Workstation and picking system

Abstract

A workstation and a picking system. The workstation comprises a packing assembly (530), a temporary storage assembly (510), and a merging assembly (520). The temporary storage assembly comprises a temporary storage frame (511) and a plurality of temporary storage hoppers (512), and the plurality of temporary storage hoppers are mounted on the temporary storage frame and are used for receiving goods conveyed by a goods retrieval mechanism. The number of the temporary storage hoppers is greater than or equal to the number of sorting hoppers of the goods retrieval mechanism. The merging assembly is movably connected to the temporary storage frame by means of a movable assembly (550) and is configured to receive goods in at least one temporary storage hopper among the plurality of temporary storage hoppers and convey at least one item of goods to the packing assembly.

Description

Workstation and picking system

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] The present disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410705234.X, filed May 31, 2024, entitled “Workstation and Picking System,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of warehouse logistics, in particular, to a workstation and a picking system comprising the same. BACKGROUND

[0004] In order to improve space utilization, goods are usually stored on shelves. When picking up goods, the system controls the picking mechanism to pick up the target goods on the shelves and transport them to the workstation for packaging according to the order information. However, with the rapid development of warehouse logistics technology, the number of orders is increasing, and the efficiency of the picking mechanism in the related art for transporting the target goods to the workstation cannot meet the increasing number of orders. SUMMARY

[0005] According to a first aspect, the workstation of the embodiments of the present application comprises a packaging assembly, a buffer assembly and a merging assembly; the buffer assembly comprises a buffer rack and a plurality of buffer hoppers, the plurality of buffer hoppers are installed on the buffer rack and are used to receive goods transported by a picking mechanism; wherein the number of buffer hoppers is greater than or equal to the number of sorting hoppers of the picking mechanism; the merging assembly is movably connected to the buffer rack by a movable assembly and is configured to receive goods in at least one of the plurality of buffer hoppers and transport at least one of the goods to the packaging assembly.

[0006] According to a second aspect, the picking system of the embodiments of the present application comprises the above-mentioned workstation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the picking system of the embodiments of the present application from one perspective.

[0008] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the picking system of the embodiments of the present application from another perspective.

[0009] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the picking mechanism of the embodiments of the present application.

[0010] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the sorting assembly of the embodiments of the present application.

[0011] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the trigger of the sorting assembly located between the abutting member and the pressing member of the workstation.

[0012] Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a buffer assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of a buffer hopper according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of a merging hopper according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a picker applied to a shelf according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of a picker according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Fig. 12 shows a partial view of a picking assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Fig. 13 shows a partial view of a picking assembly according to an embodiment of the present application, from another perspective.

[0020] Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of a guide according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Fig. 15 shows a perspective view of a picking assembly according to an embodiment of the present application, omitting the guide of Fig. 13. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example embodiments, however, can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the figures, and description of the same or similar elements can be omitted.

[0023] It is to be understood that the terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations thereof herein are intended to cover the case where non-excluded items are included, as well as the case where excluded items are not included. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or units are not necessarily limited to the listed steps or units but can include other steps or units not expressly listed or can include other steps or units that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the picking system of the embodiment of the present application comprises a picking mechanism 300, a walking mechanism 400 and a work station 500. The picking mechanism 300 is connected to the walking mechanism 400 in a first direction D11 in a lifting manner. In the embodiment of the present application, the first direction D11 is a vertical direction. The work station 500 is arranged on the ground and used for packing the picked goods. The walking mechanism 400 is arranged on the ground in a movable manner and moves along a third direction D33 between a position close to the work station 500 and a position away from the work station 500.

[0025] When picking, the walking mechanism 400 drives the picking mechanism 300 to move to the vicinity of the goods shelf along the third direction D33, and the picking mechanism 300 is lifted or lowered along the first direction D11 to ensure that the picking mechanism 300 is aligned with the goods to be picked. After the picking mechanism 300 takes the goods from the goods shelf and places them in the picking mechanism 300, the walking mechanism 400 drives the picking mechanism 300 to move to the vicinity of the work station 500 again, so that the picking mechanism 300 delivers the goods to the work station 500.

[0026] The walking mechanism 400 comprises a column 410. It should be noted that, in order to simplify the view, only part of the column 410 of the walking mechanism 400 is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and other structures are omitted. For other structures of the walking mechanism 400, refer to the mature products in the prior art, which will not be described herein.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 3, the picking mechanism 300 of the embodiment of the present application comprises a lifting frame 310, a picking device 100 and a sorting assembly 320. The lifting frame 310 is connected to the column 410 of the walking mechanism 400 in a lifting manner along the first direction D11. The axis of the column 410 is parallel to the first direction D11. The picking device 100 is movably connected to the lifting frame 310 through a moving assembly 330; the sorting assembly 320 is connected to the lifting frame 310 and comprises a plurality of sorting hoppers 321; wherein the picking device 100 is configured to take the goods on the goods shelf and deliver the goods to any one of the plurality of sorting hoppers 321.

[0028] When picking, the picking device 100 of the picking mechanism 300 of the embodiment of the present application picks up the first target goods and then delivers the goods to one of the sorting hoppers 321. Then the picking device 100 continues to pick up the second target goods. If the distance between the second target goods and the first target goods is very close, the picking device 100 is only driven to move relative to the lifting frame 310, so as to pick up the second target goods, without driving the walking mechanism 400 to move and / or driving the lifting frame 310 to lift. Then the second target goods are delivered to one of the remaining empty sorting hoppers 321. When all the sorting hoppers 321 are filled with goods, the walking mechanism 400 is driven to return, so as to deliver all the goods in the picking mechanism 300 to the work station 500.

[0029] Therefore, the taking mechanism 300 of the embodiment of the present application, the taking device 100 is movably connected to the lifting frame 310 through the moving assembly 330, and the sorting assembly 320 includes a plurality of sorting hoppers 321 for accommodating goods. Through the slight movement of the taking device 100 relative to the lifting frame 310, the taking device 100 can take out a plurality of goods and load them into a plurality of sorting hoppers 321, respectively, thereby significantly improving the taking efficiency of the taking mechanism 300.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the moving assembly 330 includes a first moving unit 330a and a second moving unit 330b. The first moving unit 330a is used to drive the taking device 100 to move along a first direction D11. The second moving unit 330b is used to drive the taking device 100 to move along a second direction D22. Wherein, the first direction D11, the second direction D22 and the third direction D33 are perpendicular to each other in pairs; the plurality of sorting hoppers 321 are arranged side by side along the first direction D11 or the second direction D22.

[0031] As an example, the first moving unit 330a and the second moving unit 330b are linear slides. For example, the first moving unit 330a includes a first slide rail 331 and a first slide block 332. The first slide rail 331 is connected to the lifting frame 310, and the length direction of the first slide rail 331 is parallel to the first direction D11. The first slide block 332 is movably connected to the first slide rail 331 along the first direction D11.

[0032] The second moving unit 330b includes a second slide rail 333 and a second slide block 334. The second slide rail 333 is connected to the first slide block 332, and the length direction of the second slide rail 333 is parallel to the second direction D22. The second slide block 334 is movably connected to the second slide rail 333 along the second direction D22; the taking device 100 is connected to the second slide block 334.

[0033] Of course, in other embodiments, the first moving unit 330a and the second moving unit 330b can also be other linear driving mechanisms, which are not described here.

[0034] In addition, the moving path of the taking device 100 relative to the lifting frame 310 through the moving assembly 330 can also not be a straight line, for example, it can also be an arc, as long as it can pick up different target goods through the movement of the taking device 100 relative to the lifting frame 310.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the lifting frame 310 comprises two first longitudinal beams 311 arranged in the second direction D22, and a plurality of sorting hoppers 321 connected to the two first longitudinal beams 311 and arranged side by side in the first direction D11; wherein the area between the two first longitudinal beams 311 is divided into a plurality of first windows 311a by the plurality of sorting hoppers 321, and the plurality of first windows 311a correspond to the plurality of sorting hoppers 321 respectively.

[0036] For example, after the first target goods are picked up by the goods retriever 100, the goods retriever 100 can be aligned with one of the first windows 311a through the coordinated movement of the first moving unit 330a and the second moving unit 330b, so that the first target goods in the goods retriever 100 can slide through the first window 311a and fall into one of the sorting hoppers 321.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 4, each sorting hopper 321 has a first outlet 321a for goods to slide out; the sorting assembly 320 further comprises a shielding member 322 movably connected to the lifting frame 310 between a first position and a second position, and the shielding member 322 has a plurality of second windows 322a; when the shielding member 322 is in the first position, the shielding member 322 simultaneously closes the plurality of first outlets 321a; when the shielding member 322 is in the second position, the plurality of second windows 322a are in communication with the plurality of first outlets 321a respectively.

[0038] During the picking process, the shielding member 322 is in the first position to close the plurality of first outlets 321a of the plurality of sorting hoppers 321, so as to prevent the goods from sliding out of the first outlets 321a of the sorting hoppers 321. After the picking process is completed and the traveling mechanism 400 drives the picking mechanism 300 to return to the work station 500, the shielding member 322 is in the second position, and the goods in each sorting hopper 321 automatically slide to the work station 500 through the second window 322a corresponding to the sorting hopper 321.

[0039] As an example, the shielding member 322 is movably connected to the lifting frame 310 in the lifting direction (the first direction D11) of the lifting frame 310. Since the first direction D11 is a vertical direction, the shielding member 322 can move from the second position to the first position by its own gravity.

[0040] The sorting assembly 320 further comprises a resilient member 323 connected to the lifting frame 310 and the shielding member 322, for providing the shielding member 322 with an elastic force to move to the first position. By providing the resilient member 323, it can be ensured that the shielding member 322 remains in the first position during the picking process of the picking mechanism 300, so as to avoid the goods in the sorting assembly 320 from sliding due to the accidental opening of the first outlets 321a of the sorting hoppers 321 by the shielding member 322.

[0041] In an embodiment, the elastic member 323 can be a tension spring, but is not limited thereto.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5, the top of the shielding member 322 has a trigger member 322b. The workstation 500 has an abutting member 501, and the abutting member 501 and the trigger member 322b have a first projection of their respective orthographic projections on a target plane. The target plane is perpendicular to the lifting direction (the first direction D11) of the lifting frame 310. When the lifting frame 310 is lowered, the abutting member 501 is used to abut against the trigger member 322b, so as to move the shielding member 322 from the first position to the second position.

[0043] In the embodiment, when the walking mechanism 400 drives the goods taking mechanism 300 to move to the vicinity of the workstation 500, the trigger member 322b is located above the abutting member 501 at this time. The abutting member 501 and the trigger member 322b have a first projection of their respective orthographic projections on a target plane. When the lifting frame 310 drives the goods taking mechanism 300 to be lowered, the abutting member 501 abuts against the trigger member 322b, so as to move the shielding member 322 from the first position to the second position. As can be seen, by setting the abutting member 501 and the trigger member 322b, when the lifting frame 310 is lowered, the shielding member 322 can be automatically opened to open the first outlet 321a of the sorting hopper 321, and thus the goods in the sorting hopper 321 can be caused to slide to the workstation 500.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, the workstation 500 further has a pressing member 502. The pressing member 502 and the trigger member 322b have a second projection of their respective orthographic projections on the target plane. When the lifting frame 310 is raised, the pressing member 502 is used to stop the trigger member 322b.

[0045] When all the goods in the sorting hopper 321 slide to the workstation 500, the walking mechanism 400 drives the goods taking mechanism 300 to perform the next goods taking action. Normally, after the trigger member 322b leaves the abutting member 501, the shielding member 322 is moved from the second position to the first position under the action of its own gravity and / or the elastic force of the elastic member 323. However, in an abnormal situation, for example, when the shielding member 322 does not slide smoothly relative to the lifting frame 310, the shielding member 322 is prone to be stuck and cannot be moved to the first position under the action of gravity and / or the elastic force, so that the first outlet 321a of the sorting hopper 321 is still in an open state. At this time, if the goods taking action is performed, the goods will slide out of the first outlet 321a of the sorting hopper 321.

[0046] In the embodiment, by setting the pressing member 502, it can be avoided that the shielding member 322 cannot be reset to the first position due to an abnormal situation, and thus the next goods taking action can be ensured to be performed normally.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 5, the pressing member 502 and the abutting member 501 are oppositely arranged in the first direction D11, and the respective orthographic projections of the pressing member 502 and the abutting member 501 on the target plane have an overlapped third projection.

[0048] It should be noted that, in the first direction D11, at least part of the triggering member 322b is located between the pressing member 502 and the abutting member 501. In order to ensure the normal lifting of the lifting frame 310 and avoid the interference of the pressing member 502, the movement of the traveling mechanism 400 and the lifting frame 310 is carried out in stages:

[0049] In the process of returning to the working station 500, the traveling mechanism 400 drives the picking mechanism 300 to move to a third position, and when the picking mechanism 300 is located at the third position, the triggering member 322b is located outside the space surrounded by the abutting member 501 and the pressing member 502, that is, the orthographic projection of the triggering member 322b and the abutting member 501 on the target plane does not have an overlapped projection. Then, the traveling mechanism 400 is translated along the third direction D33 to move the picking mechanism 300 to a fourth position, and when the picking mechanism 300 is located at the fourth position, at least part of the triggering member 322b is located between the abutting member 501 and the pressing member 502; finally, the lifting frame 310 drives the picking mechanism 300 to descend and move to a fifth position, and in the process of moving the picking mechanism 300 from the fourth position to the fifth position, the abutting member 501 abuts against the triggering member 322b to move the shielding member 322 from the first position to the second position.

[0050] In the process of leaving the working station 500 to perform picking, the picking mechanism 300 moves from the fifth position to the fourth position, and if the shielding member 322 is not stuck due to an abnormal situation, the shielding member 322 will automatically reset to the first position, and then the traveling mechanism 400 is translated along the third direction D33 to move the triggering member 322b out of the space surrounded by the abutting member 501 and the pressing member 502; if the shielding member 322 is stuck at a certain position of the lifting frame 310 due to an abnormal situation, in the process of moving the picking mechanism 300 from the fifth position to the fourth position, the pressing member 502 will press the triggering member 322b, so that the shielding member 322 is reset to the first position under the action of the pressing force, avoiding the first outlet 321a of the sorting hopper 321 still being in an open state. Then, the traveling mechanism 400 is translated along the third direction D33 to move the triggering member 322b out of the space surrounded by the abutting member 501 and the pressing member 502.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the workstation 500 of the embodiment of the present application comprises a packing assembly 530, an exception handling assembly 540, a buffer assembly 510, and a merging assembly 520. The buffer assembly 510 comprises a buffer rack 511 and a plurality of buffer hoppers 512 mounted on the buffer rack 511 for receiving the goods delivered by the goods taking mechanism 300. The number of the buffer hoppers 512 is greater than or equal to the number of the sorting hoppers 321. The merging assembly 520 is movably connected to the buffer rack 511 through a movable assembly 550, and is configured to receive the goods in at least one of the plurality of buffer hoppers 512 and deliver the at least one goods to the packing assembly 530, and deliver the exception goods to the exception handling assembly 540.

[0052] The exception goods refer to the goods taken by mistake by the goods taking mechanism 300, or one or more goods corresponding to the order returned by the customer.

[0053] The exception handling assembly 540 is configured to handle the exception goods. For example, in an embodiment, the exception handling assembly 540 can be a chute configured to deliver the exception goods to a designated position.

[0054] Of course, in other embodiments, the exception handling assembly 540 can also be a device configured to collect the exception goods.

[0055] In the embodiment of the present application, after the goods taking mechanism 300 takes the goods from the goods rack, the walking mechanism 400 drives the goods taking mechanism 300 to move to the vicinity of the workstation 500, and the goods in the plurality of sorting hoppers 321 of the goods taking mechanism 300 are all transferred to the plurality of buffer hoppers 512 of the buffer assembly 510. Then, according to whether the goods are exception, the merging assembly 520 delivers the goods to the packing assembly 530 or the exception handling assembly 540. At this time, since the goods in the sorting hoppers 321 of the goods taking mechanism 300 have been transferred, the walking mechanism 400 can drive the goods taking mechanism 300 to return to the goods rack to perform the next taking action, without waiting for the merging assembly 520 to complete the goods transfer before returning to the goods rack to perform the next taking action.

[0056] As can be seen, the workstation 500 of the embodiment of the present application comprises the buffer assembly 510 and the merging assembly 520. The buffer assembly 510 can be used to temporarily store the goods delivered by the goods taking mechanism 300, and the merging assembly 520 can deliver the goods delivered by the buffer assembly 510 to the packing assembly 530 or the exception handling assembly 540. When the merging assembly 520 transfers the goods, the goods taking mechanism 300 can perform the next taking action without waiting in place, which can significantly improve the taking efficiency and effectively improve the ability of the workstation 500 to handle orders.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, as an example, the movable assembly 550 can be a linear slide. For example, the movable assembly 550 includes a third slide rail 551 and a third slide block 552. The third slide rail 551 is connected to the buffer rack 511, and the length direction of the third slide rail 551 is parallel to the height direction (the first direction D11) of the buffer rack 511. The third slide block 552 is movably connected to the third slide rail 551, and the merging assembly 520 is connected to the third slide block 552.

[0058] Of course, in other embodiments, the movable assembly 550 can also be other linear driving mechanisms, which will not be described here.

[0059] In addition, the moving path of the merging assembly 520 relative to the buffer rack 511 through the movable assembly 550 can also not be a straight line, but for example, can also be an arc, as long as the target goods in different buffer hoppers 512 can be picked up by moving the merging assembly 520 relative to the buffer rack 511.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 6, the buffer rack 511 includes two frames 5111 arranged along the length direction (the third direction D33) of the buffer rack 511, and each frame 5111 is connected to a plurality of buffer hoppers 512 arranged along the height direction (the first direction D11) of the buffer rack 511. The number of buffer hoppers 512 connected to the same frame 5111 is greater than or equal to the number of sorting hoppers 321. The merging assembly 520 is movably located between the two frames 5111 along the height direction (the first direction D11) of the buffer rack 511.

[0061] It should be noted that in order to simplify the view, only one of the two frames 5111 in FIG. 1 corresponds to the setting of the goods taking mechanism 300, and the other frame 5111 does not correspond to the setting of the goods taking mechanism 300. In fact, both of the two frames 5111 in the present application can correspond to the setting of the goods taking mechanism 300. That is to say, the two frames 5111 of the work station 500 correspond to two sets of goods taking mechanisms 300 and walking mechanisms 400 respectively, and the goods taking mechanism 300 is movably connected to the corresponding walking mechanism 400. Along the third direction D33, the two walking mechanisms 400 can move in the direction of approaching or moving away from each other. The two walking mechanisms 400 can respectively drive the two goods taking mechanisms 300 to pick up goods on two shelves located at different positions.

[0062] In the embodiments of the present application, the merging assembly 520 is provided with frames 5111 on both sides along the third direction D33, and each frame 5111 is provided with a plurality of buffer hoppers 512. In this way, the merging assembly 520 can receive goods of the buffer hoppers 512 located on different frames 5111 and deliver these goods to the packaging assembly 530 for packaging.

[0063] For example, two goods corresponding to one order are located on different shelves, and two walking mechanisms 400 are needed to drive two goods taking mechanisms 300 to take out the two goods and respectively transfer them to the buffer hoppers 512 on the two frames 5111.

[0064] In the embodiments of the present application, each frame 5111 is provided with three buffer hoppers 512. For the convenience of description, the three buffer hoppers 512 provided in one frame 5111 are numbered 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and the three buffer hoppers 512 provided in another frame 5111 are numbered 4, 5 and 6 respectively. If two goods corresponding to one order are respectively transferred to 1 and 6 by two goods taking mechanisms 300, the goods in 1 and 6 can be received in turn by the confluence assembly 520, and the two goods are simultaneously transported to the packaging assembly 530 for packaging after confluence.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 6, the packaging assembly 530 includes a packaging machine 531 and a buffer table 532. The packaging machine 531 is used for packaging goods; and the buffer table 532 is configured to buffer the goods transported by the confluence assembly 520 and transport the goods to the packaging machine 531.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the buffer table 532 can buffer the goods to avoid damage to the packaging machine 531 due to the excessive impulse of the goods sliding out of the confluence assembly 520.

[0067] In an embodiment, the buffer table 532 can be a conveyor belt assembly, a conveyor roller assembly, etc., which is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 7, each frame 5111 includes two second longitudinal beams 5111a arranged at intervals, and a plurality of guide members 5112 are connected between the two second longitudinal beams 5111a and arranged at intervals in the height direction (the first direction D11) of the buffer rack 511. The plurality of guide members 5112 correspond to the plurality of buffer hoppers 512 in the frame 5111 respectively, and each guide member 5112 has a guide inclined surface 5112a for guiding the goods to slide from the goods taking mechanism 300 to the buffer hopper 512. The plurality of sorting hoppers 321 of the goods taking mechanism 300 can correspond to the plurality of guide members 5112 provided in one frame 5111 respectively, so that the goods slide from the sorting hopper 321 to the buffer hopper 512 by means of the guide member 5112.

[0069] In an embodiment, the top of each frame 5111 is provided with a stopper 501 and a pressing member 502.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 8, the buffer hopper 512 includes a hopper body 5121 and a first cover assembly 5122. The hopper body 5121 is connected to the buffer frame 511 and has a second outlet 5121a. The first cover assembly 5122 is connected to the hopper body 5121 and is used to close or open the second outlet 5121a. When the first cover assembly 5122 is in the closed state, the first cover assembly 5122 can be used to stop the goods in the hopper body 5121 from sliding out of the second outlet 5121a.

[0071] As an example, the first cover assembly 5122 includes a first cover plate 5122a, a first connecting rod 5122b, a second connecting rod 5122c, and a third motor 5122d. The first cover plate 5122a is rotatably connected to the hopper body 5121 and is used to open or close the second outlet 5121a. One end of the first connecting rod 5122b is hingedly connected to a side edge of the first cover plate 5122a. One end of the second connecting rod 5122c is hingedly connected to the other end of the first connecting rod 5122b. The third motor 5122d is connected to the hopper body 5121, and an output shaft of the third motor 5122d is connected to the other end of the second connecting rod 5122c.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 9, the merging assembly 520 includes a merging hopper 521 and a second cover assembly 522. The merging hopper 521 is movably connected to the buffer frame 511 through a movable assembly 550 and has a third outlet 5211. The second cover assembly 522 is connected to the merging hopper 521 and is used to close or open the third outlet 5211. When the second cover assembly 522 is in the closed state, the second cover assembly 522 can prevent the goods in the merging hopper 521 from sliding out of the third outlet 5211.

[0073] As an example, the second cover assembly 522 includes a second cover plate 5221, a third connecting rod 5222, a fourth connecting rod 5223, and a fourth motor 5224. The second cover plate 5221 is rotatably connected to the merging hopper 521 and is used to open or close the third outlet 5211. One end of the third connecting rod 5222 is hingedly connected to a side edge of the second cover plate 5221. One end of the fourth connecting rod 5223 is hingedly connected to the other end of the third connecting rod 5222. The fourth motor 5224 is connected to the merging hopper 521, and an output shaft of the fourth motor 5224 is connected to the other end of the fourth connecting rod 5223.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 10, the goods on the shelf 200 can be taken out by the goods taker 100. The goods taker 100 includes a frame 120, a taking hopper 130, and a taking assembly 110. The taking hopper 130 is installed on the frame 120, and the taking assembly 110 is connected to the frame 120. The taking assembly 110 is used to guide the goods to slide into the taking hopper 130.

[0075] The shelf 200 comprises a plurality of shelves 210 arranged at intervals, each shelf 210 is arranged obliquely, and the shelf 210 is used to support goods. The end of each shelf 210 is provided with a baffle 230, which is used to block the goods from sliding off the shelf 210 due to its own gravity. The end of each shelf 210 is also provided with a notch 211, and two adjacent notches 211 in adjacent shelves 210 form a gap 212. Each shelf 210 is also provided with a partition 220, and two adjacent partitions 220 in adjacent shelves 210 form a storage space, which is used to store a plurality of goods arranged side by side along the oblique direction of the shelf 210. Under the action of gravity, the two adjacent goods abut each other, and the lowermost goods in the plurality of goods abut against the baffle 230.

[0076] When the goods taking device 100 takes goods, the goods taking assembly 110 moves to the bottom of the shelf 210, moves through the gap 212 from bottom to top, so that the goods taking assembly 110 picks up the lowermost goods in the plurality of goods and makes the goods slide over the baffle 230 to the goods taking assembly 110, and then slides to the goods taking hopper 130 through the goods taking assembly 110.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 11, the rack 120 comprises a first cross beam 121, two second cross beams 122, two third longitudinal beams 123 and a back plate 124. The length direction of the first cross beam 121 is parallel to the left-right direction D1 (the direction indicated by the arrow is left, and the reverse direction is right), the length direction of the second cross beam 122 is parallel to the front-rear direction D2 (the direction indicated by the arrow is front, and the reverse direction is rear), and the length direction of the third longitudinal beam 123 is parallel to the up-down direction D3 (the direction indicated by the arrow is up, and the reverse direction is down). The two ends of the first cross beam 121 along the left-right direction D1 are connected with the front ends of the two second cross beams 122 respectively, and the lower ends of the two third longitudinal beams 123 are connected with the rear ends of the two second cross beams 122 respectively. The back plate 124 is connected to the two third longitudinal beams 123 and located at the rear side of the two third longitudinal beams 123. The left-right direction D1, the front-rear direction D2 and the up-down direction D3 are perpendicular to each other in pairs.

[0078] The rack 120 further comprises two support beams 125, and the length direction of each support beam 125 is parallel to the up-down direction D3, and the two support beams 125 are connected to the two second cross beams 122 respectively.

[0079] The goods taking device 100 of the embodiment of the present application comprises two goods taking assemblies 110, the two goods taking assemblies 110 are oppositely arranged along the left-right direction D1, and are connected to the two support beams 125 respectively, and the two goods taking assemblies 110 are also connected to the back plate 124.

[0080] The goods taking hopper 130 is located in the space surrounded by the first cross beam 121 and the two second cross beams 122, and the goods taking hopper 130 is connected to the two goods taking assemblies 110.

[0081] Of course, in other embodiments, the number of the taking-out assemblies 110 can also be one, three or other numbers. The taking-out hopper 130 can be connected with the first beam 121 and the second beam 122.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 11, the taking-out hopper 130 has a fourth outlet 131 for the goods to slide out. The taking-out device 100 further comprises an opening and closing assembly 140 for opening or closing the fourth outlet 131.

[0083] As an example, the opening and closing assembly 140 comprises a driving mechanism 141 and a door part 142, the door part 142 is movable between a first position for closing the fourth outlet 131 and a second position for opening the fourth outlet 131, and the driving mechanism 141 is connected to the taking-out hopper 130 and connected with the door part 142 for driving the door part 142 to move. It can be understood that by setting the opening and closing assembly 140, it can be controlled when the goods in the taking-out hopper 130 slide out of the taking-out hopper 130.

[0084] It can be understood that the driving mechanism 141 can be a motor (defined as a second motor), an electric push rod, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the taking-out assembly 110 of the embodiment of the present application comprises a slope 111, a guide 112, a rotating unit 113 and a first motor 114. The slope 111 has an edge 1111. The guide 112 is connected to the slope 111, and at least part of the guide 112 extends out of the edge 1111; the rotating unit 113 is rotatably connected to the part of the guide 112 extending out of the edge 1111, for generating friction with the goods to drive the goods to slide into the slope 111 through the guide 112; and the first motor 114 is connected with the rotating unit 113 for driving the rotating unit 113 to rotate.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 10, when the taking-out assembly 110 of the embodiment of the present application takes out the goods, at least part of the guide 112 and the rotating unit 113 passes through the gap 212 from bottom to top, the first motor 114 drives the rotating unit 113 to rotate, and the goods are driven to slide into the slope 111 through the guide 112 by using the friction between the rotating unit 113 and the goods.

[0087] Therefore, the taking-out assembly 110 of the embodiment of the present application can take out the goods by rotating the rotating unit 113 and using the friction generated between the rotating unit 113 and the goods, and the taking-out efficiency is significantly improved. In the process of sliding into the taking-out assembly 110, the goods not only receive the gravity of the goods itself, but also receive the friction, which significantly improves the success rate of sliding into the taking-out assembly 110.

[0088] The ramp 111 has a target angle relative to the horizontal surface, meaning it is inclined. The ramp 111 has a base plate 1115 and two side plates 1116, with the two side plates 1116 connected to both sides of the base plate 1115 along the front-rear direction D2. The side plates 1116 prevent goods on the ramp 111 from slipping off its sides. The base plate 1115 of the ramp 111 has this edge 1111.

[0089] Please refer to Figures 12 and 13. The rotating unit 113 includes two rotating parts 1131 and an annular part 1132. For ease of explanation, the two rotating parts 1131 are defined as the first rotating part 1131a and the second rotating part 1131b. The first rotating part 1131a is connected to the output shaft of the first motor 114, and the second rotating part 1131b is rotatably connected to the portion of the guide member 112 extending from the edge 1111. The annular part 1132 is arranged around the outer periphery of the two rotating parts 1131, and its outer surface is used to generate friction with the goods. When the first motor 114 is working, it drives the first rotating part 1131a to rotate, which in turn drives the annular part 1132 to rotate, thereby driving the second rotating part 1131b to follow suit. During the rotation of the annular part 1132, the outer surface of the annular part 1132 can generate friction with the goods, thereby using friction to pull the goods from the shelf 200 into the ramp 111.

[0090] As an example, the inner surface of the annular member 1132 has a first tooth structure, and the outer surface of each rotating member 1131 has a second tooth structure, with the first tooth structure meshing with the second tooth structure. That is, in the embodiments of this application, the rotating unit 113 is a synchronous belt structure. Wherein, when the rotating unit 113 is a synchronous belt structure, the first rotating member 1131a is a synchronous pulley, the second rotating member 1131b is a driven pulley, and the annular member 1132 is a synchronous belt.

[0091] Of course, the rotating unit 113 is not limited to a synchronous belt structure. For example, in other embodiments, the rotating unit 113 includes a friction wheel and a motor. The friction wheel is rotatably connected to the part of the guide 112 that extends out of the edge 1111. The motor is connected to the friction wheel and is used to drive the friction wheel to rotate so that the friction wheel rubs against the goods, thereby driving the goods to slide into the ramp 111 through the guide 112.

[0092] Referring again to Figures 12 and 13, the base plate 1115 of the ramp 111 further has a slope 1112 for guiding the sliding of goods and a back surface 1114 opposite to the slope 1112. One side of the slope 1112 is an edge 1111, and the guide member 112 is attached to the slope 1112. The first rotating member 1131a and the first motor 114 are both located on the side where the back surface 1114 is located, and at least a portion of the second rotating member 1131b is higher than the slope 1112. In one embodiment, the first motor 114 is fixedly connected to the base plate 1115 of the ramp 111. In other embodiments, the first motor 114 may also be fixedly connected to the frame 120. The first motor 114 is located on the side where the back surface 1114 of the ramp 111 is located, and will not affect the sliding of goods on the slope 1112.

[0093] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the guide member 112 includes a connecting portion 1121 and a pair of cantilever arms 1122. The connecting portion 1121 is connected to the ramp 111 and conforms to the ramp surface 1112. The pair of cantilever arms 1122 are connected to the connecting portion 1121 and at least partially extend beyond the edge 1111; wherein at least a portion of the rotating unit 113 is rotatably connected between the pair of cantilever arms 1122.

[0094] In this embodiment, the second rotating member 1131b is rotatably connected between a pair of cantilever arms 1122, and at least a portion of the annular member 1132 is located between the pair of cantilever arms 1122. By rotatably disposing the second rotating member 1131b between the pair of cantilever arms 1122, the rotational stability of the second rotating member 1131b can be improved, thereby improving the rotational stability of the annular member 1132, achieving the effect of stably retrieving goods.

[0095] It is understandable that the connecting part 1121 and the ramp 111 can be either separate structures or an integral structure.

[0096] A reinforcing part 1124 is provided at one end of the cantilever 1122 that connects to the connecting part 1121. The reinforcing part 1124 and the connecting part 1121 are located on opposite sides of the slope 111 in the thickness direction, and a slot 1125 for the slope 111 to be inserted is formed between the reinforcing part 1124 and the connecting part 1121. In detail, the connecting part 1121 is located on the side of the slope surface 1112 of the bottom plate 1115 of the slope 111, and the reinforcing part 1124 is located on the side of the back surface 1114 of the bottom plate 1115. When the guide member 112 is assembled with the slope 111, the side of the edge 1111 of the slope 111 is inserted into the slot 1125 formed by the reinforcing part 1124 and the connecting part 1121.

[0097] When goods slide onto the guide 112, the cantilever 1122 of the guide 112 is suspended in the air, and may bend downwards under the weight of the goods. In this embodiment, the overall structural strength of the guide 112 is improved by providing a reinforcing part 1124. When the cantilever 1122 tends to bend downwards, the reinforcing part 1124 can abut against the bottom plate 1115 of the ramp 111 to maintain the stability of the guide 112.

[0098] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, each cantilever 1122 has a stop 1123 at one end away from the connecting part 1121. The stop 1123 protrudes from the cantilever 1122 along the thickness direction of the connecting part 1121 and protrudes to the left and downward, and is used to stop the goods.

[0099] As shown in Figure 10, when the guide member 112 lifts the lowest cargo from bottom to top through the notch 212, the cargo slides onto the ramp 111 under its own weight and the friction between the ring member 1132 and the cargo. At this time, the remaining cargo will automatically move towards the baffle 230 under its own weight.

[0100] In this embodiment, when the remaining goods slide down the pallet 210 automatically, the stop 1123 will stop the goods before the baffle 230. After the pickup 100 moves away from the opening 212, the remaining goods will continue to slide down until they are blocked by the baffle 230. That is, after the pickup 100 takes away one item, the remaining goods slide to the baffle 230 in two stages. This shortens the sliding distance of the goods in each stage and avoids the goods from having too much inertia and rushing out of the baffle 230 due to excessive sliding distance.

[0101] As shown in Figure 15, the edge 1111 of the slope 111 has an opening 1113, which penetrates the slope surface 1112 and the back surface 1114, and the annular member 1132 is movably inserted into the opening 1113.

[0102] In the embodiments of this application, the annular member 1132 is movably inserted through the opening 1113 of the ramp 111, which reduces the length of the guide member 112 extending out of the edge 1111 of the ramp 111, saving costs and preventing the guide member 112 from forming a long cantilever structure.

[0103] It is understood that in other embodiments, the picking component 110 may also be other structures, such as the picking component 110 being a fork that moves to the bottom of the pallet 210 and moves from bottom to top through the notch 212 so that the fork picks up the lowest item among multiple items and causes the item to flip over the baffle 230 and slide into the picking hopper 130.

[0104] In summary, the workstation and picking system of this application embodiment have at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0105] The workstation 500 in this embodiment includes a cache component 510 and a merging component 520. The cache component 510 can be used to temporarily store goods delivered by the picking mechanism 300. The merging component 520 can transport the goods delivered by the cache component 510 to the packing component 530 or the exception handling component 540. When the merging component 520 is transferring goods, the picking mechanism 300 can perform the next picking action without waiting in place, which can significantly improve picking efficiency and effectively enhance the order processing capability of the workstation 500.

[0106] It is understood that the various embodiments / implementations provided in this application can be combined with each other without creating contradictions, and will not be described one by one here.

[0107] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance; the term "multiple" refers to two or more unless otherwise expressly defined. The terms "install," "connect," "link," and "fix" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connect" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; "link" can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0108] In the description of the embodiments of the application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or unit referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of the application.

[0109] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "specific embodiment," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of the claims. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0110] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the application examples and are not intended to limit the application examples. For those skilled in the art, the application examples can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the application examples should be included within the protection scope of the application examples.

Claims

1. A workstation, wherein, The package assembly (530) comprises: a buffer assembly (510) comprising a buffer rack (511) and a plurality of buffer hoppers (512), the plurality of buffer hoppers (512) being mounted on the buffer rack (511) and configured to receive goods delivered by the goods sorting mechanism; a merging assembly (520) movably connected to the buffer rack (511) by a movable assembly (550) and configured to receive at least one of the plurality of buffer hoppers (512) and deliver at least one of the goods to the package assembly (530). The movable assembly (550) comprises a third sliding rail (551) connected to the buffer rack (511) and a third sliding block (552) movably connected to the third sliding rail (551).

2. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, The merging assembly (520) is connected to the third sliding block (552). The length direction of the third sliding rail (551) is parallel to the height direction of the buffer rack (511).

3. The workstation of claim 2, wherein, The buffer rack (511) comprises two frames (5111) arranged along the length direction of the buffer rack (511), each of the frames (5111) being connected to a plurality of buffer hoppers (512) arranged along the height direction of the buffer rack (511), and the number of the plurality of buffer hoppers (512) connected to the same frame (5111) is greater than or equal to the number of the sorting hoppers (321).

4. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, The merging assembly (520) is movably arranged between the two frames (5111) along the height direction of the buffer rack (511). Each of the frames (5111) comprises two second longitudinal beams (5111a) connected to a plurality of guides (5112) arranged along the height direction of the buffer rack (511), the plurality of guides (5112) corresponding to the plurality of buffer hoppers (512) in the frame (5111), and each of the guides (5112) has a guide slope (5112a) for guiding the goods to slide into the buffer hoppers (512) from the goods sorting mechanism.

5. The workstation of claim 4, wherein, The buffer hopper (512) comprises a hopper body (5121) connected to the buffer rack (511) and having a second outlet (5121a), and a first cover assembly (5122) connected to the hopper body (5121) and configured to close or open the second outlet (5121a).

6. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, The first cover assembly (5122) comprises:

7. The workstation of claim 6, wherein, a first cover plate (5122a) rotatably connected to the hopper body (5121) and configured to open or close the second outlet (5121a). ​ a first link (5122b) having one end hingedly connected to a side edge of the first cover plate (5122a); a second link (5122c) having one end hingedly connected to the other end of the first link (5122b); and a third motor (5122d) connected to the hopper body (5121), an output shaft of the third motor (5122d) being connected to the other end of the second link (5122c).

8. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, The merging assembly (520) comprises: a merging hopper (521) movably connected to the buffer rack (511) by the movable assembly (550) and having a third outlet (5211); and a second cover assembly (522) connected to the merging hopper (521) for closing or opening the third outlet (5211).

9. The workstation of claim 8, wherein, The second cover assembly (522) comprises: a second cover plate (5221) rotatably connected to the merging hopper (521) for opening or closing the third outlet (5211); a third link (5222) having one end hingedly connected to a side edge of the second cover plate (5221); a fourth link (5223) having one end hingedly connected to the other end of the third link (5222); and a fourth motor (5224) connected to the merging hopper (521), an output shaft of the fourth motor (5224) being connected to the other end of the fourth link (5223).

10. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, The packing assembly (530) comprises: a packing machine (531) for packing the goods; a buffer table (532) configured to buffer the goods delivered by the merging assembly (520) and deliver the goods to the packing machine (531).

11. The workstation of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising an exception handling assembly (540); The merging assembly (520) is further configured to deliver the exceptional goods to the exception handling assembly (540).

12. A picking system wherein, The work station comprises any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The order picking system of claim 12, wherein, The goods picking system further comprises a goods taking mechanism (300) configured to deliver goods to a plurality of buffer hoppers (512) of the work station; The goods taking mechanism (300) comprises: a goods taker (100); and a sorting assembly (320) comprising a plurality of sorting hoppers (321), the number of the buffer hoppers (512) being greater than or equal to the number of the sorting hoppers (321); wherein the goods taker (100) is configured to take the goods from the shelves (200) and deliver the goods to any one of the plurality of sorting hoppers (321).

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