2-400; connecting position 2-410; conveying section 2-420; full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430; empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440; material box 2-500.

[0067] Reference numerals in FIG32a to FIG38: Sorting device 3-100; picking mechanism 3-110; induction table 3-111; lifting mechanism 3-112; guide mechanism 3-113; shuttle guide rail 3-1131; shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114; shelf 3-120; storage layer 3-121; storage location 3-1211; docking layer 3-122; docking location 3-1221; through slot 3-1222; horizontal rail 3-130; docking area 3-140; box changing robot 3-200; mounting frame 3-210; column 3-211; pick-and-place assembly 3-220; Container transport equipment 3-300; transfer robot 3-300A; walking mechanism 3-310; lifting mechanism 3-320; first container conveyor line 3-300B; docking station 3-330; conveying section 3-340; second full container conveyor line 3-350; second empty container conveyor line 3-360; second container conveyor line 3-300C; container changing robot channel 3-400; container 3-500; container transfer station 3-600; first full container conveyor line 3-610; first empty container conveyor line 3-620; transfer robot channel 3-700; first channel 3-710; second channel 3-720; third channel 3-730; auxiliary docking shelf 3-810; auxiliary transmission line 3-820. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the described examples are only some examples of the present invention, not all examples. All other examples derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the examples of the present invention fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0069] As mentioned in the background technology, with the continuous improvement of the intelligence of logistics and warehousing technology, processes such as packaging and handling can be completed by intelligent robots. However, the sorting process still requires human participation. For example: in the sorting process, the staff needs to take the full material boxes from the shelves of the sorting equipment to the next link, and also need to add empty material boxes to the vacant positions, which reduces the sorting efficiency.

[0070] At present, relevant technologies are mainly focused on the research of sorting equipment to improve sorting efficiency. However, after the sorting equipment has finished filling the boxes with the goods to be sorted, manual replacement of the boxes is still required, which limits the sorting efficiency. In addition, the height of the sorting equipment shelves is limited by the height of the staff, resulting in low space utilization.

[0071] In order to achieve automatic bin replacement and improve sorting efficiency and space utilization, the embodiments of the present application provide several sorting systems and methods. These systems all use robots dedicated to bin replacement to cooperate with transmission equipment to achieve automatic bin replacement. The transmission equipment can be another dedicated robot or a transmission line, etc., which can transport the bins to shelves on both sides of the sorting mechanism (picking mechanism) in the system or to a location away from the sorting mechanism. Detailed descriptions of each are given below.

[0072] First, the first sorting system provided by the present embodiment is described in detail. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing boxes is the first robot 200; the transfer device capable of transporting boxes to the docking racks 130 on both sides of the sorting mechanism 110 in the system, or to a location away from the docking racks 130, is the second robot 300.

[0073] Referring to Figures 1 to 4, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first sorting system of the present application; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the front view of the sorting system shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the top view of the sorting system shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the side view of the sorting system shown in Figure 1.

[0074] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the sorting system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a sorting device 100, a first robot 200 and a second robot 300; the sorting device 100 includes: a sorting mechanism 110, a storage shelf 120 and a docking shelf 130.

[0075] The storage shelves 120 are arranged in two rows and include a plurality of storage layers 121 ; each storage layer 121 includes a plurality of material box openings 1211 , and each material box opening 1211 is used to store a material box 500 to be loaded.

[0076] The docking rack 130 is disposed adjacent to the storage rack 120 and is used to temporarily store full bins 500 or empty bins 500 to be replenished.

[0077] The sorting mechanism 110 is disposed between two rows of storage shelves 120 and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the material boxes 500 of the storage shelves 120 .

[0078] The first robot 200 is configured to pick up and place full containers 500 or empty containers 500 between the storage rack 120 and the docking rack 130 .

[0079] The second robot 300 is configured to pick up and place full containers 500 or empty containers 500 between the docking rack 130 and the container transfer station 400 .

[0080] It should be noted that although the docking shelf 130 is classified as a sorting device in this application, in actual conditions, the docking shelf 130 can also be separately provided and independently set up from the sorting mechanism 110 and storage shelf 120 of the sorting device 100.

[0081] The present embodiment provides a sorting system in which a first robot 200 retrieves and places bins 500 between a storage rack 120 and a docking rack 130, and a second robot 300 retrieves and places bins 500 between the docking rack 130 and a bin transfer station 400. This automatically replaces bins 500 in the sorting system, improving sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the fact that the first robot 200 replaces manual bin replacement allows the storage rack 120 to reach a height greater than that required by staff, expanding the number of bin slots 1211 that can be configured on the storage rack 120 and improving the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0082] In the embodiment shown in FIG1 , as shown in FIG2 and FIG3 , the storage rack 120 may include a plurality of beams 122 spaced apart in a vertical direction, so that the first robot 200 is mounted on the outside of the storage rack 120 based on the beams 122. There may be multiple first robots 200, all mounted on the beams 122, to pick up and place bins on the storage rack 120 and the docking rack 130, thereby improving handling efficiency.

[0083] Specifically, the beam 122 extends from one end to the other end of the storage shelf 120 in the length direction, and the first robot 200 can slide along the beam 122 to achieve horizontal movement along the storage shelf 120. The specific coordination method is described in detail below.

[0084] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, referring to Figures 5 to 8, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first robot shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the front view of the first robot shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the top view of the first robot shown in Figure 1; and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the side view of the first robot shown in Figure 1.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 , the first robot 200 may include a column gantry 210 , a transport mechanism 220 , and at least one sliding guide rail 230 .

[0086] The column door frame 210 is installed along the vertical direction of the storage shelf 120.

[0087] The transport mechanism 220 is disposed on the column gantry 210 and is used to take and place the material boxes 500 at different heights on the storage shelf 120 .

[0088] At least one sliding guide rail 230 is fixedly mounted on the beam 122; the column gantry 210 is slidably connected to at least one sliding guide rail 230 so that the column gantry 210 and the transport mechanism 220 slide horizontally along the beam 122 to pick up and place different material boxes 500 in the length direction of the storage shelf 120.

[0089] The first robot 200 is configured to move a full container 500 on the storage rack 120 to the docking rack 130 , or to move an empty container 500 on the docking rack 130 to the storage rack 120 .

[0090] Specifically, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the first robot 200 is fixed on the storage shelf 120 by two sliding rails 230 spaced apart from each other. The first robot 200 can move along the length direction of the storage shelf 120 based on the two sliding rails 230 .

[0091] In this embodiment of the present application, the first robot 200 can move horizontally along the length of the storage shelf 120 to retrieve and place bins 500 along the length of the storage shelf 120. Furthermore, the picking assembly 222 of the first robot 200 can move vertically along the height of the storage shelf 120 to retrieve and place bins 500 at different heights on the storage shelf 120. The specific methods for retrieval and placement are described in detail below.

[0092] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , as shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 , the transport mechanism 220 may include a lifting component 221 and a pickup component 222 .

[0093] The lifting assembly 221 is disposed on the column gantry 210 and is configured to drive the picking assembly 222 to move in a vertical direction.

[0094] The picking assembly 222 is installed on the lifting assembly 221 and is configured to extend the column door frame 210 to pick up and place the material box 500 on the storage shelf 120 or the docking shelf 130.

[0095] Specifically, the column gantry 210 includes two door columns 211, and the lifting assembly 221 can drive the picking assembly 222 to move up and down in the vertical direction of the storage shelf 120 through a driving motor arranged on the column gantry 210, a driving wheel and a driven wheel arranged on the top and bottom of the two door columns 211, and two synchronous belts mounted on the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0096] The form of the picking component 222 includes but is not limited to a fork arm type, a suction cup type, a roller type, a hook arm, etc.

[0097] The picking component 222 can be installed on a synchronous belt, and the picking component 222 can include a telescopic structure with a bidirectional telescopic direction. It can move toward the storage shelf 120 or move back to the storage shelf 120, and extend into the storage shelf 120 or the docking shelf 130 through the telescopic structure to pick up and place the material box 500.

[0098] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the first robot 200 can, based on the sliding guide rail 230, pick up and place the material box 500 on the storage shelf 120 or the docking shelf 130 in the horizontal direction; and can, based on the lifting component 221, pick up and place the material box 500 on the storage shelf 120 or the docking shelf 130 in the vertical direction.

[0099] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows below the storage racks 120 .

[0100] The docking rack 130 can be a single-layer rack, arranged along the length direction of the storage rack 120, and two docking racks 130 are respectively arranged under two storage racks 120. The docking rack 130 is provided with multiple temporary storage positions 131, which are configured to temporarily store a full material box 500 or an empty material box 500.

[0101] In the embodiment shown in FIG1 , referring to FIG9 , FIG9 is a schematic top view of the docking rack shown in FIG1 . The docking rack 130 is disposed below the storage rack 120 and can be a separate rack or can be configured as an integral rack with the storage rack 120 as shown in FIG1 and FIG9 , with the bottom layer of the rack serving as the docking rack 130 for temporarily storing the bins 500.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 9 , a through slot 1311 is provided at the bottom of each temporary storage location 131 of the docking rack 130 , so that the second robot 300 can pick up and place the material box 500 on the temporary storage location 131 based on the through slot 1311 .

[0103] Specifically, as shown in FIG3 , the process of the second robot 300 taking the full container 500 from the docking rack 130 is as follows:

[0104] The second robot 300 moves to the bottom of the target temporary storage location 131 , passes through the through slot 1311 , lifts up the full material box 500 , and exits the temporary storage location 131 along the through slot 1311 .

[0105] The process of the second robot 300 placing the empty container on the docking rack 130 is as follows:

[0106] The second robot 300 moves to the bottom of the target temporary storage location 131 , passes through the through slot 1311 and descends to place the full material box 500 , and exits the temporary storage location 131 along the through slot 1311 .

[0107] There are many types of docking racks. They can be the docking rack 130 shown in FIG9 , which has a through slot 1311 in the middle. In other embodiments of the present application, the docking rack 130 can also have comb-shaped slots in the middle. Comb-shaped slots are multiple slots spaced apart. Accordingly, the loading surface of the lifting mechanism 320 of the second robot 300 is also provided with comb-shaped slots, allowing the lifting mechanism 320 to pass through the comb-shaped slots and lift and lower the material box 500. The present application does not limit the specific type of docking rack 130.

[0108] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , a first channel 600 and a second channel 700 are provided on a side of each row of storage shelves 120 away from the sorting mechanism 110 , which are parallel and spaced apart.

[0109] The first aisle 600 is closer to the storage rack 120 than the second aisle 700 .

[0110] The first channel 600 and the second channel 700 extend from the storage rack 120 to the container transfer station 400 .

[0111] The second robot 300 is configured as follows:

[0112] The unloaded second robot 300 travels along the first channel 600 to the docking rack 130, picks up the full container 500 from the docking rack 130, and travels along the second channel 700 to transport the full container 500 to the container transfer station 400; or, the unloaded second robot 300 travels along the first channel 600 to the container transfer station 400, picks up the empty container 500 from the container transfer station 400, and travels along the second channel 700 to transport the empty container 500 to the docking rack 130.

[0113] That is, the first channel 600 is used for the second robot 300 to travel when it is empty. In the first channel 600, the second robot 300 can go to the docking rack 130 to receive a full container 500, or go to the container transfer station 400 to receive an empty container 500.

[0114] The second channel 700 is for the second robot 300 to travel when fully loaded. On the second channel 700, the second robot 300 can go to the docking rack 130 to place an empty container 500, or go to the container transfer station 400 to place a full container 500.

[0115] The container transfer station 400 may include, but is not limited to, a conveyor line, a docking rack, and other structural forms. Figure 3 shows a conveyor line-type container transfer station 400, comprising a full container conveyor line 410 and an empty container replenishment line 420. The second robot 300 is configured to move a full container 500 from the docking rack 130 to the full container conveyor line 410, or to move an empty container 500 from the empty container replenishment line 420 to the docking rack 130.

[0116] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the second robot 300 moves the full box 500 on the docking rack 130 to the full box conveyor line 410 along the second channel 700; or moves the empty box 500 on the empty box replenishment line 420 to the docking rack 130.

[0117] It should be noted that the black squares shown in FIG3 represent full bins 500, and the white squares represent empty bins 500. In the embodiment of the present application, the two second channels 700 can pass through the second robot 300 carrying full bins 500, or the second robot 300 carrying empty bins 500. FIG3 only illustrates an embodiment in which the second robot 300 carrying an empty bin 500 travels on one second channel 700, and the second robot 300 carrying a full bin 500 travels on the other second channel 700.

[0118] The directions of the first channel 600 and the second channel 700 are set according to the position of the bin transfer station 400 relative to the sorting device 100. As shown in FIG3 , if the bin transfer station 400 is located at one end of the sorting device 100, the directions of the first channel 600 and the second channel 700 are parallel to the long sides of the storage shelves 120, extending from the end of the storage shelves 120 away from the bin transfer station 400 to the bin transfer station 400. The first channel 600 and the second channel 700 can merge together at the ends near the bin transfer station 400 and extend together to the bin transfer station 400.

[0119] Since it is necessary to ensure that the picking component 222 of the first robot 200 can pick up and place the material boxes 500 on the storage shelves 120 and the docking shelves 130, the height of the column gantry 210 of the first robot 200 in the vertical direction needs to extend from the top storage layer 121 to the docking shelf 130.

[0120] The height of the unloaded second robot 300 is lower than the height of the picking component 222 of the first robot 200 when it picks up and places the material box 500 on the docking shelf 130. Therefore, the first channel 600 for the unloaded second robot 300 to travel can be set as close to the storage shelf 120 as possible while ensuring the smooth passage of the second robot 300. This will neither cause interference between the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, but also save the deployment area of ​​the sorting equipment 100 to the maximum extent.

[0121] As shown in FIG1 to FIG3, the movement process of the unloaded second robot 300 is as follows:

[0122] The unloaded second robot 300 can pass under the first robot 200 along the first channel 600, enter the temporary storage location 131 from the side of the temporary storage location 131 close to the first channel 600, and lift the full container 500. Then, it can return along the through slot 1311 and drive into the second channel 700 to the full container conveyor line 410.

[0123] Alternatively, the unloaded second robot 300 can go along the first channel 600 to the empty container replenishment line 420 to pick up the empty container 500 .

[0124] The movement process of the second robot 300 carrying the material box 500 is as follows:

[0125] The second robot 300 carrying the empty container 500 moves along the second channel 700, enters the temporary storage location 131, and places the empty container 500 there. The robot then returns along the through slot 1311 and enters the first channel 600. The robot then moves along the first channel 600 to another temporary storage location 131 containing a full container 500, where it receives the full container 500. Finally, the robot moves along the second channel 700 to the full container conveyor line 410.

[0126] Alternatively, the second robot 300 carrying the empty box 500 travels along the second channel 700, enters the temporary storage location 131 and puts down the empty box 500, then returns along the through slot 1311 and enters the first channel 600 to the standby area or the empty box replenishment line 420.

[0127] The second robot 300 carrying the full box 500 travels along the second channel 700 and goes to the full box conveyor line 410 to place the full box 500. Then, it can go to the standby area, or go to the empty box replenishment line 420 to pick up an empty box, or go along the first channel 600 to the docking shelf 130 to pick up a full box 500.

[0128] In the embodiment of the present application, the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows below the storage racks 120, which can save the area where the sorting equipment 100 is deployed and improve the space utilization rate of the storage racks 120. The driving route of the second robot 300 is divided into a first channel 600 and a second channel 700, respectively for the unloaded second robot 300 and the second robot 300 loaded with bins 500 to travel, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the second robot 300. The unloaded second robot 300 travels on the first channel 600, avoiding interference between the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, saving the area where the sorting equipment 100 is deployed and improving space utilization rate. The bin transfer station 400 is divided into a full bin conveyor line 410 and an empty bin replenishment line 420, which can simultaneously transport full bins 500 and empty bins 500, thereby improving the working efficiency of the sorting system.

[0129] In the embodiment shown in FIG1 , referring to FIG10 and FIG11 , FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG1 ; FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG1 lifting a material box.

[0130] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the second robot 300 includes a moving chassis 310 and a lifting mechanism 320; the lifting mechanism 320 is arranged on the top of the moving chassis 310; the lifting mechanism 320 is configured to move under the drive of the moving chassis 310, and pass through the through slot 1311 in the vertical direction to lift or place the material box 500.

[0131] Specifically, the lifting mechanism 320 includes a lifting platform 321, and the width dimension of the through slot 1311 is configured to be smaller than the size of the material box 500 and larger than the size of the lifting platform 321, so that the lifting platform 321 can lift or lower the material box 500 through the through slot 1311, and also prevent the material box 500 from falling through the through slot 1311.

[0132] As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 9, the process of the second robot 300 taking the full box 500 is as follows: after the first robot 200 places the full box in the temporary storage position 131 of the docking shelf 130, the second robot 300 moves to the bottom of the temporary storage position 131, the lifting platform 321 moves upward, passes through the through slot 1311 and lifts the full box 500, then moves out of the temporary storage position 131 along the through slot 1311, and transports the full box 500 to the full box conveyor line 410.

[0133] The process of the second robot 300 emptying the material box 500 is as follows: the second robot 300 loads the empty material box 500 and moves to the side of the temporary storage position 131. After the lifting mechanism 320 lifts the empty material box 500 to a height higher than the temporary storage position 131, the second robot 300 moves along the through groove 1311 to the bottom of the temporary storage position 131. The lifting mechanism 320 drives the empty material box 500 to move downward until the empty material box 500 contacts the top surface of the temporary storage position 131, and continues to move downward and drives out of the temporary storage position 131.

[0134] The vertical movement of the lifting mechanism 320 and the horizontal movement of the moving chassis 310 can be performed simultaneously, that is, when the moving chassis 310 moves into or out of the temporary storage location 131, the lifting mechanism can raise or lower the material box 500.

[0135] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the first robot 200 can pick up and place the material box 500 without stopping or briefly stopping, which can improve the efficiency of the second robot in picking up and placing the material box 500. In addition, the second robot 300 picks up and places the material box 500 under the temporary storage position 131, which can improve the space utilization of the docking shelf 130.

[0136] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , both the full bin conveyor line 410 and the empty bin replenishment line 420 consist of a docking station 401 and a conveying section 402. The docking station 401 and the conveying section 402 rotate independently of each other. The docking station 401 is located at the end, while the remaining section is the conveying section 402. The docking station 401 and the conveying section 402 cooperate to transport bins 500.

[0137] Specifically, the second robot 300 docks with the docking position 401 of the full-box conveying line 410 or the empty-box replenishing line 420 , thereby completing the placement of the full box 500 or the removal of the empty box 500 .

[0138] The process of the second robot 300 transporting the full container 500 is as follows:

[0139] When the second robot 300 transports the full bin 500 from the docking rack 130 to the docking position 401 of the full bin conveyor line 410, the docking position 401 stops rolling. After the second robot 300 has placed the full bin 500, it resumes rolling and cooperates with the conveyor section 402 to transport the full bin 500 to the next processing step, such as shipping or review and packaging. After the second robot 300 has completed transporting the full bin 500, it can proceed to the standby area to wait, or proceed to the empty bin replenishment line 420 and dock with the docking position 401 of the empty bin replenishment line 420 to receive an empty bin 500 to replenish it on the docking rack 130, or proceed to the docking rack 130 to continue receiving full bins 500.

[0140] The process of the second robot 300 transporting the empty box 500 is as follows:

[0141] When the second robot 300 moves to the docking position 401 of the empty material box replenishment line 420, the docking position 401 is in a stationary state. It starts to roll after the second robot 300 takes away the empty material box 500. The conveying section 402 replenishes the next empty material box 500 to the docking position 401 and waits for the second robot 300 to take it.

[0142] The second robot 300 , which has completed transporting the empty box 500 , can go to the standby area to wait, or take the full box 500 on the docking shelf 130 and transport it to the full box conveyor line 410 , or go to the empty box replenishment line 420 to continue taking the empty box 500 .

[0143] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the docking position 401 and the conveying section 402 are independent of each other and cooperate with each other. When the docking position 401 needs to receive a full material box 500 or the second robot 300 needs to take away an empty material box 500, the stillness of the docking position 401 will not affect the transmission of the material box 500 already on the conveying section 402 by the conveying section 402, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box transfer station 400.

[0144] 12 and 13 , FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG11 docking with the material box transfer station; FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second robot shown in FIG12 docking with the material box transfer station.

[0145] As shown in FIG12 , the input end of the full-box conveyor line 410 and the docking position 401 of the empty-box replenishment line 420 both include two parallel conveyor belts 430 ; a travel space for the second robot 300 to pass through is provided between the two conveyor belts 430 .

[0146] As shown in Figures 11 to 13, when the second robot 300 docks with the docking position 401 of the full box conveyor line 410 to place the full box 500, the conveyor belt 430 is in a stationary state. The second robot 300 lifts the full box 500 to a height higher than the conveyor belt 430 through the lifting mechanism 320 and moves toward the driving space. After the second robot 300 enters the driving space, the full box 500 is placed on the two conveyor belts 430 through the lifting mechanism 320. The conveyor belts 430 start to roll and cooperate with the conveying section 402 to transport the full box 500 to the next processing link. The second robot 300 continues to move and leaves the driving space to perform the next task.

[0147] The container transfer station 400 may also include an empty container shelf. A worker or automated equipment, such as a robotic arm, can place empty containers 500 from the empty container shelf onto the empty container replenishment line 420. The second robot 300 then moves to the docking station 401 of the empty container replenishment line 420, docks and receives the empty container 500, and then transports the empty container 500 to the docking shelf 130.

[0148] When the second robot 300 docks with the docking position 401 of the empty material box replenishment line 420 to receive the empty material box 500, the second robot 300 moves to the docking position 401 of the empty material box replenishment line 420. When the empty material box 500 moves to the docking position 401 of the empty material box replenishment line 420, the docking position 401 stops rolling, and the second robot 300 takes away the empty material box 500 through the lifting mechanism 320. After that, manual or automated equipment continues to replenish new empty material boxes 500 to the empty material box replenishment line 420.

[0149] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the transfer of full bins 500 and the replenishment of empty bins 500 are completed through the second robot 300 and the bin transfer station 400, which improves the working efficiency of the sorting system compared to manual handling of full bins 500 and replenishment of empty bins 500.

[0150] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the sorting device 100 further includes: a lifting mechanism 140 and a feeding table 150 ; the sorting mechanism 110 includes: a guiding mechanism 111 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 112 .

[0151] The lifting mechanism 140 is provided at both ends of the storage shelf 120 , and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to move up and down along the height direction of the storage shelf 120 when the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 moves to one end of the storage shelf 120 .

[0152] The induction table 150 is disposed on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism 140 and docked with the lifting mechanism 140 .

[0153] The guide mechanism 111 is arranged between two rows of storage shelves 120, and includes multiple shuttle rails 1111 corresponding to the height of each storage layer 121. The shuttle rails 1111 are connected to the lifting mechanism 140 to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to move back and forth along the length direction of the storage shelves 120.

[0154] The shuttle sorting vehicle 112 is used to switch between shuttle guide rails 1111 at different heights through the lifting mechanism 140, sorting the goods to be sorted at the infeed table 150 into the material boxes 500 with material box openings 1211 at different heights, and sorting the goods to be sorted at the infeed table 150 into the material boxes 500 with different material box openings 1211 in the longitudinal direction through the guiding mechanism 111.

[0155] Specifically, the induction table 150 can be connected to the cargo conveyor line, and the cargo conveyor line can transport the goods to be sorted to the induction table 150, or the staff can place the goods to be sorted on the induction table 150 for the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to pick up the goods.

[0156] The sorting system further includes a control device, which is in communication with the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 . The control device can send instructions to control the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to deliver each to-be-sorted item into a corresponding bin 500 .

[0157] The control device is communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism 140, and the control device can send instructions so that the lifting mechanism 140 drives the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to move along the height direction of the storage shelf 120 to the height of the storage layer 121 where the corresponding material box 500 is located. The shuttle sorting vehicle 112 continues to move along the shuttle guide rail 1111 at the storage layer 121 where the corresponding material box 500 is located to the corresponding material box 500, and puts the goods into the material box 500.

[0158] The above operations are repeated continuously. When a certain bin 500 on the storage shelf 120 is filled with goods, or the goods on the order bound to the bin 500 have all been sorted, the bin 500 is considered a full bin 500. The control device is in communication with the first robot 200 and the second robot 300. The control device can send instructions to cause the first robot 200 to move the full bin 500 on the storage shelf 120 to the docking shelf 130, the second robot 300 to move the full bin 500 on the docking shelf 130 to the bin transfer station 400, and then move the empty bin 500 from the bin transfer station 400 to an empty space on the docking shelf 130. Finally, the first robot 200 moves the empty bin 500 on the docking shelf 130 to the empty bin opening 1211 on the storage shelf 120.

[0159] The number of first robots 200 and second robots 300 corresponding to each row of storage shelves 120 is at least one. Multiple first robots 200 can simultaneously move full boxes 500 to the docking shelves 130 or move empty boxes 500 to the empty box openings 1211; multiple second robots 300 can simultaneously move full boxes 500 to the box transfer station 400 or move empty boxes 500 to the docking shelves 130, which can improve the working efficiency of the sorting system.

[0160] In this embodiment of the present application, the lifting mechanism 140 and the guide mechanism 111 enable the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 to move in the height and length directions of the storage shelves 120. The sorting mechanism 110 is positioned between two rows of storage shelves 120, saving space and improving space utilization. The shuttle sorting vehicle 112 can simultaneously sort orders from the loading bins 500 of both rows of storage shelves 120 via the shuttle guides 1111, thereby improving the efficiency of the sorting system.

[0161] As mentioned above, in the sorting system of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows corresponding to the bottom of the storage racks 120. In other embodiments of the sorting system, the docking racks 130 can be arranged in two rows corresponding to the side of each row of storage racks 120 away from the sorting mechanism 110, parallel to and spaced from the storage racks 120.

[0162] The following describes in detail the second sorting system provided by the present embodiment. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing boxes is the first robot 200, and the transfer device capable of transporting boxes to the docking racks 130 on both sides of the sorting mechanism 110 in the system or to a location away from the docking racks 130 is the second robot 300.

[0163] Specifically, referring to Figures 14 to 17, Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the second sorting system of the present application; Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the front view of the sorting system shown in Figure 14; Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the top view of the sorting system shown in Figure 14; Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the side view of the sorting system shown in Figure 14.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 17 , the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows on a side of each row of storage racks 120 away from the sorting mechanism 110 , and are parallel to and spaced apart from the storage racks 120 .

[0165] A third channel 800 is provided in the interval area between each row of docking racks 130 and the storage racks 120 , and a fourth channel 900 parallel to the third channel 800 is provided on the side of each row of docking racks 130 away from the storage racks 120 .

[0166] The third channel 800 and the fourth channel 900 extend from the storage rack 120 to the container transfer station 400;

[0167] The second robot 300 is configured as follows:

[0168] The unloaded second robot 300 travels along the third aisle 800 to the docking rack 130, picks up the full container 500 from the docking rack 130, and travels along the fourth aisle 900 to transport the full container 500 to the container transfer station 400; or, the unloaded second robot 300 travels along the third aisle 800 to the container transfer station 400, picks up the empty container 500 from the container transfer station 400, and travels along the fourth aisle 900 to transport the empty container 500 to the docking rack 130.

[0169] That is, the third channel 800 is used for the second robot 300 to travel when it is empty. The second robot 300 can go to the docking rack 130 to receive a full container 500 on the third channel 800, or go to the container transfer station 400 to receive an empty container 500.

[0170] The fourth channel 900 is for the second robot 300 to travel when fully loaded. In the fourth channel 900, the second robot 300 can go to the docking rack 130 to place an empty container 500, or go to the container transfer station 400 to place a full container 500.

[0171] Specifically, as shown in Figure 16, the second robot 300 moves the full box 500 on the docking rack 130 to the full box conveyor line 410 along the fourth channel 900; or moves the empty box 500 on the empty box replenishment line 420 to the docking rack 130.

[0172] It should be noted that the black squares shown in FIG16 represent full bins 500, and the white squares represent empty bins 500. In the embodiment of the present application, the two fourth channels 900 can pass through the second robot 300 carrying full bins 500, and can also pass through the second robot 300 carrying empty bins 500. FIG16 only illustrates an embodiment in which the second robot 300 carrying an empty bin 500 travels on one fourth channel 900, and the second robot 300 carrying a full bin 500 travels on the other fourth channel 900.

[0173] The first robot 200 is arranged on the outer surface of the storage shelf 120, that is, the first robot 200 is located between the storage shelf 120 and the docking shelf 130. The picking component 222 of the first robot 200 can be retracted in two directions, extending toward the storage shelf 120 to receive a full box 500 or place an empty box 500, and extending toward the docking shelf 130 to place a full box 500 or receive an empty box 500.

[0174] The directions of the third channel 800 and the fourth channel 900 are arranged according to the position of the bin transfer station 400 relative to the sorting device 100. As shown in FIG16 , the bin transfer station 400 is arranged at one end of the sorting device 100. Then, the directions of the third channel 800 and the fourth channel 900 are parallel to the long side of the storage rack 120, extending from the end of the storage rack 120 away from the bin transfer station 400 to the bin transfer station 400. The third channel 800 and the fourth channel 900 can merge together at the end near the bin transfer station 400 and extend together to the bin transfer station 400.

[0175] As shown in FIG14 to FIG16 , the movement process of the unloaded second robot 300 is as follows:

[0176] The unloaded second robot 300 can pass under the first robot 200 along the third channel 800, enter the temporary storage bin 131 from the side of the temporary storage bin 131 close to the third channel 800, lift the full bin 500, and drive along the through slot 1311 into the fourth channel 900 and head to the full bin conveyor line 410;

[0177] Alternatively, the unloaded second robot 300 can go along the third channel 800 to the empty container replenishment line 420 to pick up the empty container 500 .

[0178] The movement process of the second robot 300 carrying the material box 500 is as follows:

[0179] The second robot 300 carrying the empty container 500 moves along the fourth channel 900, enters the temporary storage location 131, and places the empty container 500. The robot then moves along the through slot 1311 into the third channel 800, then moves along the third channel 800 into another temporary storage location 131 containing a full container 500, and then takes a full container 500. Finally, the robot moves along the fourth channel 900 to the full container conveyor line 410.

[0180] Alternatively, the second robot 300 carrying the empty box 500 travels along the fourth channel 900 , enters the temporary storage location 131 and puts down the empty box 500 , then travels along the through slot 1311 into the third channel 800 and heads to the standby area or the empty box replenishment line 420 .

[0181] The second robot 300 carrying the full box 500 travels along the fourth channel 900 and goes to the full box conveyor line 410 to place the full box 500. Then, it can go to the standby area, or go to the empty box replenishment line 420 to pick up an empty box, or go along the third channel 800 to the docking shelf 130 to pick up a full box 500.

[0182] Using the embodiment of the present application, the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows corresponding to the side of each row of storage racks 120 away from the sorting mechanism 110, so that more material box openings 1211 can be set on the storage racks 120, thereby improving the sorting capacity of the sorting equipment 100. The driving route of the second robot 300 is divided into a third channel 800 and a fourth channel 900, respectively for the unloaded second robot 300 and the second robot 300 loaded with material boxes 500 to travel, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the second robot 300. The first robot 200 and the unloaded second robot 300 both move between the storage racks 120 and the docking racks 130 without interfering with each other, which not only saves the deployment area of ​​the sorting equipment 100 and improves space utilization, but also avoids the scenario where the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 need to avoid each other.

[0183] In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG14 , the structure of the sorting mechanism 110 in the sorting equipment 100, the structure of the first robot 200 and its installation method, the structure of the second robot 300 and the structure of the material box transfer station 400 can all be exactly the same as the sorting mechanism 110, the first robot 200, the second robot 300 and the material box transfer station 400 in the first sorting system shown in FIG1 , and are not repeated here.

[0184] That is to say, the main difference between the second sorting system shown in Figure 14 and the first sorting system shown in Figure 1 lies in the storage rack 120, the docking rack 130 and the driving route of the second robot 300, and the other settings can be consistent.

[0185] In practical applications, whether the first or second sorting system described above is used, or variations of the two embodiments described above, the sorting system can automatically replace the bins 500 by having the first robot 200 pick up and place the bins 500 between the storage rack 120 and the docking rack 130, and the second robot 300 pick up and place the bins 500 between the docking rack 130 and the bin transfer station 400. This improves sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the replacement of bins by the first robot 200 instead of manual bin replacement allows the height of the storage rack 120 to exceed the height limit of the staff, expands the number of bin slots 1211 that can be configured on the storage rack 120, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0186] Then, the first sorting method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0187] The sorting method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a control device, which is communicatively connected with the sorting mechanism 110 , the first robot 200 , and the second robot 300 of the sorting device 100 in the aforementioned sorting system.

[0188] See FIG18 , which is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the first sorting method provided by this application; the flow includes the following steps:

[0189] Step S1800, instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the storage shelves;

[0190] Step S1810: When there is a full box on the storage shelf, instruct the first robot to move the full box on the storage shelf to the docking shelf. The full box is a box that is full of goods or has all goods on the bound order sorted.

[0191] Step S1820, instructing the second robot to move the full container on the docking shelf to the container transfer station;

[0192] Step S1830: When at least one bin slot of the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the second robot to move an empty bin from the bin transfer station to the docking shelf;

[0193] Step S1840: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to an empty container grid on the storage rack.

[0194] This embodiment is applied to the aforementioned sorting system. The method instructs the first robot 200 to move a full bin 500 from the storage shelf 120 to the docking shelf 130, and the second robot 300 to move a full bin 500 from the docking shelf 130 to the bin transfer station 400. Furthermore, the method instructs the second robot 300 to move an empty bin 500 from the bin transfer station 400 to the docking shelf 130, and the first robot 200 to move an empty bin 500 from the docking shelf 130 to an unoccupied bin slot 1211 on the storage shelf 120. This method achieves automatic replacement of bins 500 in the sorting system, improving sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the fact that the first robot 200 replaces manual bin replacement allows the storage shelf 120 to exceed the height limit of the staff, expands the number of bin slots 1211 that can be configured on the storage shelf 120, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0195] It should be noted that in actual applications, step S1810 and step S1830 can be executed in parallel. As long as the conditions are met that there is a full material box on the storage shelf or at least one material box opening on the storage shelf is vacant, step S1810 and step S1830 can be executed separately. The order of step execution is not restricted here.

[0196] In actual applications, when the sorting system is initially started, all the bin openings of the storage shelf are empty. Therefore, empty bins can be moved to the bin openings of the storage shelf first to prepare for subsequent picking.

[0197] Specifically, referring to FIG19 , FIG19 is a flow chart of a second embodiment of the first sorting method provided by the present application; the flow includes the following steps:

[0198] Step S1801: instruct the second robot to move the empty material box from the material box transfer station to the docking shelf.

[0199] Step S1802: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to the container opening on the storage rack.

[0200] In this way, there are empty bins on the bin grids on the storage shelves for the sorting mechanism to pick up goods.

[0201] Step S1800: instruct the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to a material box on a storage shelf that is not full.

[0202] In practical applications, this step can be executed as soon as there are empty bins and goods to be sorted in the bin slots on the storage shelf. It is not necessary to wait until all bin slots on the storage shelf are empty before starting. For example, it can be started when there are empty bins in a certain number of bin slots on the storage shelf. The number can be flexibly set according to actual conditions and is not limited here. In other words, sorting can be carried out in batches, which can further improve sorting efficiency.

[0203] Step S1810, when there is a full box on the storage shelf, instruct the first robot to move the full box on the storage shelf to the docking shelf, where the full box is a box that is filled with goods or the goods on the bound order have been fully sorted.

[0204] Specifically, in actual application, the control device records how much goods are placed in each container. In this step, whether each container is full can be determined based on this record.

[0205] Step S1820, instructing the second robot to move the full container on the docking shelf to the container transfer station.

[0206] Step S1830: When at least one bin slot of the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the second robot to move the empty bin from the bin transfer station to the docking shelf.

[0207] Specifically, in actual application, the control device will record the status of each bin opening. In this step, based on this record, it is determined whether each bin opening is idle.

[0208] Step S1840: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to an empty container grid on the storage rack.

[0209] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG19 , after step S1840 , empty bins are added to the storage shelves, and the process returns to step S1800 to continue instructing the sorting mechanism to perform sorting, thereby forming a cyclic operation and further improving picking efficiency.

[0210] In some embodiments, the sorting system is shown in Figures 1 to 3, and the docking racks 130 can be arranged in two rows corresponding to the bottom of the storage racks 120; each row of storage racks 120 is provided with a parallel and spaced first channel 600 and a second channel 700 on the side away from the sorting mechanism 110; the first channel 600 is closer to the storage rack 120 than the second channel 700; the first channel 600 and the second channel 700 extend from the storage rack 120 to the material box transfer station 400. The specific structure is not described in detail here. For the sorting system, its sorting process is shown in Figure 20, which is a flow chart of the third embodiment of the first sorting method provided in this application. The process includes the following steps:

[0211] Step S1801: instruct the second robot to move the empty material box from the material box transfer station to the docking shelf.

[0212] Step S1802: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to the container opening on the storage rack.

[0213] Step S1800: instruct the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to a material box on a storage shelf that is not full.

[0214] Step S1810, when there is a full box on the storage shelf, instruct the first robot to move the full box on the storage shelf to the docking shelf, where the full box is a box that is filled with goods or the goods on the bound order have been fully sorted.

[0215] Step S1821, instructing the unloaded second robot to travel along the first channel to the docking shelf, pick up the full container from the docking shelf, and travel along the second channel to transport the full container to the container transfer station.

[0216] Step S1831, when at least one bin opening of the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the unloaded second robot to travel along the first channel to the bin transfer station, pick up the empty bin from the bin transfer station, and travel along the second channel to transport the empty bin to the docking shelf.

[0217] Step S1840: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to an empty container grid on the storage rack.

[0218] In the sorting system of this embodiment, the driving route of the second robot 300 is divided into a first channel 600 and a second channel 700, respectively for the empty second robot 300 and the second robot 300 loaded with the material box 500 to travel, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the second robot 300.

[0219] In some embodiments, the sorting system is as shown in Figures 14 to 16, and the docking racks 130 are arranged in two rows corresponding to the side of each row of the storage racks 120 away from the sorting mechanism 110, parallel to and spaced apart from the storage racks 120; a third channel 800 is provided in the spacing area between each row of the docking racks 130 and the storage racks 120, and a fourth channel 900 parallel to the third channel 800 is provided on the side of each row of the docking racks 130 away from the storage racks 120; the third channel 800 and the fourth channel 900 extend from the storage racks 120 to the material box transfer station 400.

[0220] For this sorting system, the sorting process is similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG20. Specifically, see FIG21, which is a flow chart of the fourth embodiment of the first sorting method provided by this application. The process includes the following steps:

[0221] Step S1801: instruct the second robot to move the empty material box from the material box transfer station to the docking shelf.

[0222] Step S1802: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to the container opening on the storage rack.

[0223] Step S1800: instruct the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to a material box on a storage shelf that is not full.

[0224] Step S1810, when there is a full box on the storage shelf, instruct the first robot to move the full box on the storage shelf to the docking shelf, where the full box is a box that is filled with goods or the goods on the bound order have been fully sorted.

[0225] Step S1822, instruct the unloaded second robot to travel along the third channel to the docking shelf, pick up the full container from the docking shelf, and travel along the fourth channel to transport the full container to the container transfer station.

[0226] Step S1832: When at least one bin opening of the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the unloaded second robot to travel along the third channel to the bin transfer station, pick up the empty bin from the bin transfer station, and travel along the fourth channel to transport the empty bin to the docking shelf.

[0227] Step S1840: instruct the first robot to move the empty container from the docking rack to an empty container grid on the storage rack.

[0228] In the sorting system of this embodiment, the driving route of the second robot 300 is divided into a third channel 800 and a fourth channel 900, which are respectively used for the empty second robot 300 and the second robot 300 loaded with the material box 500 to travel, thereby improving the handling efficiency of the second robot 300.

[0229] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 3 , the container transfer station 400 shown in FIG. 3 is in the form of a conveyor line, comprising a full container conveyor line 410 and an empty container replenishment line 420. In this case, step S1810 shown in FIG. 18 may specifically be: when a full container exists on the storage shelf, instruct the second robot to move the full container on the docking shelf to the full container conveyor line. Accordingly, step S1830 may specifically be: when at least one container slot on the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the second robot to move the empty container on the empty container replenishment line to the docking shelf.

[0230] In this embodiment, the bin transfer station 400 is divided into a full bin conveying line 410 and an empty bin replenishing line 420, which can simultaneously convey full bins 500 and empty bins 500, thereby improving the working efficiency of the sorting system.

[0231] In some embodiments, the sorting device 100 further includes: a lifting mechanism 140 and a supply platform 150; the sorting mechanism 110 includes: a guide mechanism 111 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 112; and the control device is further communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism 140 and the shuttle sorting vehicle 112.

[0232] In this case, step S1800 shown in FIG. 18 may specifically be:

[0233] When the shuttle sorting vehicle moves to one end of the storage shelf, the lifting mechanism is instructed to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle to move up and down along the height direction of the storage shelf; the shuttle sorting vehicle is instructed to switch between shuttle guide rails of different heights through the lifting mechanism; the goods to be sorted at the infeed table are sorted into material boxes with material box openings of different heights, and the guide mechanism is used to sort the goods to be sorted at the infeed table into material boxes with different material box openings in the length direction.

[0234] In this embodiment, the sorting device 100 having the lifting mechanism 140, the guiding mechanism 111 and the shuttle sorting vehicle 112 is used to achieve rapid sorting of goods in the length direction and the height direction, further improving the sorting efficiency.

[0235] The present application also provides a control device. The control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism, the first robot, and the second robot of the sorting device in any of the aforementioned sorting systems. See FIG22 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first control device provided by the present application. As shown in FIG22 , the control device includes:

[0236] Memory 2201, used for storing computer programs;

[0237] The processor 2202 is configured to implement the steps of the above-mentioned picking method when executing the program stored in the memory 2201. The method includes:

[0238] Instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and to deliver the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the storage shelves;

[0239] When there is a full box on the storage shelf, instruct the first robot to move the full box on the storage shelf to the docking shelf, where the full box is a box that is filled with goods or has all goods on the bound order sorted;

[0240] Instruct the second robot to move the full container on the docking shelf to the container transfer station;

[0241] When at least one bin slot of the storage shelf is vacant, instruct the second robot to move an empty bin from the bin transfer station to the docking shelf;

[0242] Instruct the first robot to move an empty container from the docking rack to an empty container slot on the storage rack.

[0243] Furthermore, the electronic device may further include a communication bus and / or a communication interface, and the processor 2202, the communication interface, and the memory 2201 communicate with each other via the communication bus.

[0244] In addition, the above-mentioned control device can be implemented by a computer and can also include a communication module, such as a wired network card or a wireless network card for communicating with the handling robot and the tallying robot.

[0245] The third sorting system provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing boxes is a transport robot 2-300; the conveying equipment capable of transporting boxes to the shelves 2-200 on both sides of the sorting mechanism 2-100 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 2-200 is a box transfer conveyor line 2-400.

[0246] Referring to Figures 23a to 23d, Figure 23a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the third sorting system of the present application; Figure 23b is a schematic diagram of the front view of the sorting system shown in Figure 23a; Figure 23c is a schematic diagram of the top view of the sorting system shown in Figure 23a; and Figure 23d is a schematic diagram of the side view of the sorting system shown in Figure 23a.

[0247] As shown in FIG. 23a to FIG. 23d , the sorting system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a sorting mechanism 2-100, a shelf 2-200, a transport robot 2-300 and a material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0248] The shelves 2-200 are arranged in two rows, including a plurality of storage layers 2-210 spaced apart in the vertical direction; each storage layer 2-210 includes a plurality of material box openings 2-211, and each material box opening 2-211 is used to store a material box 2-500 to be loaded.

[0249] The sorting mechanism 2-100 is disposed between two rows of shelves 2-200, and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the material box 2-500 of the shelf 2-200.

[0250] The bin transfer conveyor line 2-400 is disposed adjacent to the shelf 2-200 and is configured to convey empty bins 2-500 toward the shelf 2-200 or to convey full bins 2-500 in a direction away from the shelf 2-200.

[0251] The handling robot 2-300 is configured to pick up and place full bins 2-500 or empty bins 2-500 between the shelf 2-200 and the bin connection conveyor line 2-400.

[0252] The present application provides a sorting system that automatically replaces the bins 2-500 between the shelf 2-200 and the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 by the transport robot 2-300. This improves sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin changing. In addition, the transport robot 2-300 replaces the manual bin changing, which enables the height of the shelf 2-200 to exceed the height limit of the staff, expands the number of bin openings 2-211 that can be configured on the shelf 2-200, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the bin connection conveyor line 400 can transport empty bins 2-500 toward the shelf 2-200, or transport full bins 2-500 in a direction away from the shelf 2-200, thereby realizing the automatic transmission of empty and full bins 2-500, further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0253] In the embodiment shown in Figure 23a, as shown in Figure 23a and Figure 23c, the material box connecting conveyor lines 2-400 are arranged in two rows, which are respectively docked with two rows of shelves 2-200, so that the handling robot 2-300 can pick up and place full material boxes 2-500 or empty material boxes 2-500 between the shelves 2-200 and the material box connecting conveyor lines 2-400 based on the shelves 2-200.

[0254] Specifically, Figures 23a to 23c only show a section of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 located at the shelf 2-200. The actual material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is set in the logistics warehousing system according to the transmission path of the material box, and transmits the material box 2-500 between the sorting system and other links.

[0255] In some embodiments, the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 is spaced apart from the shelf 2-200, and the handling robot 2-300 is positioned on the shelf 2-200. The picking component of the handling robot 2-300 picks and places the bin 2-500 in the space between the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 and the shelf 2-200. There may be multiple handling robots 2-300, with at least one handling robot 2-300 being positioned between each row of shelves 2-200 and the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 to pick and place the bin 2-500. Each handling robot 2-300 is configured to carry the bin 2-500 within a predetermined length interval of the shelf 2-200.

[0256] In the case where the shelves 2-200 are long, two, three, or more handling robots 2-300 can be set up for each row of shelves 2-200. The shelves 2-200 are divided into multiple intervals along the length direction corresponding to the number of handling robots 2-300. Each handling robot 2-300 is responsible for handling the material boxes 2-500 within a length interval on the shelf 2-200. It should be noted that the length intervals can be divided according to the distribution area of ​​the material boxes 2-500 that need to be handled on the shelf 2-200, so the length intervals can be flexible. Applying this embodiment can improve the efficiency of the handling robots 2-300 in handling the material boxes 2-500.

[0257] In the embodiments shown in FIG. 23a to FIG. 23c, taking the number of the transport robots 2-300 as 2 as an example, each transport robot 2-300 is used to dock with a row of shelves 2-200 and a material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0258] Specifically, Figures 23a to 23c only show that the arrangement direction of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is parallel to the length direction of the shelf 2-200. The actual arrangement direction of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 depends on the specific scenario, and this application does not limit this.

[0259] By applying the embodiment of the present application, two bin connection conveyor lines 2-400 are provided, which are respectively connected to two rows of shelves 2-200, so as to improve the empty bin 2-500 replenishment efficiency and the full bin 2-500 conveying efficiency of the sorting system.

[0260] In the embodiment shown in Figure 23a, as shown in Figures 23a to 23c, one or more docking positions 2-410 are provided on the material box docking conveyor line 2-400; the docking positions 2-410 are provided in the interval corresponding to the long side of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 and the shelf 2-200; each docking position 2-410 can be provided adjacent to each other or at intervals, and the present application does not limit the distance between each docking position 2-410.

[0261] The transport robot 2-300 is configured to transport a full box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200 to the docking position 2-410 of the box docking conveyor line 2-400, or to transport an empty box 2-500 on the docking position 2-410 of the box docking conveyor line 2-400 to the shelf 2-200.

[0262] By applying the embodiment of the present application, one or more docking positions 2-410 are set on the material box docking conveyor line 2-400. The handling robot 2-300 does not need to move along the length direction of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 to pick up and place the material box 2-500. It only needs to move horizontally along the shelf 2-200 and dock with the docking position 2-410 to complete the picking and placing of the material box 2-500, thereby improving the efficiency of the handling robot 2-300 in picking up and placing the material box 2-500 and improving the sorting capacity of the sorting system.

[0263] In the embodiment shown in FIG23a, referring to FIG24, FIG24 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the material box connecting conveyor line shown in FIG23a. As shown in FIG23c and FIG24, the portion of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 other than the connecting position 2-410 is the conveying section 2-420;

[0264] The conveying section 2-420 is used to convey the empty material box 2-500 to the docking position 2-410, or to convey the full material box 2-500 on the docking position 2-410 in a direction away from the shelf 2-200.

[0265] Specifically, the sorting system also includes a control device, which can control the operation of the sorting mechanism 2-100, the transport robot 2-300 and the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0266] As shown in FIG24 , the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 can be a roller conveyor line. The docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 both include multiple rollers, which can be used for rolling transmission. The material box docking conveyor line 2-400 also includes a driving device (not shown in the figure). The docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 are both provided with a detection device (not shown in the figure). The control device can control the driving device to start or stop the rotation of the rollers of the docking position 2-410 or the conveying section 2-420 based on the detection information fed back by the detection devices of the docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420. The specific transmission process is described in detail in the subsequent description.

[0267] Using the embodiment of the present application, the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 includes an independent docking position 2-410 and a conveying section 2-420. The docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 can cooperate to carry out the transmission of the material box 2-500; when the material box 2-500 is temporarily placed on the docking position 2-410 and cannot be rolled, it will not affect the transmission of the conveying section 2-420, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400.

[0268] In the embodiment shown in FIG23a, as shown in FIG24, when the handling robot 2-300 needs to place the full material box 2-500 at the docking position 2-410, the docking position 2-410 stops rolling, and starts rolling again after the placement is completed, and cooperates with the conveying section 2-420 to transport the full material box 2-500 away.

[0269] When the empty material box 2-500 is transported to the docking position 2-410, the docking position 2-410 stops rolling, and after the transport robot 2-300 takes away the empty material box 2-500, it starts rolling again until the next empty material box 2-500 is transported to the docking position 2-410.

[0270] When the material box 2-500 on the conveying section 2-420 is transported to the area adjacent to the docking position 2-410, if the docking position 2-410 is in a stopped rolling state, the area of ​​the conveying section 2-420 carrying the material box 2-500 stops rolling. After the docking position 2-410 starts rolling, the area carrying the material box 2-500 also starts rolling and continues to transport the material box 2-500.

[0271] Specifically, the control device of the sorting system is communicatively connected with both the transport robot 2-300 and the material box docking conveyor line 2-400. The control device can independently control the start and stop of the docking position 2-410 of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 to cooperate with the transport robot 2-300, so that the transport robot 2-300 can pick up and place the material box 2-500 on the docking position 2-410 when the docking position 2-410 is in a stopped rolling state.

[0272] When the handling robot 2-300 is about to place a full material box 2-500, the control device sends a command to the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400, instructing the connecting position 2-410 of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 to stop rolling, and the roller at the connecting position 2-410 is in a stationary state. After the full material box 2-500 is placed, the connecting position 2-410 is instructed to start rolling, and cooperates with the conveying section 2-420 to send the full material box 2-500 to the next processing link, such as outbound or review and packaging workstation; when the empty material box 2-500 is transported to the connecting position 2-410, the roller at the connecting position 2-410 stops rolling. After the handling robot 2-300 takes away the empty material box 2-500, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 transports the next empty material box 2-500 to the connecting position 2-410 to wait for the handling robot 2-300 to pick it up.

[0273] The conveying section 2-420 may be provided with a photoelectric sensor in the area adjacent to the downstream docking position 2-410. When a full material box 2-500 is being placed at the downstream docking position 2-410 or an empty material box 2-500 is placed on the docking position, the roller at the docking position 2-410 is in a stationary state, and the area on the conveying section 2-420 away from the docking position 2-410 remains in a rolling state. When the photoelectric sensor detects that a material box 2-500 is transported to the area adjacent to the downstream docking position 2-410, the adjacent area carrying the material box 2-500 stops rolling. After the docking position 2-410 starts rolling, the adjacent area carrying the material box 2-500 also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box 2-500.

[0274] It should be noted that when the docking position 2-410 stops rolling, the sorting system only suspends the transportation of the loading box 2-500 in the partial area adjacent to the docking position 2-410 on the conveying section 2-420 upstream of the docking position 2-410, and does not affect the transportation of the loading box 2-500 in the partial area on the conveying section 2-420 far away from the docking position 2-410.

[0275] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 are independent of each other and cooperate with each other. When the docking position 2-410 needs to receive a full material box 2-500 or the handling robot 2-300 needs to take away an empty material box 2-500, the stillness of the docking position 2-410 will not affect the transmission of the material box 2-500 already on the conveying section 2-420 by the conveying section 2-420, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400.

[0276] In the embodiment shown in Figure 23a, as shown in Figure 23a and Figure 24, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 includes a full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 and an empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; the transport robot 2-300 is configured to transport the full material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200 to the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430, or to transport the empty material box 2-500 on the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 to the shelf 2-200.

[0277] Specifically, a row of material box docking conveyor lines 2-400 includes a full material box docking conveyor line 2-430 and an empty material box docking conveyor line 2-440; the specific structures of the full material box docking conveyor line 2-430 and the empty material box docking conveyor line 2-440 are the same, and both are composed of one or more docking positions 2-410 and conveying sections 2-420.

[0278] The full bin connecting conveyor line 2-430 can be arranged above or below the empty bin connecting conveyor line 2-440. This application does not limit the upper and lower positional relationship between the full bin connecting conveyor line 2-430 and the empty bin connecting conveyor line 2-440. As shown in Figures 23a and 24, the full bin connecting conveyor line 2-430 is arranged above the empty bin connecting conveyor line 2-440, and a gap is left between the two conveyor lines to provide appropriate space for the empty bin connecting conveyor line 2-440 to transport the empty bins 2-500.

[0279] As shown in Figure 24, as the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 extends in the direction away from the shelf 2-200, the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 separate and extend to different workstations. The full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 transports the full material box 2-500 to the review and packaging workstation, and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 extends to the empty material box transfer station and transports the empty material box 2-500 at the empty material box transfer station to the docking position 2-410 of the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440, so that the handling robot 2-300 can take it away and replenish it on the empty material box grid 211.

[0280] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is divided into a full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 and an empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 which are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction, so that the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 have clear division of labor, and the two tasks of transporting the full material box 2-500 to the next processing link and transporting the empty material box 2-500 to the docking position 2-410 can be carried out simultaneously, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400; after the handling robot 2-300 places the full material box 2-500 on the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430, it can then take away the empty material box 2-500 on the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440, thereby simplifying the moving route of the handling robot 2-300 and improving the working efficiency of the handling robot 2-300.

[0281] In the embodiment shown in Figure 23a, as shown in Figures 23a to 23d, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is set on the side of the shelf 2-200 away from the sorting mechanism 2-100; wherein, the connecting position 2-410 of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 2-200 and spaced apart.

[0282] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23a to FIG. 23d, the two rows of material box connecting conveyor lines 2-400 are correspondingly arranged on the outside of the two rows of shelves 2-200, that is, on the side away from the sorting mechanism 2-100.

[0283] It should be noted that Figures 23a to 23d only show that the layout direction of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 is parallel to the length direction of the shelf 2-200. The actual layout of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 needs to be determined according to the specific scenario. The docking position 2-410 needs to be set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 2-200 for the handling robot 2-300 to pick up and place the material box 2-500 at the docking position 2-410. The conveying section 2-420 can be arranged according to the location of the processing link to which the full material box 2-500 is to be transported and the location of the empty material box replenishment station. This application does not limit this.

[0284] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 is set on the outside of the shelf 2-200, and the docking position 2-410 is set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 2-200 and spaced apart, without occupying the space of the shelf 2-200. More material box openings 2-211 can be set on the shelf 2-200, thereby improving the sorting capacity of the sorting system.

[0285] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23a , as shown in FIG. 23a to FIG. 23d , the shelf 2-200 includes: a plurality of beams 2-230 arranged in a vertical direction; so that the transport robot 2-300 is installed on the outside of the shelf 2-200 based on the beams 2-230.

[0286] Specifically, multiple transport robots 2-300 are mounted on the crossbeams 2-230 outside the two rows of shelves 2-200. The multiple transport robots 2-300 slide along the crossbeams 2-230, achieving horizontal movement along the shelves 2-200. This allows the multiple transport robots 2-300 to simultaneously pick up and place bins between the shelves 2-200 and the bin transfer conveyor line 2-400, thereby improving transport efficiency. Specific coordination methods are described below.

[0287] In the embodiment shown in Figure 23a, referring to Figures 25a to 25d, Figure 25a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the transport robot shown in Figure 23a; Figure 25b is a schematic diagram of the front view of the transport robot shown in Figure 23a; Figure 25c is a schematic diagram of the top view of the transport robot shown in Figure 23a; and Figure 25d is a schematic diagram of the side view of the transport robot shown in Figure 23a.

[0288] As shown in FIG. 25a to FIG. 25c , the transport robot 2 - 300 includes: a column gantry 2 - 310, a transport mechanism 2 - 320 and at least one sliding guide rail 2 - 330.

[0289] The column door frame 2-310 is installed along the vertical direction of the shelf 2-200.

[0290] The transport mechanism 2-320 is provided on the column gantry 2-310 and is used to pick up and place the shelves 2-200 or the material boxes 2-500 at different heights on the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0291] At least one sliding guide rail 2-330 is fixedly mounted on the crossbeam 2-230; the column gantry 2-310 is slidably connected to the at least one sliding guide rail 2-330 so that the column gantry 2-310 and the transport mechanism 2-320 can slide horizontally along the crossbeam 2-230 to pick up and place different material boxes 2-500 in the length direction of the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0292] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23a and FIG. 23b , the transport robot 2-300 is fixed on the shelf 2-200 by two sliding rails 2-330 spaced apart from each other. The transport robot 2-300 can move along the length direction of the shelf 2-200 based on the two sliding rails 2-330.

[0293] Using the embodiment of the present application, the handling robot 2-300 can move horizontally along the length of the shelf 2-200 to pick up and place the various bins 2-500 along the length of the shelf 2-200 or the bins 2-500 at the docking position 2-410 of the bin docking conveyor line 2-400. In addition, the picking component 2-322 of the handling robot 2-300 can move up and down along the height of the shelf 2-200 or the bin docking conveyor line 2-400 to pick up and place bins 2-500 at different height storage layers 2-210 on the shelf 2-200, full bin docking conveyor line 2-430, or empty bin docking conveyor line 2-440. The specific method of picking up and placing the bins 2-500 is described in detail below.

[0294] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23 a , as shown in FIG. 25 a to FIG. 25 d , the transport mechanism 2 - 320 of the transport robot 2 - 300 includes a lifting component 2 - 321 and a picking component 2 - 322 .

[0295] The lifting component 2-321 is set on the column door frame 2-310 and is configured to drive the picking component 2-322 to move in the vertical direction.

[0296] The picking component 2-322 is installed on the lifting component 2-321, and is configured to face the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400, extend the column door frame 2-310 to pick up and place the material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0297] Specifically, the column gantry 2-310 includes two door columns 2-311, and the lifting component 2-321 can drive the picking component 2-322 to move up and down in the vertical direction of the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 through a driving motor arranged on the column gantry 2-310, a driving wheel and a driven wheel arranged on the top and bottom of the two door columns 2-311, and two synchronous belts arranged on the driving wheel and the driven wheel.

[0298] The forms of the picking component 2-322 include but are not limited to fork arm type, suction cup type, roller type, hook arm type, etc.

[0299] The picking component 2-322 can be installed on a synchronous belt, and the picking component 2-322 can include a telescopic structure with a bidirectional telescopic direction. It can move toward the shelf 2-200 or move away from the shelf 2-200, and extend into the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 through the telescopic structure to pick up and place the material box 2-500.

[0300] By applying the embodiments of the present application, the handling robot 2-300 can, based on the sliding guide rail 2-330, realize picking up and placing the material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200 or the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 in the horizontal direction; and can, based on the lifting component 2-321, realize picking up and placing the material box 2-500 on the storage layer 2-210 of different heights on the shelf 2-200, the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 or the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 in the vertical direction.

[0301] The following is a detailed description of the handling robot 2-300 picking up and placing the material box 2-500 based on the embodiment shown in Figure 23a.

[0302] Specifically, the control device of the sorting system can control the operation of the sorting mechanism 2-100, the transport robot 2-300 and the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0303] The process of transporting a full container of 2-500 includes the following steps:

[0304] In step A, the transport robot 2-300 moves along the length direction of the shelf 2-200 to the row where the target full box 2-500 is located based on the sliding guide rail 2-330.

[0305] Step B: the lifting component 2-321 drives the picking component 2-322 to move along the height direction of the shelf 2-200 to the row where the target full box 2-500 is located.

[0306] Among them, the execution order of step A and step B is not particular, and step A can be executed first, and then step B; or step B can be executed first, and the picking component 2-322 moves to the row where the target material box 2-500 is located, and then step A is executed, and the transport robot 300 moves to the column where the target full material box 2-500 is located based on the sliding guide rail 2-330; step A and step B can also be executed at the same time, and the movement of the picking component 2-322 in the vertical direction and the movement of the transport robot 2-300 in the horizontal direction are carried out simultaneously.

[0307] Step C, the picking component 2-322 extends toward the full material box 2-500 under the action of the telescopic structure, and retracts after picking up the full material box 2-500.

[0308] In step D, the picking assembly 2-322 carries the full container 2-500 and moves to the docking position 2-410 of the full container docking conveyor line 2-430 using the sliding guide rail 2-330 and the lifting assembly 2-321. The horizontal movement using the sliding guide rail 2-330 and the vertical movement using the lifting assembly 2-321 can be performed simultaneously, thereby improving the transfer efficiency of the handling robot 2-300.

[0309] In step E, the picking component 2-322 extends toward the docking position 2-410 of the full-box docking conveyor line 2-430 under the action of the telescopic structure, and places the full box 2-500 on the docking position 2-410.

[0310] The subsequent working process of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is: the full material box connecting conveyor line 2-430 transports the full material box 2-500 to the next processing link, and at the same time the control equipment issues an instruction to replenish the empty material box 2-500 for the empty material box slot 2-211 of the shelf 2-200, and the empty material box connecting conveyor line 2-440 carries out the work of transporting the empty material box 2-500.

[0311] The process of transporting the empty bin 2-500 includes the following steps:

[0312] In step F, based on the sliding guide rail 2-330 and the lifting assembly 2-321, the picking assembly 2-322 moves to the front of the docking position 2-410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 2-440.

[0313] In step G, the picking component 2-322 is extended toward the docking position 2-410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 2-440 under the action of the telescopic structure, and is retracted after picking up the empty material box 2-500.

[0314] Step H, based on the sliding guide rail 2-330 and the lifting component 2-321, the picking component 2-322 moves to the front of the empty material box opening 2-211.

[0315] Step I: The picking component 2-322 extends toward the empty material box opening 2-211 under the action of the telescopic structure, places the empty material box 2-500 on the empty material box opening 2-211, and then retracts it.

[0316] The workflow of the subsequent bin connection conveyor line 2-400 is as follows: after the handling robot 2-300 takes away the empty bin 2-500, the control device controls the empty bin connection conveyor line 2-440 to continue to transport the next empty bin 2-500 to the connection position 2-410 to be picked up by the handling robot 2-300.

[0317] After the transport robot 2-300 completes step E, it can directly move the picking component 2-322 to the docking position 2-410 of the empty material box docking conveyor line 2-440 based on the lifting component 2-321, and then execute steps G to step I to complete the picking and placing of the material box 2-500.

[0318] By using the embodiment of the present application, only the handling robot 2-300 is connected to the shelf 2-200 and the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400, replacing the manual operation of removing full material boxes and replenishing empty material boxes, thereby realizing the automation of the material box flow of the sorting system, and improving the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box changing method. In addition, by replacing the manual operation of changing boxes for the shelf 2-200 with the handling robot 2-300, the design height of the shelf 2-200 breaks through the height limit of the staff, expands the number of material box openings 2-211 that can be configured on the shelf 2-200, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. In addition, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 can transport empty material boxes 2-500 toward the shelf 2-200, or transport full material boxes 2-500 in a direction away from the shelf 2-200, realizing the automatic transmission of empty material boxes 2-500 and full material boxes 2-500, further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0319] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 23 a , the sorting mechanism 2 - 100 is disposed between two rows of shelves 2 - 200 , and is capable of receiving goods to be sorted and transporting the goods to be sorted to the material boxes 2 - 500 of the shelves 2 - 200 .

[0320] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 23a to FIG. 23d, the sorting mechanism 2-100 includes: an infeed table 2-110, a lifting mechanism 2-120, a guide mechanism 2-130 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140.

[0321] The lifting mechanism 2-120 is set at both ends of the shelf 2-200 to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf 2-200.

[0322] The induction table 2-110 is arranged on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism 2-120 and docked with the lifting mechanism 2-120.

[0323] The guide mechanism 2-130 is set between two rows of shelves 2-200, and includes multiple shuttle rails 2-131 corresponding to the height of each storage layer 2-210. The shuttle rails 2-131 are connected to the lifting mechanism 2-120 to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf 2-200.

[0324] The shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 is used to switch between shuttle guide rails 2-131 at different heights through the lifting mechanism 2-120, and sort the goods to be sorted at the infeed table 2-110 into the material boxes 2-500 with material box openings 2-211 at different heights, and to sort the goods to be sorted at the infeed table 2-110 into the material boxes 2-500 with different material box openings 2-211 in the length direction through the guiding mechanism 2-130.

[0325] Specifically, the induction table 2-110 can be connected to the cargo conveyor line, and the cargo conveyor line transports the goods to be sorted to the induction table 2-110, or the staff can put the goods to be sorted on the induction table 2-110 for the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 to pick up the goods.

[0326] The control device is in communication connection with the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140, and the control device can send instructions to control the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 to drop each to-be-sorted cargo into the corresponding material box 2-500.

[0327] The control device is communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism 2-120. The control device can send instructions to control the lifting mechanism 2-120 to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 to move along the height direction of the shelf 2-200 to the height of the storage layer 2-210 where the corresponding material box 2-500 is located. The shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 continues to move along the shuttle guide rail 2-131 at the storage layer 2-210 where the corresponding material box 2-500 is located to the corresponding material box 2-500, and puts the goods into the material box 2-500.

[0328] The above operation is repeated continuously. When a bin 2-500 on shelf 2-200 is filled with goods, or the goods on the order bound to the bin 2-500 have all been sorted, the bin 2-500 is considered to be full. The control device communicates with the transport robot 2-300 and controls the transport robot 2-300 to move the full bin 2-500 on shelf 2-200 to the docking position 2-410 of the full bin docking conveyor line 2-430. The full bin docking conveyor line 2-430 transports the full bin out of the sorting system. The transport robot 2-300 then moves the empty bin 2-500 from the docking position 2-410 of the empty bin docking conveyor line 2-440 to the empty bin slot 2-211 on shelf 2-200.

[0329] By using the embodiment of the present application, the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 is moved in the height and length directions of the shelves 2-200 through the lifting mechanism 2-120 and the guide mechanism 2-130. The sorting mechanism 2-100 is arranged between two rows of shelves 2-200, which can save space and improve space utilization. The shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 can take care of the order sorting of the loading bins 2-500 of the two rows of shelves 2-200 through the shuttle guide 2-131, thereby improving the efficiency of the sorting system.

[0330] As mentioned above, in the third sorting system shown in Figure 23a, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 is set on the side of the shelf 2-200 away from the sorting mechanism 2-100. In other embodiments of the sorting system, the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 can be set at one end of the shelf 2-200 in the length direction.

[0331] The fourth sorting system provided in the embodiments of the present application is described in detail below. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing boxes is a transport robot 2-300; the conveying equipment capable of transporting boxes to the shelves 2-200 on both sides of the sorting mechanism 2-100 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 2-200 is a box transfer conveyor line 2-400.

[0332] Referring to Figure 26, which is a top view of a fourth sorting system of the present application, in the fourth sorting system of the present application, a bin connection conveyor line 2-400 is disposed at one end of a shelf 2-200 in the longitudinal direction; a receiving space 2-220 is disposed at the bottom of the shelf 2-200 near one end of the bin connection conveyor line 2-400; and a connection position 2-410 of the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 extends into the receiving space 2-220.

[0333] Specifically, in this embodiment, the number of lifting mechanisms 2-120 is 1, and the two rows of material box connecting conveyor lines 2-400 are respectively arranged at the ends of the two rows of shelves 2-200 away from the lifting mechanisms 2-120, and their respective connecting positions 2-410 are respectively arranged at the bottom accommodating space 2-220 of the two rows of shelves 2-200.

[0334] In order to provide an accommodation space 2-220 for the docking position 2-410, the shelf 2-200 can be raised so that its bottom is high enough to accommodate the docking position 2-410.

[0335] If the shelf 2-200 is not raised, the length of one or two storage layers 2-210 at the bottom of the shelf 2-200 that may interfere with the material box connection conveyor line 2-400 can also be shortened, that is, the bottom one or two storage layers 2-210 are shortened toward the lifting mechanism 2-120, and two columns are set at the shortened end for support. These two columns and the two columns of the shelf 2-200 close to the material box connection conveyor line 2-400 form an accommodating space 2-220, thereby accommodating the docking position 2-410.

[0336] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the docking position 2-410 of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400 is set at the bottom of the shelf 2-200, which can save the distance of the transport robot 2-300 moving to the docking position 2-410, improve the efficiency of the transport robot 2-300 in taking and placing the material box 2-500, and improve the sorting capacity of the sorting system; save the deployment area area of ​​the sorting system and improve space utilization.

[0337] In addition, in the fourth sorting system, except for the number of lifting mechanisms 2-120, the setting position of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 and the structure of the shelf 2-200, the structure of the remaining sorting mechanisms 2-100, the structure and installation method of the handling robot 2-300, and the structure of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 can be exactly the same as the sorting mechanism 2-100, the handling robot 2-300 and the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 in the third sorting system shown in Figure 23a, and will not be repeated here.

[0338] That is to say, the main differences between the fourth sorting system shown in FIG26 and the third sorting system shown in FIG23a are the number of lifting mechanisms 2-120, the location of the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 and the structure of the shelf 2-200, and the other settings can be consistent.

[0339] In actual applications, whether the third or fourth sorting system described above, or variations of the two embodiments described above, is employed, the transport robot 2-300 can automatically transfer bins 2-500 between the shelf 2-200 and the bin transfer conveyor line 2-400, thereby achieving automatic replacement of bins 2-500 in the sorting system. This improves sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the replacement of bins by the transport robot 2-300, instead of manual replacement, allows the height of the shelf 2-200 to exceed the height limit of the staff, expands the number of bin slots 2-211 that can be configured on the shelf 2-200, and improves the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. Furthermore, the bin transfer conveyor line 2-400 can transport empty bins 2-500 toward the shelf 2-200 or transport full bins 2-500 away from the shelf 2-200, achieving automatic transfer of empty and full bins 2-500, further improving the overall operational efficiency of the sorting system.

[0340] Then, the second sorting method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0341] The second sorting method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to a control device, which is communicatively connected with the sorting mechanism 2-100, the handling robot 2-300 and the material box connecting conveyor line 2-400 in the aforementioned sorting system.

[0342] See FIG. 27 , which is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the second sorting method provided by this application; the flow includes the following steps:

[0343] Step S500, instructing the container connecting conveyor line to start, so that the container connecting conveyor line can convey empty containers toward the shelf and convey full containers away from the shelf;

[0344] Step S510, instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the shelves;

[0345] Step S520: When there is a full box on the shelf, instruct the transport robot to move the full box on the shelf to the box connection conveyor line;

[0346] Specifically, a full bin 2-500 is a bin 2-500 that is completely filled with goods or has all goods from a bound order sorted. In actual use, the control device records the amount of goods stored in each bin 2-500. In this step, based on this record, whether each bin 2-500 is full can be determined.

[0347] Step S530: When at least one bin opening on the shelf is vacant, instruct the transport robot to move the empty bin on the bin connection conveyor line to the vacant bin opening on the shelf.

[0348] Specifically, in actual application, the control device will record the status of each material box 2-500 and the material box opening 2-211. In this step, based on this record, it is determined whether each material box opening 2-211 is idle.

[0349] This embodiment is applied to the aforementioned sorting system. By instructing a transport robot 2-300 to move a full bin 2-500 on shelf 2-200 to a bin connection conveyor line 2-400, and then to move an empty bin 2-500 on the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 to an unoccupied bin slot 2-211 on shelf 2-200, the method achieves automatic bin replacement within the sorting system. This improves sorting efficiency and accuracy compared to manual bin replacement. Furthermore, the fact that the transport robot 2-300 replaces manual bin replacement allows the shelf 2-200 to be raised above the height limit of staff, expanding the number of bin slots 2-211 that can be configured on the shelf 2-200 and improving the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system. Furthermore, the method instructs the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 to convey the empty bin 2-500 toward the shelf 2-200 and to convey the full bin 2-500 in a direction away from the shelf 2-200, thereby realizing the automatic transmission of the empty bin 2-500 and the full bin 2-500 and further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0350] It should be noted that, in actual applications, step S520 and step S530 can be executed in parallel. As long as the conditions are met that there is a full material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200, or at least one material box opening 2-211 of the shelf 2-200 is idle, step S520 and step S530 can be executed separately. The order in which the steps are executed is not restricted here.

[0351] In some embodiments, the bin connection conveyor line 2-400 shown in FIG24 includes a full bin connection conveyor line 2-430 and an empty bin connection conveyor line 2-440 spaced apart in the vertical direction. Referring to FIG28 , FIG28 is a flow chart of a second embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application; the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0352] Step S501, instructing the full bin connecting conveyor line and the empty bin connecting conveyor line of the bin connecting conveyor line to start, so that the empty bin connecting conveyor line can convey empty bins toward the shelf, and the full bin connecting conveyor line can convey full bins away from the shelf;

[0353] Step S510, instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the shelves;

[0354] Step S521: When there is a full box on the shelf, instruct the transport robot to move the full box on the shelf to the full box connecting conveyor line;

[0355] Step S531: When at least one bin opening on the shelf is vacant, instruct the transport robot to connect the empty bin on the conveyor line and move it to the vacant bin opening on the shelf.

[0356] In actual applications, step S521 and step S531 can be executed in parallel. As long as the conditions are met that there is a full material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200, or at least one material box opening 2-211 of the shelf 2-200 is idle, step S521 and step S531 can be executed respectively. The order in which the steps are executed is not restricted here.

[0357] In this embodiment, by instructing the transport robot 2-300 to move the full box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200 to the full box connecting conveyor line 2-430, and move the empty box 2-500 on the empty box connecting conveyor line 2-440 to the vacant box slot 2-211 on the shelf 2-200, the full box connecting conveyor line 2-430 and the empty box connecting conveyor line 2-440 are clearly divided into two tasks, and the two tasks of transporting the full box 2-500 to the next processing link and transporting the empty box 2-500 to the docking position 2-410 can be carried out simultaneously, further improving the working efficiency of the box connecting conveyor line 2-400.

[0358] In some embodiments, the bin docking conveyor line 2-400 is provided with one or more docking positions 2-410, and the portion other than the docking positions 2-410 is a conveying section 2-420. Referring to FIG. 29 , FIG. 29 is a flow chart of a third embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application; the flow chart includes the following steps:

[0359] Step S502: Instructing the container docking conveyor line to start, so that the conveying section of the container docking conveyor line can convey empty containers to the docking position, and receive full containers conveyed by the docking position and convey them in a direction away from the shelf; and the docking position can convey full containers to the conveying section;

[0360] Step S510, instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the shelves;

[0361] Step S522: When there is a full box on the shelf, instruct the transport robot to move the full box on the shelf to a docking position;

[0362] Step S532: When at least one bin opening on the shelf is vacant, instruct the transport robot to move the empty bin on the docking position to the vacant bin opening on the shelf.

[0363] In specific implementation, the start and stop of the docking position 2-410 can be independently controlled by the control device to cooperate with the transport robot 2-300, so that the transport robot 2-300 can pick up and place the material box 2-500 on the docking position 2-410 when the docking position 2-410 is in a stopped rolling state.

[0364] In actual applications, step S522 and step S532 can be executed in parallel. As long as the conditions are met that there is a full material box 2-500 on the shelf 2-200, or at least one material box opening 2-211 of the shelf 2-200 is idle, step S522 and step S532 can be executed respectively. The order in which the steps are executed is not restricted here.

[0365] In this embodiment, the docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 can cooperate to carry out the transmission of the material box 2-500. The conveying section 2-420 can transport the empty material box 2-500 to the docking position 2-410, and receive the full material box 2-500 transported by the docking position 2-410 and then transport it in the direction away from the shelf 2-200. The docking position 2-410 can transport the full material box 2-500 to the conveying section 2-420; the docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 can also work independently of each other. Please see the subsequent description for details.

[0366] In some embodiments, referring to FIG30 , FIG30 is a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of the second sorting method provided by the present application; the flow includes the following steps:

[0367] Step S502: Instructing the container docking conveyor line to start, so that the conveying section of the container docking conveyor line can convey empty containers to the docking position, and receive full containers conveyed by the docking position and convey them in a direction away from the shelf; and the docking position can convey full containers to the conveying section;

[0368] Step S510, instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the shelves;

[0369] Step S5221: When the transport robot needs to place a full container at a docking station, the transport robot instructs the docking station to stop rolling;

[0370] Step S5222: After the transport robot places the full container at the docking station, the transport robot instructs the docking station to start rolling and cooperates with the conveying section to transport the full container away from the shelf.

[0371] Step S5223, when the material box on the conveying section is transported to the area adjacent to the docking position, and the docking position is in a stopped rolling state, based on the photoelectric sensor set on the conveying section, the area of ​​the conveying section carrying the material box is triggered to stop rolling. After the docking position starts rolling, the area carrying the material box also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box.

[0372] Step S5321: If an empty container is parked at the docking station, instruct the docking station to stop rolling;

[0373] Step S5322: If there is no empty container at the docking location, instruct the conveying section to transport the empty container to the docking location;

[0374] Step S5323: After the handling robot takes the empty material box away from the docking position, it instructs the docking position to start rolling and instructs the conveying section to transport the next empty material box to the docking position.

[0375] In this embodiment, the docking position 2-410 and the conveying section 2-420 can work independently of each other. When the docking position 2-410 needs to receive a full material box 2-500 or the handling robot 2-300 needs to take away an empty material box 2-500, the stillness of the docking position 2-410 will not affect the conveying section 2-420's transmission of the material box 2-500 already on the conveying section 2-420, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box docking conveyor line 2-400.

[0376] In some embodiments, the sorting mechanism 2-100 includes: an infeed 2-110, a lifting mechanism 2-120, a guide mechanism 2-130, and a shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140; the guide mechanism 2-130 includes a plurality of shuttle guide rails 2-131; and the control device is further communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism 2-120 and the shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140. In this case, step S510 shown in FIG. 27 may specifically be:

[0377] When the shuttle sorting vehicle moves to one end of the shelf, the lifting mechanism is instructed to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf; the shuttle sorting vehicle is instructed to switch between shuttle guide rails at different heights through the lifting mechanism; the goods to be sorted at the induction platform are sorted into material boxes with material box openings at different heights, and the guide mechanism is used to sort the goods to be sorted at the induction platform into material boxes with different material box openings in the length direction.

[0378] In this embodiment, a sorting mechanism 2-100 having a lifting mechanism 2-120, a guiding mechanism 2-130 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 2-140 is used, which can achieve rapid sorting of goods in the length direction and the height direction, further improving the sorting efficiency.

[0379] The present application also provides a control device. The control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism, handling robot, and bin connection conveyor line in any of the aforementioned sorting systems. See Figure 31, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second control device provided in the present application. As shown in Figure 31, the control device includes:

[0380] Memory 901, used for storing computer programs;

[0381] The processor 902 is configured to implement the steps of the above-mentioned sorting method when executing the program stored in the memory 901. The method includes:

[0382] Instructing the container docking conveyor line to start, so that the container docking conveyor line can convey empty containers toward the shelf and convey full containers away from the shelf;

[0383] Instructing the sorting mechanism to receive the goods to be sorted and to deliver the goods to be sorted to the unfilled bins on the shelves;

[0384] When there is a full box on the shelf, instruct the transport robot to move the full box on the shelf to the box connection conveyor line;

[0385] When at least one bin opening on the shelf is vacant, the transport robot is instructed to move the empty bin on the bin docking conveyor line to the vacant bin opening on the shelf.

[0386] Furthermore, the electronic device may further include a communication bus and / or a communication interface, and the processor 902 , the communication interface, and the memory 901 communicate with each other via the communication bus.

[0387] In addition, the above-mentioned control device can be implemented by a computer and can also include a communication module, such as a wired network card or a wireless network card for communicating with the handling robot and the tallying robot.

[0388] The communication bus mentioned in the electronic device mentioned above may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. This communication bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in the figure, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0389] The communication interface is used for communication between the above electronic device and other devices.

[0390] The memory may include random access memory (RAM) or non-volatile memory (NVM), such as at least one disk storage. Alternatively, the memory may be at least one storage device located away from the processor.

[0391] The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, and discrete hardware components.

[0392] In another embodiment provided in the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is further provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the above-mentioned picking methods are implemented.

[0393] In another embodiment provided by the present application, a computer program product including instructions is also provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any one of the picking methods in the above embodiments.

[0394] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When software is used for implementation, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from a website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrations. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0395] In order to improve sorting efficiency, the sorting system can be equipped with multiple sorting devices. If one robot is responsible for replacing the material box on one device, it will lead to low robot utilization and high cost of the sorting system.

[0396] The fifth sorting system provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing boxes is the box changing robot 3-200; the transmission device capable of transporting boxes to the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 3-120 is the transfer robot 3-300A.

[0397] 32a to 32c, FIG32a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the fifth sorting system of the present application; FIG32b is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG32a; and FIG32c is a schematic front view of the sorting device shown in FIG32a.

[0398] As shown in FIG. 32a to FIG. 32c , the sorting system includes: at least two sorting devices 3 - 100 , a box-changing robot 3 - 200 and a material box transport device 3 - 300 .

[0399] At least two sorting devices 3-100 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and a box-changing robot channel 3-400 is formed between the two parallel and adjacent sorting devices 3-100; each sorting device 3-100 can sort the received goods to be sorted into various material boxes 3-500.

[0400] At least two sorting devices 3-100 are provided with a storage area for storing the bins 3-500 and a docking area 3-140 for docking with the bin transport device 3-300.

[0401] The container transport device 3-300 is used to transport an empty container 3-500 to the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100, or to transport a full container 3-500 located in the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100 to the outside of the sorting device 3-100.

[0402] The box-changing robot 3-200 is mounted on any sorting device 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400 and can travel along the box-changing robot channel 3-400. It is used to transport the empty boxes 3-500 in the docking area 3-140 of the two sorting devices 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400 to the storage area of ​​the sorting device 3-100, or to transport the full boxes 3-500 in the storage area to the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100.

[0403] It should be noted that there are multiple sorting devices 3-100 in the sorting system. As long as there are two sorting devices 3-100 that meet the above-mentioned parallel spacing setting, and the material boxes 3-500 are transported by a common box changing robot 3-200, it will be sufficient.

[0404] The embodiment of the present application provides such a sorting system, wherein the box-changing robot 3-200 is mounted on any of the sorting devices 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400 and can travel along the box-changing robot channel 3-400. The system is used to transport the empty bins 3-500 in the docking area 3-140 of the two sorting devices 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400 to the storage area of ​​the sorting device 3-100, or to transport the full bins 3-500 in the storage area to the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100. This improves the utilization rate of the box-changing robot 3-200, reduces the cost of the sorting system, and realizes the automatic replacement of the bins of the sorting system. Compared with the manual box-changing method, the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy are improved. In addition, the box-changing robot replaces the manual box-changing method, which can make the height of the sorting equipment exceed the height limit of the staff, thereby improving the storage capacity, sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0405] The bin transport device 3-300 is used to transport the empty bin 3-500 to the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100, or to transport the full bin 3-500 located in the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100 to the outside of the sorting device 3-100, thereby realizing the automatic transmission of the empty bin 3-500 and the full bin 3-500, and further improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0406] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 32 a , as shown in FIG. 32 a to FIG. 32 c , the sorting device 3 - 100 includes: a picking mechanism 3 - 110 and a shelf 3 - 120 .

[0407] The shelves 3-120 are arranged in two rows. The storage area is located on the shelves 3-120. Multiple storage layers 3-121 are arranged vertically at intervals. The multiple storage layers 3-121 are used to store containers 3-500 to be loaded. Each storage layer 3-121 is divided into multiple storage locations 3-1211, and each storage location 3-1211 is used to store a container 3-500 to be loaded.

[0408] The picking mechanism 3-110 is set between two rows of shelves 3-120, and is used to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to the various material boxes 3-500 of the shelves 3-120.

[0409] The box-changing robot 3-200 is mounted on the shelf 3-120 of any sorting device 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400, away from the picking mechanism 3-110. The box-changing robot 3-200 is used to transport the empty boxes 3-500 in the docking area 3-140 to the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120, or to transport the full boxes 3-500 in the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the docking area 3-140 for the two shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400.

[0410] Of the two shelves 3-120 of each sorting device 3-100, if only one shelf 3-120 is adjacent to the box-changing robot channel 3-400, at least one box-changing robot 3-200 is hung on the other shelf 3-120, away from the picking mechanism 3-110.

[0411] As shown in Figure 32c, the sorting system in the embodiment of the present application includes two sorting devices 3-100, and a box-changing robot channel 3-400 is formed between the two sorting devices 3-100. A box-changing robot 3-200 is provided in the box-changing robot channel 3-400. The box-changing robot 3-200 is hung on the shelf 3-120 of the sorting device 3-100 on one side of the box-changing robot channel 3-400, and is used to pick up and place the material boxes 3-500 on the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400.

[0412] It should be noted that, in the embodiment shown in FIG32c, only one box-changing robot 3-200 is provided in the box-changing robot channel 3-400.

[0413] Multiple box-changing robots 3-200 may also be provided in the box-changing robot channel 3-400, mounted on the shelves 3-120 of any of the sorting devices 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400, each responsible for picking up and placing the boxes 3-500 in a portion of the area on the two shelves 3-120, so as to improve the box-changing efficiency and avoid the avoidance between the box-changing robots 3-200. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG32a, two box-changing robots 3-200 are provided in the box-changing robot channel 3-400, mounted on the shelves 3-120 of the two sorting devices 3-100, respectively. A box-changing robot 3-200 is provided on each of the shelves 3-120 on the side of the two sorting devices 3-100 away from the box-changing robot channel 3-400, and the box-changing robot 3-200 is responsible for picking up and placing the boxes 3-500 on the shelf 3-120 and its docking area 3-140.

[0414] In the embodiment of the present application, the picking mechanism 3-110 is set between two rows of shelves 3-120 to pick up goods, and the box-changing robot 3-200 is set in the box-changing robot channel 3-400 to pick up and place the material boxes 3-500, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the sorting system. The box-changing robot 3-200 set in the box-changing robot channel 3-400 can pick up and place the material boxes 3-500 on the shelves 3-120 of the two sorting devices 3-100 and the docking area 3-140, thereby improving the utilization rate of the box-changing robot 3-200. The box-changing robot 3-200 is also hung on the shelf 3-120 of the sorting device 3-100 that is not adjacent to the box-changing robot channel 3-400, ensuring that the material boxes 3-500 on all shelves 3-120 in the sorting system can be automatically changed.

[0415] In the embodiment shown in FIG32a, as shown in FIG32a to FIG32c, the docking area 3-140 is located below the bottom storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 and is provided with a docking layer 3-122 for temporarily storing full or empty bins 3-500. The docking layer 3-122 is divided into a plurality of docking positions 3-1221; each docking position 3-1221 is used to temporarily store a full or empty bin 3-500.

[0416] The material box transport equipment 3-300 is a transfer robot 3-300A; the transfer robot 3-300A is used to transport the empty material box 3-500 to the docking layer 3-122, or to transport the full material box 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 to the outside of the sorting equipment 3-100.

[0417] The box changing robot 3-200 is used to move a full box 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the docking layer 3-122, or to move an empty box 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 of the shelf 3-120 to the storage layer 3-121.

[0418] Specifically, the box changing robot 3-200 is used to move along the box changing robot channel 3-400 to transport the full box 3-500 on the storage position 3-1211 of the shelf 3-120 to the empty docking position 3-1221, or to transport the empty box 3-500 on the docking position 3-1221 to the empty storage position 3-1211.

[0419] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to move along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to transport the empty material box 3-500 outside the sorting equipment 3-100 to the empty docking position 3-1221, or to transport the full material box 3-500 in the docking position 3-1221 to the outside of the sorting equipment 3-100.

[0420] The box-changing robot channel 3-400 is a two-way channel, and the transfer robot channel 3-700 partially overlaps with the box-changing robot channel 3-400. The box-changing robot 3-200 is hung on the shelf 3-120 with a preset distance from the ground, so that the box-changing robot 3-200 and the transfer robot 3-300A do not interfere with each other in the overlapping part of the above two channels, and can move and put the material box 3-500 at the same time, thereby improving the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0421] By using the embodiment of the present application, the box-changing robot 3-200 picks up and places the material box 3-500 between the storage bin 3-1211 and the docking layer 3-122, and the transfer robot 3-300A transports the material box 3-500 between the docking layer 3-122 and the outside of the sorting device 3-100, thereby realizing the automatic replacement of the material box 3-500 of the sorting system, and improving the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box-changing method. The docking layer 3-122 is set, and the transfer robot 3-300A and the box-changing robot 3-200 are both docked with the docking layer 3-122 to pick up and place the material box 3-500. Compared with the direct docking of the transfer robot 3-300A and the box-changing robot 3-200, the transmission efficiency of the material box 3-500 in the sorting system can be improved, thereby improving the overall operating efficiency of the sorting system.

[0422] In the embodiment shown in FIG32a, referring to FIG33 and FIG34, FIG33 is a top view of the docking layer shown in FIG32a; FIG34 is a perspective view of the transfer robot shown in FIG32a. As shown in FIG32a, FIG33 and FIG34, a through slot 3-1222 is provided at the bottom of the docking position 3-1221 for the transfer robot 3-300A to pick up and place the material box 3-500 on the docking position 3-1221 based on the through slot 3-1222.

[0423] The transfer robot 3-300A includes: a walking mechanism 3-310 and a lifting mechanism 3-320; the lifting mechanism 3-320 is arranged on the top of the walking mechanism 3-310.

[0424] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to move the walking mechanism 3-310 to drive the lifting mechanism 3-320 along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to the position corresponding to the docking position 3-1221, and then move to the bottom of the docking position 3-1221. The lifting mechanism 3-320 passes through the through slot 3-1222 in the vertical direction to lift or place the material box 3-500.

[0425] Specifically, as shown in Figures 32a and 33, the through slot 3-1222 is perpendicular to the length of the shelf 3-120. The width of the through slot 3-1222 is smaller than the size of the container 3-500 and larger than the top width of the lifting mechanism 3-320, so that the lifting mechanism 3-320 can lift or lower the container 3-500 through the through slot 3-1222, and also prevent the container 3-500 from falling through the through slot 3-1222.

[0426] The process of the transfer robot 3-300A taking the full container 3-500 from the docking layer 3-122 is as follows:

[0427] The walking mechanism 3-310 of the empty transfer robot 3-300A drives the lifting mechanism 3-320 to move along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to the position corresponding to the docking position 3-1221, and then moves to the bottom of the docking position 3-1221. The lifting mechanism 3-320 lifts it through the through slot 3-1222 and lifts the full material box 3-500. The walking mechanism 3-310 drives the lifting mechanism 3-320 to exit the docking position 3-1221 along the through slot 3-1222 and continue to move out of the sorting equipment 3-100 along the transfer robot channel 3-700.

[0428] The process by which the transfer robot 3-300A places the empty container 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 is as follows:

[0429] After the walking mechanism 3-310 of the transfer robot 3-300A drives the lifting mechanism 3-320 carrying the empty material box 3-500 to move along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to the position corresponding to the docking position 3-1221, the lifting mechanism 3-320 moves upward to lift the empty material box 3-500, the walking mechanism 3-310 moves to the bottom of the docking position 3-1221, and the lifting mechanism 3-320 descends through the through slot 3-1222 to transfer the empty material box 3-500. After the box 3-500 is placed on the docking position 3-1221, the walking mechanism 3-310 drives the lifting mechanism 3-320 to exit the docking position 3-1221. After that, the transfer robot 3-300A can continue to move along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to other docking positions 3-1221 to receive full boxes 3-500, or move out of the sorting equipment 3-100 along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to continue to receive empty boxes 3-500.

[0430] By applying the embodiment of the present application, when the transfer robot 3-300A is docked with the docking layer 3-122, it is located at the bottom of the docking layer 3-122, thereby improving the space utilization rate of the sorting system. The lifting mechanism 3-320 of the transfer robot 3-300A can lift or place the material box 3-500 by vertically moving through the through slot 3-1222, and can take and place the material box 3-500 without stopping or briefly stopping the driving, thereby improving the efficiency of the transfer robot 3-300A in taking and placing the material box 3-500.

[0431] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 32 a , as shown in FIG. 32 c , the sorting system further includes a bin transfer station 3 - 600 .

[0432] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to move between the shelf 3-120 and the material box transfer station 3-600, transporting the empty material box 3-500 from the material box transfer station 3-600 to the docking layer 3-122 of the shelf 3-120, or transporting the full material box 3-500 from the docking layer 3-122 to the material box transfer station 3-600.

[0433] The structural form of the material box transfer station 3-600 includes but is not limited to a conveyor line, a docking rack, etc. The material box transfer station 3-600 shown in FIG32c is in the form of a conveyor line.

[0434] Specifically, the material box transfer station 3-600 is used to transport empty material boxes 3-500 in the direction toward the sorting equipment 3-100, or to receive full material boxes on the sorting equipment 3-100 transported by the transfer robot 3-300A for packaging and delivery.

[0435] The outbound process of the full box 3-500 is as follows: the box changing robot 3-200 moves the full box 3-500 from the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the docking layer 3-122 at the bottom of the shelf 3-120, the transfer robot 3-300A moves to the docking layer 3-122 to receive the full box 3-500, and moves the full box 3-500 to the box transfer station 3-600.

[0436] The warehousing process of the empty material box 3-500 is as follows: the transfer robot 3-300A moves to the material box transfer station 3-600 to receive the empty material box 3-500, and transports the empty material box 3-500 to the docking layer 3-122 at the bottom of the shelf 3-120 where the target empty storage location 3-1211 is located. The box changing robot 3-200 transports the empty material box 3-500 from the docking layer 3-122 to the target empty storage location 3-1211.

[0437] By using the embodiment of the present application, the bin transfer station 3-600 can transport empty bins 3-500 toward the sorting device 3-100, or receive full bins from the sorting device 3-100 carried by the transfer robot 3-300A for packaging and shipment. The provision of the bin transfer station 3-600 shortens the travel path of the transfer robot 3-300A, as the transfer robot 3-300A only needs to carry the bins 3-500 between the bin transfer station 3-600 and the sorting device 3-100, thereby improving the transfer robot 3-300A's handling efficiency and thus the overall operational efficiency of the sorting system.

[0438] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 32a , as shown in FIG. 32c , the container transfer station 3 - 600 includes a first full container conveyor line 3 - 610 and a first empty container conveyor line 3 - 620 .

[0439] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to transport the empty box 3-500 on the first empty box conveyor line 3-620 to the docking layer 3-122 of the shelf 3-120, or to transport the full box 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 to the first full box conveyor line 3-610.

[0440] Specifically, as shown in Figure 32c, the first full box conveyor line 3-610 and the first empty box conveyor line 3-620 are arranged side by side outside the sorting equipment 3-100. The first empty box conveyor line 3-620 is used to place the empty box 3-500 manually or by equipment, and dock with the transfer robot 3-300A to convey the empty box 3-500 to the transfer robot 3-300A.

[0441] The first full box conveyor line 3-610 is used to receive the full boxes 3-500 on the sorting equipment 3-100 transported by the transfer robot 3-300A, and transport them to the outbound area for packaging and outbound delivery.

[0442] Using the embodiment of the present application, the material box transfer station 3-600 is set as two conveyor lines, which are used to transport full material boxes 3-500 and empty material boxes 3-500 respectively. The transfer robot 3-300A can be docked with different conveyor lines according to the tasks to be performed, which can improve the material box transmission efficiency of the sorting system.

[0443] In the embodiment shown in FIG32a, as shown in FIG32c, a transfer robot channel 3-700 is further provided from the material box transfer station 3-600 to the sorting device 3-100; the transfer robot channel 3-700 extends from the material box transfer station 3-600 to the sorting device 3-100.

[0444] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to move along the transfer robot channel 3-700 to transport the empty material box 3-500 of the material box transfer station 3-600 to the shelf 3-120 of the sorting equipment 3-100, or to transport the full material box 3-500 on the shelf 3-120 of the sorting equipment 3-100 to the material box transfer station 3-600.

[0445] The transfer robot channel 3-700 includes: a first channel 3-710, a second channel 3-720 and a third channel 3-730.

[0446] The first channel 3-710 extends from the bin transfer station 3-600 to the sorting device 3-100, and a portion overlaps with the bin-changing robot channel 3-400.

[0447] A second channel 3-720 and a third channel 3-730 extend from the first channel 3-710, wherein the second channel 3-720 is located in the docking area 3-140, and the third channel 3-730 is located on the side of the sorting device 3-100 away from the box changing robot channel 3-400, and the second channel 3-720 and the third channel 3-730 are both parallel to the box changing robot channel 3-400.

[0448] The transfer robot 3-300A is used to move along the first channel 3-710 or the third channel 3-730 to a position corresponding to the target position on the docking layer 3-122, then move to the second channel 3-720 at the bottom of the docking layer 3-122, dock with the docking layer 3-122 to pick up and place the material box 3-500, then move to the first channel 3-710 or the third channel 3-730, and go to the material box transfer station 3-600.

[0449] Specifically, as shown in FIG32c, a portion of the first channel 3-710 is located between the two sorting devices 3-100, and the other portion extends to the material box transfer station 3-600. A plurality of branch channels extend from the first channel 3-710, including four second channels 3-720 located in the docking area 3-140 and two third channels 3-730 located on the side of the sorting device 3-100 away from the box changing robot channel 3-400.

[0450] The process of the transfer robot 3-300A moving a full container 3-500 is as follows:

[0451] The unloaded transfer robot 3-300A moves to the position on the second channel 3-720 corresponding to the target docking position 3-1221, lifts the full container 3-500 through the through slot 3-1222, and then retreats along the through slot 3-1222 to the first channel 3-710 or the third channel 3-730 outside the shelf 3-120, and moves toward the container transfer station 3-600.

[0452] The process of the transfer robot 3-300A moving the empty container 3-500 is as follows:

[0453] After receiving the empty material box 3-500 from the material box transfer station 3-600, the transfer robot 3-300A moves along the first channel 3-710 to the position close to the sorting equipment 3-100, and then according to the position of the target docking position 3-1221, it drives along the corresponding first channel 3-710 or third channel 3-730 to the position corresponding to the target docking position 3-1221, lifts the material box 3-500 and moves to the second channel 3-720 towards the target docking position 3-1221. After placing the material box 3-500, it can directly move along the second channel 3-720 to the bottom of other docking positions 3-1221 to receive a full material box 3-500, or it can retreat to the outside of the shelf 3-120 and go to the material box transfer station 3-600 to continue receiving empty material boxes 3-500.

[0454] It should be noted that the figure shows the first aisle 3-710 and the box-changing robot aisle 3-400 separately, distinguishing the widths of the two aisles. In actual scenarios, the widths of the two aisles are not limited. In addition, the width of the third aisle 3-730 is also not limited. The transfer robot 3-300A only needs to operate in the space on the side of the sorting equipment 3-100 away from the box-changing robot aisle 3-400.

[0455] By employing the embodiments of the present application and providing the aforementioned transfer robot channel 3-700, the movement of the transfer robot 3-300A can be standardized, thereby facilitating the management of multiple transfer robots 3-300A in the sorting system. The transfer robot 3-300A can switch between the first channel 3-710, the second channel 3-720, and the third channel 3-730 to avoid each other and improve the efficiency of bin handling.

[0456] In the embodiment shown in FIG32a, referring to FIG35, FIG35 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the box-changing robot shown in FIG32a. As shown in FIG32a, FIG32b, and FIG35, a plurality of horizontal rails 3-130 spaced apart in a vertical direction are provided on one side of the shelf 3-120 near the box-changing robot passage 3-400; the box-changing robot 3-200 is mounted on the outside of the shelf 3-120 based on the horizontal rails 3-130.

[0457] The box-changing robot 3-200 includes: a mounting frame 3-210 and a picking and placing component 3-220; the mounting frame 3-210 is movably mounted on the horizontal track 3-130, and the picking and placing component 3-220 is arranged on the mounting frame 3-210, and can move vertically along the mounting frame 3-210, and move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 with the mounting frame 3-210 to pick up and place the material boxes 3-500 at different positions of the storage layer 3-121 and the docking area 3-140 of the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400.

[0458] Specifically, the mounting frame 3-210 can have various structures, including a single column or a column gantry composed of two columns, which is not limited in this application. In a specific embodiment, as shown in Figures 32a, 32b, and 35, the mounting frame 3-210 is a column gantry, including two oppositely arranged columns 3-211, and the loading and unloading assembly 3-220 is disposed between the two columns 3-211 of the mounting frame 3-210, and is movably connected to one column 3-211 on each side.

[0459] The types of the pick-and-place assembly 3-220 include, but are not limited to, fork arm type, suction cup type, roller type, hook arm type, etc. In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG32a and FIG32b, the pick-and-place assembly 3-220 can extend relative to the mounting frame 3-210 toward the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400 or the docking layer 3-122 at the bottom of the shelf 3-120 to pick up and place the material box 3-500.

[0460] The process of the box-changing robot 3-200 moving a full box 3-500 is as follows:

[0461] The mounting frame 3-210 drives the cargo pick-up and placement component 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 to the column where the target storage location 3-1211 where the full material box 3-500 is stored is located; the cargo pick-up and placement component 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210 to the row where the target storage location 3-1211 is located; the cargo pick-up and placement component 3-220 extends toward the target storage location 3-1211, receives the full material box 3-500 and then retracts; the cargo pick-up and placement component 3-220 moves horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 with the mounting frame 3-210 and moves vertically downward along the mounting frame 3-210 to the empty docking location 3-1221; the cargo pick-up and placement component 3-220 extends toward the empty docking location 3-1221 and places the full material box 3-500.

[0462] The process of the box-changing robot 3-200 moving the empty box 3-500 is as follows:

[0463] The mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and release component 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130, and the pick-up and release component 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210, so that the pick-up and release component 3-220 moves to the target docking position 3-1221 where the empty material box 3-500 is temporarily stored; the pick-up and release component 3-220 extends toward the target docking position 3-1221, receives the empty material box 3-500 and then retracts; the mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and release component 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130, and the pick-up and release component 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210, so that the pick-up and release component 3-220 moves to the empty storage position 3-1211; the pick-up and release component 3-220 extends toward the empty storage position 3-1211 to place the empty material box 3-500.

[0464] During the process of the box changing robot 3-200 transporting the material box 3-500, the mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and placement component 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 and the pick-up and placement component 3-220 to move vertically along the mounting frame 3-210 in no particular order. It can move vertically first and then horizontally; it can also move horizontally first and then vertically; or horizontal and vertical movements can be performed simultaneously to improve the box changing efficiency of the box changing robot 3-200.

[0465] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the box changing robot 3-200 can, based on the horizontal track 3-130, realize the picking and placing of material boxes 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 or the docking layer 3-122 of the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box changing robot channel 3-400 in the horizontal direction, and based on the vertical movement of the picking and placing component 3-220 along the mounting frame 3-210, realize the picking and placing of material boxes 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 or the docking layer 3-122 at different heights on the shelves 3-120 in the vertical direction.

[0466] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 32a , the picking mechanism 3-110 shown in FIG. 32a to FIG. 32c includes: a feeding table 3-111, a lifting mechanism 3-112, a guiding mechanism 3-113 and a shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114.

[0467] The lifting mechanism 3-112 is set at one end or both ends of the shelf 3-120, and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf 3-120.

[0468] The infeed table 3 - 111 is disposed on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism 3 - 112 and docked with the lifting mechanism 3 - 112 .

[0469] The guide mechanism 3-113 is set between two rows of shelves 3-120, including multiple shuttle rails 3-1131 corresponding to the height of each storage layer 3-121. The shuttle rails 3-1131 are connected to the lifting mechanism 3-112 to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf 3-120.

[0470] The shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 is used to switch between shuttle guide rails 3-1131 at different heights through the lifting mechanism 3-112, sort the 3-to-be-sorted goods at the induction table 3-111 into the material boxes 3-500 at storage locations 3-1211 at different heights, and sort the 3-to-be-sorted goods at the induction table 3-111 into the material boxes 3-500 at different storage locations 3-1211 in the length direction through the 3-guide mechanism 113.

[0471] Specifically, the induction table 3-111 can be connected to the cargo conveyor line, and the cargo conveyor line transports the goods to be sorted to the induction table 3-111, or the staff can put the goods to be sorted on the induction table 3-111 for the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 to pick up the goods.

[0472] The sorting system further includes a control device that is in communication with the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 and can send instructions to control the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 to drop each to-be-sorted item into a corresponding bin 500.

[0473] The control device is communicatively connected with the lifting mechanism 3-112, and the control device can send instructions to control the lifting mechanism 3-112 to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 to move along the height direction of the shelf 3-120 to the height of the storage layer 3-121 where the corresponding material box 3-500 is located. The shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 continues to move along the shuttle guide rail 3-1131 at the storage layer 3-121 where the corresponding material box 3-500 is located to the corresponding material box 3-500, and puts the goods into the material box 3-500.

[0474] The above operation is repeated continuously. When a bin 3-500 on the shelf 3-120 is filled with goods, or the goods on the order bound to the bin 3-500 have all been sorted, the bin 3-500 is considered to be full. The control device communicates with the bin-changing robot 3-200 and controls the bin-changing robot 3-200 to move the full bin 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 to the docking layer 3-122. The transfer robot 3-300A then transports the full bin 3-500 away from the sorting device 3-100. The bin-changing robot 3-200 then moves the empty bin 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 to the empty storage bin 3-1211 on the storage layer 3-121.

[0475] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 is moved in the height and length directions of the shelf 3-120 through the lifting mechanism 3-112 and the guiding mechanism 3-113; the shuttle sorting vehicle 3-114 can take into account the order sorting of the two rows of shelves 3-120 and the loading boxes 3-500 of the sorting equipment 3-100 through the shuttle guide rail 3-1131, thereby improving the working efficiency of the sorting system.

[0476] As mentioned above, in the fifth sorting system shown in FIG32a, the bin handling equipment 3-300 is a transfer robot 3-300A, which transports the empty bins 3-500 to the docking layer 3-122 of the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the bin exchange robot channel 3-400, or transports the full bins 3-500 on the docking layer 3-122 to the outside of the sorting equipment 3-100; in other embodiments of the sorting system, the bin handling equipment 3-300 can also be the first bin conveyor line 3-300B or the second bin conveyor line 3-300C.

[0477] The following describes in detail a sixth type of sorting system in which the bin handling device 3-300 is a first bin conveyor line 3-300B. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing bins is the bin changing robot 3-200, and the conveying device capable of transporting bins to the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 3-120 is the first bin conveyor line 3-300B.

[0478] 36a to 36c, FIG36a is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sixth sorting system of the present application; FIG36b is a schematic top view of the sorting system shown in FIG36a; and FIG36c is a schematic front view of the sorting device shown in FIG36a.

[0479] As shown in Figures 36a to 36c, the docking area 3-140 is located on the outside of one end of the shelf 3-120 in the length direction.

[0480] The container transport equipment 3-300 is a first container conveyor line 3-300B; the container conveyor lines 3-300B are arranged in two rows; a portion of each row of the first container conveyor lines 3-300B is arranged in the docking area 3-140.

[0481] The box changing robot 3-200 is used to travel along the box changing robot channel 3-400 to move between the shelf 3-120 and the docking area 3-140. For the two shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box changing robot channel 3-400, the box changing robot 3-200 transports the empty box 3-500 on the first box conveyor line 3-300B in the docking area 3-140 to the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120, or transports the full box 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the first box conveyor line 3-300B in the docking area 3-140.

[0482] Specifically, Figures 36a to 36c only show that the arrangement direction of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B is parallel to the length direction of the shelf 3-120. The actual arrangement of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B needs to be determined according to the specific scenario. The first material box conveyor line 3-300B located in the docking area 3-140 needs to be set parallel to the length direction of the shelf 3-120 for the box changing robot 3-200 to pick up and place the material box 3-500 on the first material box conveyor line 3-300B. The part outside the docking area 3-140 can be arranged according to the source location of the empty material box 3-500 and the destination location to which the full material box 3-500 is to be transported. This application does not limit this.

[0483] By using the embodiment of the present application, empty bins 3-500 are directly provided to the shelves 3-120 through the first bin conveyor line 3-300B, and the full bins 3-500 on the shelves 3-120 are transported to the outside of the sorting device 3-100. There is no need to set up multiple transfer robots 3-300A, which reduces the cost of the sorting system. In addition, one row of shelves 3-120 corresponds to one row of first bin conveyor lines 3-300B, which reduces the number of bin transport devices 3-300, makes control simpler, and facilitates maintenance. In addition, the docking area 3-140 is located on the outside of one end of the shelf 3-120 in the longitudinal direction, so that no space is required at the bottom of the shelf 3-120, and more storage layers 3-121 can be set up, thereby improving the storage density of the shelf 3-120 and the storage capacity of the sorting system.

[0484] In the embodiment shown in Figure 36a, as shown in Figures 36a to 36c, the horizontal track 3-130 extends to the docking area 3-140 so that the box changing robot 3-200 can move along the horizontal track 3-130 between the shelf 3-120 and the docking area 3-140 to pick up and place the boxes 3-500 at different positions on the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 on both sides of the box changing robot channel 3-400 and the first box conveyor line 3-300B.

[0485] In this embodiment, the number of the lifting mechanism 3-112 of the picking mechanism 3-110 in each sorting device 3-100 is 1, and the two rows of first material box conveyor lines 3-300B of the sorting device 3-100 are respectively arranged at the ends of the two rows of shelves 3-120 of the sorting device 3-100 away from the lifting mechanism 3-112.

[0486] Except for the number of lifting mechanisms 3-112, the structure of the material box handling equipment 3-300, the shelf 3-120 and the horizontal track 3-130 and the position of the docking area 3-140, the structure of the picking mechanism 3-110 and the box changing robot 3-200 in the sorting equipment 3-100 of this embodiment can be the same as the fifth sorting system shown in Figure 32a, and will not be repeated here.

[0487] In the embodiment shown in FIG36a, as shown in FIG36c, the portion of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B located in the docking area 3-140 is provided with one or more docking positions 3-330 spaced apart, and the portion of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B other than the docking positions 3-330 is a conveying section 3-340.

[0488] The docking station 3-330 is used to dock with the box-changing robot 3-200, receive the full box 3-500 carried by the box-changing robot 3-200 and transmit it to the conveying section 3-340, or receive the empty box 3-500 transmitted by the conveying section 3-340 for the box-changing robot 3-200 to receive.

[0489] The conveying section 3-340 is used to convey the empty material box 3-500 to the docking position 3-330, or to receive the full material box 3-500 conveyed from the docking position 3-330 and convey it in a direction away from the shelf 3-120.

[0490] Specifically, the first material box conveyor line 3-300B can be a roller conveyor line, and the docking position 3-330 and the conveying section 3-340 both include multiple rollers, which can rely on the rollers for rolling transmission. The first material box conveyor line 3-300B also includes a drive device (not shown in the figure), and the docking position 3-330 and the conveying section 3-340 are both provided with a detection device (not shown in the figure). The control device can control the drive device to start or stop the rotation of the rollers of the docking position 3-330 or the conveying section 3-340 based on the detection information fed back by the detection devices of the docking position 3-330 and the conveying section 3-340.

[0491] The specific transmission process of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B is as follows:

[0492] When the box-changing robot 3-200 is about to place a full box 3-500, the control device sends a command to the first box conveyor line 3-300B, instructing the docking position 3-330 of the first box conveyor line 3-300B to stop rolling, and the roller at the docking position 3-330 is in a stationary state. After the full box 3-500 is placed, the docking position 3-330 is instructed to start rolling, and the full box 3-500 is sent to the next processing link, such as outbound delivery or review and packaging workstation, in cooperation with the conveying section 3-340; when the empty box 3-500 is transported to the docking position 3-330, the roller at the docking position 3-330 stops rolling. After the box-changing robot 3-200 takes away the empty box 3-500, the first box conveyor line 3-300B transports the next empty box 3-500 to the docking position 3-330 to wait for the box-changing robot 3-200 to take it.

[0493] A photoelectric sensor may be provided in the area of ​​the conveying section 3-340 adjacent to the downstream docking position 3-330. When a full material box 3-500 is being placed at the downstream docking position 3-330 or an empty material box 3-500 is placed on the docking position 3-330, the roller at the docking position 3-330 is stationary, and the area of ​​the conveying section 3-340 away from the docking position 3-330 remains in a rolling state. When the photoelectric sensor detects that a material box 3-500 is transported to the area adjacent to the downstream docking position 3-330, the adjacent area carrying the material box 3-500 stops rolling. After the docking position 3-330 starts rolling, the adjacent area carrying the material box 3-500 also starts rolling to continue transporting the material box 3-500.

[0494] It should be noted that when the docking position 3-330 stops rolling, the sorting system only suspends the transportation of the loading box 3-500 in the partial area adjacent to the docking position 3-330 on the conveying section 3-340 upstream of the docking position 3-330, and does not affect the transportation of the loading box 3-500 in the partial area on the conveying section 3-340 far away from the docking position 3-330.

[0495] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the transmission of the docking position 3-330 and the conveying section 3-340 of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B is independent of each other but coordinated with each other. The docking position 3-330 and the conveying section 3-340 can cooperate to carry out the transmission of the material box 3-500; when the material box 3-500 is temporarily placed on the docking position 3-330 and cannot be rolled, it will not affect the transmission of the conveying section 3-340, thereby improving the working efficiency of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B. The box changing robot 3-200 does not need to move along the length direction of the first material box conveyor line 3-300B to pick up and place the material box 3-500. It only needs to move to the docking position 3-330 for docking to complete the picking and placing of the material box 3-500, thereby improving the efficiency of the box changing robot 3-200 in picking up and placing the material box 3-500 and improving the sorting efficiency of the sorting system.

[0496] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 36a , as shown in FIG. 36a and FIG. 36b , each row of the first bin conveyor line 3 - 300B includes: a second full bin conveyor line 3 - 350 and a second empty bin conveyor line 3 - 360 spaced apart in the vertical direction.

[0497] The case-changing robot 3-200 is used to travel along the case-changing robot channel 3-400 to move between the shelf 3-120 and the docking area 3-140. For the two shelves 3-120 on both sides of the case-changing robot channel 3-400, the case-changing robot 3-200 transports the empty box 3-500 on the second empty box conveyor line 3-360 in the docking area 3-140 to the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120, or transports the full box 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the second full box conveyor line 3-350 in the docking area 3-140.

[0498] Specifically, the specific structures of the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 and the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360 are the same, and both are composed of one or more docking positions 3-330 and a conveying section 3-340. The second full bin conveyor line 3-350 can be arranged above or below the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360. The present application does not limit the upper and lower positional relationship between the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 and the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360. As shown in Figures 36a and 36b, the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 is arranged below the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360, and a gap is left between the two conveyor lines to provide appropriate space for the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 to transport full bins 3-500.

[0499] In the embodiment shown in Figures 36a and 36b, the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360 and the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 are arranged in a direction parallel to the length direction of the shelf 3-120, and the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360 is shorter, while the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 is longer. In actual application, the arrangement of the bin conveyor line 3-300B needs to be determined according to the specific scenario. This application does not limit the length of the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360 and the second full bin conveyor line 3-350, nor the direction of the second empty bin conveyor line 3-360 and the second full bin conveyor line 3-350 after extending out of the docking area 3-140.

[0500] The handling process of a full container 3-500 is as follows:

[0501] The mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 to the row of the target storage location 3-1211 where the full material box 3-500 is stored; the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210 to the row of the target storage location 3-1211; the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 extends toward the target storage location 3-1211, receives the full material box 3-500, and then retracts; the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 It moves horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130 with the mounting frame 3-210 and vertically along the mounting frame 3-210 to the docking position 3-330 of the second full box conveyor line 3-350 in the docking area 3-140; the pick-up and release component 3-220 extends toward the docking position 3-330 and places the full box 3-500; the docking position 3-330 cooperates with the conveying section 3-340 to send the full box 3-500 to the next processing link, such as outbound or review and packaging workstation.

[0502] The handling process of empty bin 3-500 is as follows:

[0503] The mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130, and the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210, so that the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 moves to the docking position 3-330 of the second empty material box conveyor line 3-360 where the empty material box 3-500 is temporarily stored; the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 extends toward the docking position 3-330, receives the empty material box 3-500 and then retracts; the mounting frame 3-210 drives the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 to move horizontally along the horizontal track 3-130, and the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 moves vertically along the mounting frame 3-210, so that the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 moves to the empty storage bin 3-1211; the pick-up and release assembly 3-220 extends toward the empty storage bin 3-1211 to place the empty material box 3-500.

[0504] By applying the embodiment of the present application, the first material box conveyor line 3-300B is divided into a second full material box conveyor line 3-350 and a second empty material box conveyor line 3-360 which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, so that the second full material box conveyor line 3-350 and the second empty material box conveyor line 3-360 have clear division of labor, and the two tasks of transporting the full material box 3-500 to the outside of the sorting equipment 3-100 and transporting the empty material box 3-500 to the docking position 3-330 can be carried out simultaneously, thereby improving the working efficiency of the material box conveyor line 3-300B; after the box changing robot 3-200 places the full material box 3-500 on the second full material box conveyor line 3-350, it can then take away the empty material box 3-500 on the second empty material box conveyor line 3-360, thereby simplifying the moving route of the box changing robot 3-200 and improving the working efficiency of the box changing robot 3-200.

[0505] The following describes in detail a seventh sorting system in which the bin handling device 3-300 is a second bin conveyor line 3-300C. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to changing bins is the bin changing robot 3-200, and the conveying device capable of transporting bins to the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 3-120 is the second bin conveyor line 3-300C.

[0506] Referring to Figure 37 , Figure 37 is a top view of the seventh sorting system of the present application. As shown in Figure 37 , the docking area 3-140 is located below the bottom storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120.

[0507] The container transport equipment 3-300 is a second container conveyor line 3-300C.

[0508] The second material box conveyor lines 3-300C are arranged in two rows; each row of second material box conveyor lines 3-300C is arranged at one end of a shelf 3-120 in the length direction and extends to the docking area 3-140.

[0509] The box-changing robot 3-200 is used to travel along the box-changing robot aisle 3-400, and for the two shelves 3-120 on both sides of the box-changing robot aisle 3-400, it transports the empty boxes 3-500 on the second box conveyor line 3-300C located in the docking area 3-140 to the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120, or transports the full boxes 3-500 on the storage layer 3-121 of the shelf 3-120 to the second box conveyor line 3-300C located in the docking area 3-140.

[0510] Specifically, the second bin conveyor line 3-300C of this embodiment differs from the first bin conveyor line 3-300B of the sixth sorting system shown in FIG36a in that they are located in different positions, but the structures can be the same. The portion of the second bin conveyor line 3-300C located in the docking area 3-140 is provided with one or more docking positions spaced apart, and the portion other than the docking positions is a conveying section. Each row of the second bin conveyor lines 3-300C includes: a third full bin conveyor line and a third empty bin conveyor line spaced apart in the vertical direction. The specific structure of the second bin conveyor line 3-300C is not further described in this application.

[0511] In order to provide sufficient height space for the second material box conveyor line 3-300C, the shelf 3-120 of this embodiment can be elevated so that its bottom has sufficient height to accommodate the second material box conveyor line 3-300C.

[0512] If the shelf 3-120 is not raised, the length of one or two storage layers 3-121 at the bottom of the shelf 3-120 that may interfere with the second material box conveyor line 3-300C can also be shortened, that is, the bottom one or two storage layers 3-121 are shortened toward the lifting mechanism 3-112, and two columns are set at the shortened end for support. These two columns and the two columns of the shelf 3-120 away from the lifting mechanism 3-112 form a docking area 3-140, thereby accommodating the docking position of the second material box conveyor line 3-300C.

[0513] By applying the embodiment of the present application, empty bins 3-500 are directly provided to the shelf 3-120 through the second bin conveyor line 3-300C, and the full bins 3-500 on the shelf 3-120 are conveyed to the outside of the sorting equipment 3-100. There is no need to set up a transfer robot 3-300A, which reduces the cost of the sorting system. The second bin conveyor line 3-300C extends to the bottom of the shelf 3-120, which improves the space utilization of the sorting system. The bin changing robot 3-200 only needs to move within the length of the shelf 3-120 to complete the replacement of the bin 3-500, which improves the handling efficiency of the bin changing robot 3-200 and the overall operation efficiency of the sorting system.

[0514] In this embodiment, the number of the lifting mechanism 3-112 of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the sorting equipment 3-100 is 1. The structure of the picking mechanism 3-110 and the box changing robot 3-200 in the sorting equipment 3-100 of this embodiment can be the same as the fifth sorting system shown in Figure 32a. The transportation process of the full box 3-500 or the empty box 3-500 of this embodiment can be the same as the sixth sorting system shown in Figure 36a, which will not be repeated here.

[0515] The eighth sorting system of the present application is described in detail below. In this sorting system, the robot dedicated to box exchange is the box exchange robot 3-200; the transmission device capable of transporting boxes to the auxiliary docking racks 3-810 on both sides of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the system or to a location away from the auxiliary docking racks 3-810 is the second box conveyor line transfer robot 3-300A; the transmission device capable of transporting boxes to the shelves 3-120 on both sides of the picking mechanism 3-110 in the system or to a location away from the shelves 3-120 is the auxiliary transmission line 3-820.

[0516] Refer to Figure 38, which is a top view schematic diagram of the eighth sorting system of the present application. As shown in Figure 38, the sorting system also includes: auxiliary docking shelves 3-810 or auxiliary transmission lines 3-820.

[0517] The auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 or the auxiliary transmission line 3-820 is set on the side of the sorting equipment 3-100 away from the box exchange robot channel 3-400, and is used to temporarily store full boxes 3-500 and empty boxes 3-500.

[0518] The auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 or the auxiliary transmission line 3-820 can dock with the box-changing robot 3-200 on the shelf 3-120 of the sorting equipment 3-100 away from the box-changing robot channel 3-400, so that the box-changing robot 3-200 can pick up and place the material box 3-500.

[0519] Specifically, as shown in FIG38 , the bin handling device 3-300 is a transfer robot 3-300A, wherein one sorting device 3-100 is provided with an auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 on the side away from the bin-changing robot passage 3-400, and another sorting device 3-100 is provided with an auxiliary transmission line 3-820 on the side away from the bin-changing robot passage 3-400. In other embodiments of the present application, both can be provided with an auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 or an auxiliary transmission line 3-820, and this application does not limit this.

[0520] By applying the embodiment of the present application, auxiliary docking shelves 3-810 or auxiliary transmission lines 3-820 are provided, so that there is no need to provide a docking area 3-140 at the bottom of the adjacent shelf 3-120, and more storage layers 3-121 can be provided to improve the storage density of the shelf 3-120.

[0521] When the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 is provided on the side of the sorting device 3-100 away from the box-changing robot channel 3-400, the material box handling device 3-300 is a transfer robot 3-300A, and the shelf 3-120 adjacent to the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 does not need to be provided with a docking layer 3-122.

[0522] The specific structure of the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 carrying the material box 3-500 can be the same as the docking layer 3-122, and is also divided into multiple docking positions 3-1221. Each docking position 3-1221 is provided with a through slot 3-1222 so that the transfer robot 3-300A can dock with the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 and lift and place the material box 3-500.

[0523] When the top surface of the lifting mechanism 3-320 of the transfer robot 3-300A is comb-tooth-shaped, comb-tooth-shaped grooves of corresponding shapes can also be opened on the docking positions of the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 and the docking layer 3-122. This application does not impose any restrictions on this. As long as the shape of the through groove corresponds to the shape of the top surface of the lifting mechanism 3-320, the lifting mechanism 3-320 can pass through the through groove.

[0524] The way in which the transfer robot 3-300A docks with the auxiliary docking shelf 3-810 to pick up and place the material box 3-500 is the same as the aforementioned way in which the transfer robot 3-300A docks with the docking layer 3-122 to pick up and place the material box 3-500, and will not be repeated here.

[0525] In other embodiments of the present application, the material box handling equipment 3-300 may be of other types, or the material box handling equipment 3-300 may not be provided, and the material boxes 3-500 on the auxiliary docking shelves 3-810 may be handled manually, and the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0526] When the auxiliary transmission line 3-820 is set on the side of the two sorting devices 3-100 away from the box changing robot channel 3-400, the box changing robot 3-200 and the auxiliary transmission line 3-820 can cooperate with each other to complete the transportation of the material box 3-500. Therefore, the material box handling equipment 3-300 can be other types other than the transfer robot 3-300A, or the material box handling equipment 3-300 can be not set, and the auxiliary transmission line 3-820 can independently transport the material box 3-500. This application does not limit this.

[0527] The auxiliary transmission line 3-820 of this embodiment differs from the first material box conveyor line 3-300B of the sixth sorting system shown in Figure 36a in that the setting positions are different. The structures can be the same, including a full material box conveyor line and an empty material box conveyor line, which will not be repeated here.

[0528] In actual applications, no matter the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or modified scheme of the above four embodiments is adopted, the box-changing robot 3-200 can be hung on any sorting device 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400, and can travel along the box-changing robot channel 3-400, and is used for the two sorting devices 3-100 on both sides of the box-changing robot channel 3-400, to transport the empty material boxes 3-500 in their docking areas 3-140 to the storage areas of the sorting devices 3-100, or to transport the full material boxes 3-500 in their storage areas to the docking areas 3-140 of the sorting devices 3-100, thereby improving the utilization rate of the box-changing robot 3-200, reducing the cost of the sorting system, realizing the automatic replacement of the material boxes of the sorting system, and improving the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy compared with the manual box-changing method. Furthermore, the use of a box-changing robot, instead of manual box-changing, allows the height of the sorting equipment to exceed the height restrictions of human workers, thereby improving the storage capacity, sorting capacity, and space utilization of the sorting system. The bin transport device 3-300 is used to transport empty bins 3-500 to the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100, or to transport full bins 3-500 located in the docking area 3-140 of the sorting device 3-100 to the exterior of the sorting device 3-100. This enables the automatic transfer of empty and full bins 3-500, further improving the overall operational efficiency of the sorting system.

[0529] The eight sorting systems mentioned above all realize the automatic replacement of the material boxes of the sorting system through two types of equipment. Compared with the manual box changing method, the sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy are improved, and they belong to a general invention concept in the field of warehousing technology. Among them, the first type of equipment is a first robot (handling robot / box changing robot), and the second type of equipment is a second robot (transfer robot), a material box connecting conveyor line (auxiliary transmission line), a first material box conveyor line or a second material box conveyor line. The first robot (handling robot / box changing robot) changes the box instead of manually changing the box, which can make the height of the storage shelf exceed the height limit of the staff, expand the number of material box slots that can be configured on the storage shelf, and improve the sorting capacity and space utilization of the sorting system.

[0530] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sorting system, characterized in that, Including: Sorting equipment (100), a first robot (200), and a second robot (300); The sorting equipment (100) includes: a sorting mechanism (110), a storage shelf (120), and a connection shelf (130); The storage shelf (120) is arranged in two rows and includes a plurality of storage layers (121); each storage layer (121) includes a plurality of bin compartments (1211), and each bin compartment (1211) is used for storing a bin (500) to be loaded; The connection shelf (130) is arranged adjacent to the storage shelf (120) and is used for temporarily storing full bins (500) or empty bins (500) to be replenished; The sorting mechanism (110) is arranged between the two rows of storage shelves (120) and is configured to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the bins (500) of the storage shelf (120); The first robot (200) is configured to pick up and place full bins (500) or empty bins (500) between the storage shelf (120) and the connection shelf (130); The second robot (300) is configured to pick up and place full bins (500) or empty bins (500) between the connection shelf (130) and the bin transfer station (400).

2. The sorting system according to claim 1, wherein The storage shelf (120) includes: a plurality of cross beams (122) spaced apart in the vertical direction; so that the first robot (200) is installed outside the storage shelf (120) based on the cross beams (122).

3. The sorting system according to claim 2, wherein The first robot (200) includes: a column gantry (210), a handling mechanism (220), and at least one sliding guide rail (230); The column gantry (210) is installed along the vertical direction of the storage shelf (120); The handling mechanism (220) is arranged on the column gantry (210) and is used for picking up and placing bins (500) at different heights of the storage shelf (120); The at least one sliding guide rail (230) is fixedly installed on the cross beam (122); the column gantry (210) is slidably connected to the at least one sliding guide rail (230), so that the column gantry (210) and the handling mechanism (220) slide horizontally along the cross beam (122) to pick up and place bins (500) in the length direction of the storage shelf (120); The first robot (200) is configured to move the full bin (500) on the storage shelf (120) to the connection shelf (130), or move the empty bin (500) on the connection shelf (130) to the storage shelf (120).

4. The sorting system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The handling mechanism (220) includes: a lifting assembly (221) and a picking assembly (222); The lifting assembly (221) is arranged on the column gantry (210) and is configured to drive the picking assembly (222) to move in the vertical direction; The picking assembly (222) is installed on the lifting assembly (221) and is configured to extend out of the column gantry (210) to pick up and place the bins (500) on the storage shelf (120) or the connection shelf (130).

5. The sorting system according to claim 1, wherein the connecting shelf (130) is a single-layer shelf, arranged along the length direction of the storage shelf (120); a plurality of temporary storage positions (131) are provided on the connecting shelf (130), and each temporary storage position (131) is used to temporarily store a full bin (500) or an empty bin (500).

6. The sorting system according to claim 5, characterized in that A through slot (1311) is provided at the bottom of each of the temporary storage positions (131) for the second robot (300) to pick up and place the bin (500) on the temporary storage position (131) based on the through slot (1311).

7. The sorting system according to claim 6, wherein the second robot (300) includes a moving chassis (310) and a lifting mechanism (320); the lifting mechanism (320) is arranged on top of the moving chassis (310); the lifting mechanism (320) is configured to move driven by the moving chassis (310), and pass through the through slot (1311) in the vertical direction to lift or place the bin (500).

8. The sorting system according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that The connecting shelf (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to the lower part of the storage shelf (120), or the connecting shelf (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to the side of each row of the storage shelf (120) away from the sorting mechanism (110), parallel and spaced from the storage shelf (120).

9. The sorting system according to claim 8, wherein, The connecting shelf (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to the lower part of the storage shelf (120); A first passage (600) and a second passage (700) that are parallel and spaced are provided on the side of each row of the storage shelf (120) away from the sorting mechanism (110); The first passage (600) is closer to the storage shelf (120) than the second passage (700); The first passage (600) and the second passage (700) extend from the storage shelf (120) to the bin transfer station (400); The second robot (300) is configured as follows: the second robot (300) without load travels along the first passage (600) to the connecting shelf (130), picks up a full bin (500) from the connecting shelf (130), and travels along the second passage (700) to transport the full bin (500) to the bin transfer station (400); or, the second robot (300) without load travels along the first passage (600) to the bin transfer station (400), picks up an empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400), and travels along the second passage (700) to transport the empty bin (500) to the connecting shelf (130).

10. The sorting system according to claim 8, wherein, The connecting shelf (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to the side of each row of the storage shelf (120) away from the sorting mechanism (110), parallel and spaced from the storage shelf (120); A third passageway (800) is provided in the spaced area between each row of the transfer racks (130) and the storage racks (120), and a fourth passageway (900) parallel to the third passageway (800) is provided on the side of each row of the transfer racks (130) away from the storage racks (120); The third passageway (800) and the fourth passageway (900) extend from the storage racks (120) to the bin transfer station (400); The second robot (300) is configured as: The empty second robot (300) travels along the third passageway (800) to the transfer rack (130), picks up a full bin (500) from the transfer rack (130), and travels along the fourth passageway (900) to transport the full bin (500) to the bin transfer station (400); or, the empty second robot (300) travels along the third passageway (800) to the bin transfer station (400), picks up an empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400), and travels along the fourth passageway (900) to transport the empty bin (500) to the transfer rack (130).

11. The sorting system according to claim 1, wherein The bin transfer station (400) includes a full bin conveyor line (410) and an empty bin replenishment line (420); The second robot (300) is configured as: moving the full bin (500) on the transfer rack (130) to the full bin conveyor line (410); or moving the empty bin (500) on the empty bin replenishment line (420) to the transfer rack (130).

12. The sorting system according to claim 1, characterized in that The sorting device (100) further includes: a lifting mechanism (140) and a feeding table (150); the sorting mechanism (110) includes: a guiding mechanism (111) and a shuttle sorting vehicle (112); The lifting mechanism (140) is provided at both ends of the storage rack (120) and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) to move up and down along the height direction of the storage rack (120) when the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) moves to one end of the storage rack (120); The feeding table (150) is provided on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism (140) and is docked with the lifting mechanism (140); The guiding mechanism (111) is provided between two rows of the storage racks (120) and includes a plurality of shuttle guide rails (1111) corresponding to the height of each storage layer (121). The shuttle guide rails (1111) are docked with the lifting mechanism (140) to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) to move back and forth along the length direction of the storage rack (120); The shuttle sorting vehicle (112) is used to switch between shuttle guide rails (1111) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (140), sort the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (150) into the bins (500) at different-height bin compartments (1211), and sort the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (150) into the bins (500) at bin compartments (1211) in different length directions through the guiding mechanism (111).

13. The sorting system according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, It further includes: a control device; The control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism (110), the first robot (200) and the second robot (300), and is used to instruct the sorting mechanism (110) to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the bins (500) of the storage rack (120); and instruct the first robot (200) to pick up and place full bins (500) or empty bins (500) between the storage rack (120) and the transfer rack (130); and instruct the second robot (300) to pick up and place full bins (500) or empty bins (500) between the transfer rack (130) and the bin transfer station (400).

14. A sorting method, characterized in that, Applying a control device, the control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism (110), the first robot (200) and the second robot (300) of the sorting device (100) in the sorting system according to any one of claims 1-13; the method includes: Instructing the sorting mechanism (110) to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the unfilled bins (500) of the storage rack (120); When there is a full bin (500) on the storage rack (120), instructing the first robot (200) to move the full bin (500) on the storage rack (120) to the transfer rack (130), where the full bin (500) is a bin (500) that is filled with goods or the goods on the bound order have been completely sorted; Instructing the second robot (300) to move the full bin (500) on the transfer rack (130) to the bin transfer station (400); When at least one bin compartment (1211) on the storage rack (120) is idle, instructing the second robot (300) to move an empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400) to the transfer rack (130); Instructing the first robot (200) to move the empty bin (500) from the transfer rack (130) to the idle bin compartment (1211) on the storage rack (120).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The transfer rack (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to each other below the storage rack (120); on one side of each row of the storage rack (120) away from the sorting mechanism (110), a first channel (600) and a second channel (700) that are parallel and spaced apart are provided; the first channel (600) is closer to the storage rack (120) than the second channel (700); the first channel (600) and the second channel (700) extend from the storage rack (120) to the bin transfer station (400); Instructing the second robot (300) to move the full bin (500) on the transfer rack (130) to the bin transfer station (400) includes: Instructing the second robot (300) without load to travel along the first channel (600) to the transfer rack (130), pick up the full bin (500) from the transfer rack (130), and travel along the second channel (700) to carry the full bin (500) to the bin transfer station (400); Instructing the second robot (300) to move the empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400) to the transfer rack (130) includes: Instructing the second robot (300) without load to travel along the first channel (600) to the bin transfer station (400), pick up the empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400), and travel along the second channel (700) to carry the empty bin (500) to the transfer rack (130).

16. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The transfer rack (130) is arranged in two rows corresponding to each other on one side of each row of the storage rack (120) away from the sorting mechanism (110), parallel and spaced apart from the storage rack (120); a third channel (800) is provided in the spaced area between each row of the transfer rack (130) and the storage rack (120), and a fourth channel (900) parallel to the third channel (800) is provided on one side of each row of the transfer rack (130) away from the storage rack (120); the third channel (800) and the fourth channel (900) extend from the storage rack (120) to the bin transfer station (400); Instructing the second robot (300) to move the full bin (500) on the transfer rack (130) to the bin transfer station (400) includes: Instructing the second robot (300) without load to travel along the third channel (800) to the transfer rack (130), pick up the full bin (500) from the transfer rack (130), and travel along the fourth channel (900) to carry the full bin (500) to the bin transfer station (400); Instructing the second robot (300) to move the empty bin (500) from the bin transfer station (400) to the transfer rack (130) includes: Instruct the unloaded second robot (300) to travel along the third channel (800) to the material box transfer station (400), receive the empty material box (500) from the material box transfer station (400), and travel along the fourth channel (900) to transport the empty material box (500) to the docking shelf (130).

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The material box transfer station (400) includes a full material box conveying line (410) and an empty material box replenishing line (420); The instructing the second robot (300) to move the full container (500) on the docking shelf (130) to the container transfer station (400) includes: Instructing the second robot (300) to move the full container (500) on the docking shelf (130) to the full container conveying line (410); The step of instructing the second robot (300) to move the empty material box (500) from the material box transfer station (400) to the docking shelf (130) comprises: The second robot (300) is instructed to move the empty container (500) on the empty container replenishment line (420) to the docking rack (130).

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein The sorting device (100) further comprises: a lifting mechanism (140) and a supply platform (150); the sorting mechanism (110) comprises: a guiding mechanism (111) and a shuttle sorting vehicle (112); the control device is also communicatively connected with the lifting mechanism (140) and the shuttle sorting vehicle (112); The instructing the sorting mechanism (110) to receive the goods to be sorted and to transport the goods to be sorted to an unfilled bin (500) of the storage shelf (120) comprises: When the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) moves to one end of the storage shelf (120), the lifting mechanism (140) is instructed to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) to move up and down along the height direction of the storage shelf (120); Instruct the shuttle sorting vehicle (112) to switch between shuttle guide rails (1111) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (140); sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (150) into material boxes (500) with material box openings (1211) at different heights; and sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (150) into material boxes (500) with different material box openings (1211) in the length direction through the guiding mechanism (111).

19. A sorting system, characterized in that, include: Sorting mechanism (2-100), shelf (2-200), handling robot (2-300) and material box connection conveyor line (2-400); The shelves (2-200) are arranged in two rows, and include a plurality of storage layers (2-210) arranged at intervals in a vertical direction; each storage layer (2-210) includes a plurality of material box openings (2-211), and each material box opening (2-211) is used to store a material box (2-500) to be loaded; The sorting mechanism (2-100) is arranged between two rows of shelves (2-200), and is configured to receive goods to be sorted, and transport the goods to be sorted to a material box (2-500) of the shelf (2-200); The bin connection and conveying line (2-400) is arranged adjacent to the shelf (2-200) and is configured to convey empty bins (2-500) towards the shelf (2-200) or convey full bins (2-500) away from the shelf (2-200). The handling robot (2-300) is configured to pick up and place full bins (2-500) or empty bins (2-500) between the shelf (2-200) and the bin connection and conveying line (2-400).

20. The sorting system according to claim 19, wherein The bin connection and conveying line (2-400) is arranged in two rows and is respectively docked with the two rows of shelves (2-200), so that the handling robot (2-300) picks up and places full bins (2-500) or empty bins (2-500) between the shelf (2-200) and the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) based on the shelf (2-200).

21. The sorting system according to claim 20, wherein One or more connection positions (2-410) are provided on the bin connection and conveying line (2-400). The handling robot (2-300) is configured to carry the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the connection position (2-410) of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400), or carry the empty bin (2-500) on the connection position (2-410) of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) to the shelf (2-200).

22. The sorting system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The part of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) other than the connection position (2-410) is the conveying section (2-420). The conveying section (2-420) is used to convey the empty bin (2-500) to the connection position (2-410), or receive the full bin (2-500) conveyed from the connection position (2-410) and then convey it away from the shelf (2-200).

23. The sorting system according to claim 22, wherein When the handling robot (2-300) needs to place the full bin (2-500) at the connection position (2-410), the connection position (2-410) stops rolling, starts rolling again after the placement is completed, and cooperates with the conveying section (2-420) to transport the full bin (2-500) away. When the empty bin (2-500) is transported to the connection position (2-410), the connection position (2-410) stops rolling, starts rolling again after the handling robot (2-300) picks up the empty bin (2-500), and stops until the next empty bin (2-500) is transported to the connection position (2-410). When the bin (2-500) on the conveying section (2-420) is transported to the area adjacent to the connection position (2-410), if the connection position (2-410) is in a stopped rolling state, the area of the conveying section (2-420) carrying the bin (2-500) stops rolling, starts rolling again after the connection position (2-410) starts rolling, and continues to transport the bin (2-500).

24. The sorting system according to claim 21, wherein The bin connection and conveying line (2-400) is arranged on the side of the shelf (2-200) away from the sorting mechanism (2-100); wherein, the connection position (2-410) of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) is arranged parallel and spaced from the length direction of the shelf (2-200).

25. The sorting system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The bin connection and conveying line (2-400) is arranged at one end of the shelf (2-200) in the length direction; a receiving space (2-220) is arranged at the bottom of the shelf (2-200) near one end of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400); the connection position (2-410) of the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) extends into the receiving space (2-220).

26. The sorting system according to claim 20, characterized in that, Each bin connection and conveying line (2-400) includes a full-bin connection and conveying line (2-430) and an empty-bin connection and conveying line (2-440) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; the handling robot (2-300) is configured to carry the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the full-bin connection and conveying line (2-430), or carry the empty bin (2-500) on the empty-bin connection and conveying line (2-440) to the shelf (2-200).

27. The sorting system according to claim 20, wherein The shelf (2-200) includes: a plurality of cross beams (2-230) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; so that the handling robot (2-300) is installed outside the shelf (2-200) based on the cross beams (2-230).

28. The sorting system according to claim 27, wherein The handling robot (2-300) includes: a column gantry (2-310), a handling mechanism (2-320) and at least one sliding guide rail (2-330); The column gantry (2-310) is installed along the vertical direction of the shelf (2-200); The handling mechanism (2-320) is arranged on the column gantry (2-310) and is used for picking and placing bins (2-500) at different heights on the shelf (2-200) or the bin connection and conveying line (2-400); The at least one sliding guide rail (2-330) is fixedly installed on the cross beam (2-230); the column gantry (2-310) is slidably connected with the at least one sliding guide rail (2-330), so that the column gantry (2-310) and the handling mechanism (2-320) slide horizontally along the cross beam (2-230) to pick and place different bins (2-500) in the length direction of the shelf (2-200) or the bin connection and conveying line (2-400).

29. The sorting system according to claim 28, characterized in that, The handling mechanism (2-320) includes: a lifting assembly (2-321) and a picking component (2-322); The lifting assembly (2-321) is arranged on the column gantry (2-310) and is configured to drive the picking component (2-322) to move in the vertical direction; The picking component (2-322) is installed on the lifting component (2-321), configured to face the shelf (2-200) or the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), and extend out of the column gantry (2-310) to pick and place the bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) or the bin connection conveyor line (2-400).

30. The sorting system according to claim 19, wherein The number of the handling robots (2-300) is multiple. The number of the handling robots (2-300) for picking and placing the bin (2-500) between each row of the shelf (2-200) and the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) is at least one. Among them, each handling robot (2-300) is used to handle the bin (2-500) within a predetermined length interval of the shelf (2-200).

31. The sorting system according to claim 19, wherein The sorting mechanism (2-100) includes: a feeding table (2-110), a lifting mechanism (2-120), a guiding mechanism (2-130), and a shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140). The lifting mechanism (2-120) is arranged at both ends of the shelf (2-200), and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf (2-200). The feeding table (2-110) is arranged on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism (2-120) and is docked with the lifting mechanism (2-120). The guiding mechanism (2-130) is arranged between two rows of the shelf (2-200), and includes a plurality of shuttle guide rails (2-131) corresponding to the height of each storage layer (2-210). The shuttle guide rails (2-131) are docked with the lifting mechanism (2-120) to supply the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf (2-200). The shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) is used to switch between the shuttle guide rails (2-131) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (2-120), sort the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (2-110) into the bins (2-500) in the bin compartments (2-211) at different heights, and through the guiding mechanism (2-130), sort the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (2-110) into the bins (2-500) in the bin compartments (2-211) in the length direction.

32. The sorting system according to any one of claims 19-31, characterized in that, It further includes: a control device; The control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism (2-100), the handling robot (2-300), and the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), and is configured to instruct the sorting mechanism (2-100) to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the bin (2-500) on the goods shelf (2-200); and to instruct the handling robot (2-300) to pick up and place the full bin (2-500) or the empty bin (2-500) between the goods shelf (2-200) and the bin connection conveyor line (2-400); and to instruct the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) to convey the empty bin (2-500) towards the goods shelf (2-200) or to convey the full bin (2-500) away from the goods shelf (2-200).

33. A sorting method, characterized in that, Applying a control device, the control device is communicatively connected to the sorting mechanism (2-100), the handling robot (2-300), and the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) in the sorting system according to any one of claims 19-32; the method includes: Instructing the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) to start, so that the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) can convey the empty bin (2-500) towards the goods shelf (2-200) and convey the full bin (2-500) away from the goods shelf (2-200); Instructing the sorting mechanism (2-100) to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the unfilled bin (2-500) on the goods shelf (2-200); When there is a full bin (2-500) on the goods shelf (2-200), instructing the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the goods shelf (2-200) to the bin connection conveyor line (2-400); When at least one bin slot (2-211) on the goods shelf (2-200) is idle, instructing the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) to the idle bin slot (2-211) on the goods shelf (2-200).

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein The bin connection conveyor line (2-400) includes a full bin connection conveyor line (2-430) and an empty bin connection conveyor line (2-440) that are spaced apart in the vertical direction; The instructing the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) to start, so that the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) can convey the empty bin (2-500) towards the goods shelf (2-200) and convey the full bin (2-500) away from the goods shelf (2-200), includes: Indicate the start of the full bin connection conveyor line (2-430) and the empty bin connection conveyor line (2-440) of the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), so that the empty bin connection conveyor line (2-440) can convey empty bins (2-500) towards the shelf (2-200), and the full bin connection conveyor line (2-430) can convey full bins (2-500) away from the shelf (2-200); When there is a full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200), instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), including: When there is a full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200), instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the full bin connection conveyor line (2-430); When at least one bin compartment (2-211) on the shelf (2-200) is idle, instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) to the idle bin compartment (2-211) on the shelf (2-200), including: When at least one bin compartment (2-211) on the shelf (2-200) is idle, instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the empty bin connection conveyor line (2-440) to the idle bin compartment (2-211) on the shelf (2-200).

35. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that, One or more connection positions (2-410) are provided on the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), and the part other than the connection position (2-410) is the conveying section (2-420); Indicate the start of the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), so that the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) can convey empty bins (2-500) towards the shelf (2-200), and convey full bins (2-500) away from the shelf (2-200), including: Indicate the start of the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), so that the conveying section (2-420) of the bin connection conveyor line (2-400) can convey the empty bin (2-500) to the connection position (2-410), and receive the full bin (2-500) conveyed from the connection position (2-410) and then convey it away from the shelf (2-200); and enable the connection position (2-410) to convey the full bin (2-500) to the conveying section (2-420); When there is a full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200), instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the bin connection conveyor line (2-400), including: When there is a full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200), instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the connection position (2-410). When at least one bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200) is idle, instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the bin connection and conveying line (2-400) to the idle bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200), including: When at least one bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200) is idle, instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the connection position (2-410) to the idle bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200).

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein When there is a full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200), instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the full bin (2-500) on the shelf (2-200) to the connection position (2-410), further including: When the handling robot (2-300) needs to place the full bin (2-500) at the connection position (2-410), instruct the connection position (2-410) to stop rolling; After the handling robot (2-300) places the full bin (2-500) at the connection position (2-410), instruct the connection position (2-410) to start rolling and cooperate with the conveying section (2-420) to convey the full bin (2-500) in a direction away from the shelf (2-200); When the bin (2-500) on the conveying section (2-420) is transported to the area adjacent to the connection position (2-410) and the connection position (2-410) is in a stopped rolling state, based on the photoelectric sensor provided on the conveying section (2-420), trigger the area of the conveying section (2-420) that bears the bin (2-500) to stop rolling. After the connection position (2-410) starts rolling, the area that bears the bin (2-500) also starts rolling to continue transporting the bin (2-500); When at least one bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200) is idle, instruct the handling robot (2-300) to move the empty bin (2-500) on the connection position (2-410) to the idle bin slot (2-211) on the shelf (2-200), further including: When there is already an empty bin (2-500) parked at the connection position (2-410), instruct the connection position (2-410) to stop rolling; When there is no empty bin (2-500) at the connection position (2-410), instruct the conveying section (2-420) to transport the empty bin (2-500) to the connection position (2-410). After the robot to be transported (2-300) picks up the empty bin (2-500) from the docking position (2-410), it instructs the docking position (2-410) to start rolling and instructs the conveying section (2-420) to transport the next empty bin (2-500) to the docking position (2-410).

37. The method according to claim 33, wherein The sorting mechanism (2-100) includes: a feeding table (2-110), a lifting mechanism (2-120), a guiding mechanism (2-130) and a shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140); the guiding mechanism (2-130) includes a plurality of shuttle guide rails (2-131); the control device is also communicatively connected to the lifting mechanism (2-120) and the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140); Instructing the sorting mechanism (2-100) to receive the goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted into the bin (2-500) in the unfilled bin compartment (2-211) of the shelf (2-200) includes: When the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) moves to one end of the shelf (2-200), instructing the lifting mechanism (2-120) to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf (2-200); Instructing the shuttle sorting vehicle (2-140) to switch between the shuttle guide rails (2-131) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (2-120); sorting the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (2-110) into the bins (2-500) in the bin compartments (2-211) at different heights, and sorting the goods to be sorted at the feeding table (2-110) into the bins (2-500) in the bin compartments (2-211) in the length direction through the guiding mechanism (2-130).

38. A control device, characterized in that, Including: A memory for storing a computer program; A processor, when executing the program stored on the memory, implements the sorting method according to any one of claims 14-18 and 33-37.

39. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the sorting method according to any one of claims 14-18 and 33-37.

40. A sorting system, characterized in that, Including: At least two sorting devices (3-100), a bin-changing robot (3-200) and a bin transportation device (3-300); The at least two sorting devices (3-100) are arranged in parallel at intervals, and a bin-changing robot passage (3-400) is formed between two adjacent sorting devices (3-100) arranged in parallel; each sorting device (3-100) can sort the received goods to be sorted into each bin (3-500); The at least two sorting devices (3-100) are provided with a storage area for storing bins (3-500) and a docking area (3-140) for docking with the bin transportation device (3-300); The container transport device (3-300) is used to transport an empty container (3-500) to a docking area (3-140) of the sorting device (3-100), or to transport a full container (3-500) located in the docking area (3-140) of the sorting device (3-100) to the outside of the sorting device (3-100); The box-changing robot (3-200) is mounted on any one of the sorting devices (3-100) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400), and is capable of traveling along the box-changing robot channel (3-400), and is used to transport the empty boxes (3-500) in the docking area (3-140) of the two sorting devices (3-100) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400) to the storage area of ​​the sorting device (3-100), or to transport the full boxes (3-500) in the storage area to the docking area (3-140) of the sorting device (3-100).

41. The sorting system according to claim 40, characterized in that The sorting device (3-100) comprises: a picking mechanism (3-110) and a shelf (3-120); The shelves (3-120) are arranged in two rows, the storage area is located on the shelves (3-120), and a plurality of storage layers (3-121) are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction; The picking mechanism (3-110) is arranged between two rows of shelves (3-120) and is used to receive goods to be sorted and transport the goods to be sorted to each material box (3-500) of the shelf (3-120); The box-changing robot (3-200) is mounted on a side of a shelf (3-120) of any sorting device (3-100) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400) away from the picking mechanism (3-110), and is used for the box-changing robot (3-200) to move an empty material box (3-500) in a docking area (3-140) to a storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) or to move a full material box (3-500) in a storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) to a docking area (3-140) for two shelves (3-120) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400).

42. The sorting system according to claim 41, characterized in that If only one of the two shelves (3-120) of each of the sorting devices (3-100) is adjacent to the box-changing robot channel (3-400), at least one of the box-changing robots (3-200) is hung on the other shelf (3-120) at a side away from the picking mechanism (3-110).

43. The sorting system according to claim 42, characterized in that The docking area (3-140) is located below the bottom storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) and is provided with a docking layer (3-122) for temporarily storing full boxes (3-500) or empty boxes (3-500); The bin transportation device (3-300) is a transfer robot (3-300A); the transfer robot (3-300A) is used to carry an empty bin (3-500) to the docking layer (3-122), or carry the full bin (3-500) on the docking layer (3-122) outside the sorting device (3-100); The bin-changing robot (3-200) is used to carry the full bin (3-500) on the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) to the docking layer (3-122), or carry the empty bin (3-500) on the docking layer (3-122) of the shelf (3-120) to the storage layer (3-121).

44. The sorting system according to claim 43, characterized in that, It further includes: A bin transfer station (3-600); The transfer robot (3-300A) is used to move between the shelf (3-120) and the bin transfer station (3-600), carry the empty bin (3-500) in the bin transfer station (3-600) to the docking layer (3-122) of the shelf (3-120), or carry the full bin (3-500) on the docking layer (3-122) to the bin transfer station (3-600).

45. The sorting system according to claim 44, wherein The bin transfer station (3-600) includes: a first full-bin conveyor line (3-610) and a first empty-bin conveyor line (3-620); The transfer robot (3-300A) is used to carry the empty bin (3-500) on the first empty-bin conveyor line (3-620) to the docking layer (3-122) of the shelf (3-120), or carry the full bin (3-500) on the docking layer (3-122) to the first full-bin conveyor line (3-610).

46. The sorting system according to claim 44, characterized in that, There is also a transfer robot passage (3-700) provided from the bin transfer station (3-600) to the sorting device (3-100); The transfer robot passage (3-700) extends from the bin transfer station (3-600) to the sorting device (3-100); The transfer robot (3-300A) is used to move along the transfer robot passage (3-700), carry the empty bin (3-500) in the bin transfer station (3-600) to the shelf (3-120) of the sorting device (3-100), or carry the full bin (3-500) on the shelf (3-120) of the sorting device (3-100) to the bin transfer station (3-600).

47. The sorting system according to claim 46, wherein The transfer robot passage (3-700) includes: a first passage (3-710), a second passage (3-720) and a third passage (3-730); The first passage (3-710) extends from the bin transfer station (3-600) to the sorting device (3-100), and a part of it overlaps with the bin-changing robot passage (3-400); The second passage (3-720) and the third passage (3-730) extend from the first passage (3-710), wherein The second channel (3-720) is located in the connection area (3-140), and the third channel (3-730) is located on a side of the sorting device (3-100) away from the box-changing robot channel (3-400). Both the second channel (3-720) and the third channel (3-730) are parallel to the box-changing robot channel (3-400). The transfer robot (3-300A) is configured to move along the first channel (3-710) or the third channel (3-730) to a position corresponding to a target position on the docking layer (3-122), then move to the second channel (3-720) at the bottom of the docking layer (3-122), dock with the docking layer (3-122) to pick up and place the material box (3-500), and then move to the first channel (3-710) or the third channel (3-730) and go to the material box transfer station (3-600).

48. The sorting system according to claim 43, wherein The docking layer (3-122) is divided into a plurality of docking bins (3-1221); each docking bin (3-1221) is used for temporarily storing a full material box (3-500) or an empty material box (3-500). A through slot (3-1222) is provided at the bottom of the docking bin (3-1221) for the transfer robot (3-300A) to pick up and place the material box (3-500) on the docking bin (3-1221) based on the through slot (3-1222).

49. The sorting system according to claim 48, wherein The transfer robot (3-300A) includes: a traveling mechanism (3-310) and a lifting mechanism (3-320); the lifting mechanism (3-320) is arranged on top of the traveling mechanism (3-310). The transfer robot (3-300A) is configured such that the traveling mechanism (3-310) drives the lifting mechanism (3-320) to move along the box-changing robot channel (3-400) to a position corresponding to the docking bin (3-1221), then move to the bottom of the docking bin (3-1221), and the lifting mechanism (3-320) passes through the through slot (3-1222) in the vertical direction to lift or place the material box (3-500).

50. The sorting system according to claim 42, wherein The sorting system further includes: an auxiliary connection shelf (3-810) or an auxiliary transmission line (3-820). The auxiliary connection shelf (3-810) or the auxiliary transmission line (3-820) is arranged on a side of the sorting device (3-100) away from the box-changing robot channel (3-400) and is used for temporarily storing full material boxes (3-500) and empty material boxes (3-500). The auxiliary connection shelf (3-810) or the auxiliary transmission line (3-820) can be docked with the box-changing robot (3-200) on the shelf (3-120) of the sorting device (3-100) away from the box-changing robot channel (3-400) to allow the box-changing robot (3-200) to pick up and place the material box (3-500).

51. The sorting system according to claim 41, wherein the connection area (3-140) is located outside one end of the shelf (3-120) in the length direction; the bin transportation device (3-300) is the first bin conveyor line (3-300B); the bin conveyor lines (3-300B) are arranged in two rows; a part of each row of the first bin conveyor lines (3-300B) is arranged in the connection area (3-140); the bin-changing robot (200) is used to travel along the bin-changing robot passage (3-400) to move between the shelf (3-120) and the connection area (3-140). For the two shelves (3-120) on both sides of the bin-changing robot passage (3-400), the bin-changing robot (3-200) transports the empty bin (3-500) on the first bin conveyor line (3-300B) in the connection area (3-140) to the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120), or transports the full bin (3-500) on the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) to the first bin conveyor line (3-300B) in the connection area (3-140).

52. The sorting system according to claim 51, wherein one or more spaced connection positions (3-330) are arranged in the part of the first bin conveyor line (3-300B) in the connection area (3-140), and the part of the first bin conveyor line (3-300B) other than the connection positions (3-330) is the conveying section (3-340); the connection positions (3-330) are used to dock with the bin-changing robot (3-200), receive the full bin (3-500) transported by the bin-changing robot (3-200) and transmit it to the conveying section (3-340), or receive the empty bin (3-500) transmitted by the conveying section (3-340) for the bin-changing robot (3-200) to pick up; the conveying section (3-340) is used to convey the empty bin (3-500) to the connection positions (3-330), or receive the full bin (3-500) conveyed by the connection positions (3-330) and convey it in a direction away from the shelf (3-120).

53. The sorting system according to claim 51, wherein each row of the first bin conveyor lines (3-300B) includes: a second full-bin conveyor line (3-350) and a second empty-bin conveyor line (3-360) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction; The box-changing robot (3-200) is used to travel along the box-changing robot channel (3-400) to move between the shelf (3-120) and the docking area (3-140). For the two shelves (3-120) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400), the box-changing robot (3-200) transports the empty boxes (3-500) on the second empty box conveyor line (3-360) located in the docking area (3-140) to the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120), or transports the full boxes (3-500) on the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) to the second full box conveyor line (3-350) located in the docking area (3-140).

54. The sorting system according to claim 41, characterized in that The docking area (3-140) is located below the bottom storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120); The material box transport equipment (3-300) is a second material box conveying line (3-300C); The second material box conveyor lines (3-300C) are arranged in two rows; each row of the second material box conveyor lines (3-300C) is arranged at one end in the length direction of one of the shelves (3-120) and extends to the docking area (3-140); The box-changing robot (3-200) is used to travel along the box-changing robot channel (3-400), and for the two shelves (3-120) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400), transport the empty boxes (3-500) on the second box conveyor line (3-300C) located in the docking area (3-140) to the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120), or transport the full boxes (3-500) on the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) to the second box conveyor line (3-300C) located in the docking area (3-140).

55. The sorting system according to claim 41, characterized in that A plurality of horizontal rails (3-130) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction are arranged on one side of the shelf (3-120) close to the box-changing robot channel (3-400); the box-changing robot (3-200) is installed on the outside of the shelf (3-120) based on the horizontal rails (3-130); The box-changing robot (3-200) comprises: a mounting frame (3-210) and a cargo-picking and placing assembly (3-220); the mounting frame (3-210) is movably mounted on the horizontal track (3-130); the cargo-picking and placing assembly (3-220) is arranged on the mounting frame (3-210) and can move vertically along the mounting frame (3-210) and horizontally along the horizontal track (3-130) with the mounting frame (3-210) to pick up and place material boxes (3-500) at different positions of the storage layer (3-121) and the docking area (3-140) of the shelves (3-120) on both sides of the channel (3-400) of the box-changing robot.

56. The sorting system according to claim 55, characterized in that The docking area (3-140) is located outside one end of the shelf (3-120) in the length direction; The material box transport equipment (3-300) is a first material box conveying line (3-300B); the material box conveying lines (3-300B) are arranged in two rows; a portion of the first material box conveying lines (3-300B) in each row is arranged in the docking area (3-140); The horizontal track (3-130) extends to the docking area (3-140) so that the box-changing robot (3-200) can move along the horizontal track (3-130) between the shelf (3-120) and the docking area (3-140) to pick up and place boxes (3-500) at different positions of the storage layer (3-121) of the shelf (3-120) on both sides of the box-changing robot channel (3-400) and the first box conveying line (3-300B).

57. The sorting system according to claim 41, characterized in that The picking mechanism (3-110) comprises: a supply platform (3-111), a lifting mechanism (3-112), a guiding mechanism (3-113) and a shuttle sorting vehicle (3-114); The lifting mechanism (3-112) is arranged at one end or both ends of the shelf (3-120) and is used to drive the shuttle sorting vehicle (3-114) to move up and down along the height direction of the shelf (3-120); The induction table (3-111) is arranged on one side or both sides of the lifting mechanism (3-112) and is connected to the lifting mechanism (3-112); The guide mechanism (3-113) is arranged between two rows of shelves (3-120), and comprises a plurality of shuttle rails (3-1131) corresponding to the height of each storage layer (3-121); the shuttle rails (3-1131) are connected to the lifting mechanism (3-112) to allow the shuttle sorting vehicle (3-114) to move back and forth along the length direction of the shelf (3-120); The shuttle sorting vehicle (3-114) is used to switch between shuttle rails (3-1131) at different heights through the lifting mechanism (3-112) to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (3-111) into material boxes (3-500) at storage locations (3-1211) at different heights, and to sort the goods to be sorted at the supply platform (3-111) into material boxes (3-500) at different storage locations (3-1211) in the length direction through the guiding mechanism (3-113).

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