Rack-Hung Robot and Conveyor Layout for Faster Warehouse Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing warehouse systems face inefficiencies in picking-up and placing goods due to the long travel distances required by handling devices and complex path planning, especially when multiple handling devices are scheduled.
Innovation Solution
A warehouse system incorporating sky transfer units and goods conveying lines, where sky transfer units are hung on the side of goods shelves and move along a laneway to pick up and place goods between shelves and conveying lines, while conveying lines extend between storage and picking areas, allowing simultaneous operations without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If handling devices pick up and place goods at goods shelves and picking areas while carrying and guiding goods between them, then goods can be transferred between locations, but the travel distance becomes long and path planning becomes complicated, resulting in low efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the handling function into two independent parts: sky transfer units that perform pick-up and placement operations at goods shelves, and goods conveying lines that handle the actual transportation of goods. This segmentation allows each component to focus on its specific function, reducing the travel distance and improving overall efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces goods conveying lines as intermediary components between the sky transfer units and the picking areas. These conveying lines act as mediators that continuously transport goods, eliminating the need for handling devices to travel the entire distance from goods shelves to picking areas and back, thus reducing travel distance and enhancing productivity.
2Productivity
If multiple handling devices are scheduled to pick up and place goods, then goods handling capacity increases, but path planning becomes complicated and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the handling system into multiple independent sky transfer units operating at different goods shelves and separate goods conveying lines, the patent enables parallel operations without complex path planning. Each sky transfer unit can independently service its assigned goods shelf while conveying lines handle transportation, simplifying scheduling and reducing path planning complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes vertical space by positioning sky transfer units at different heights and locations along goods shelves, while conveying lines operate at fixed levels. This dimensional arrangement allows multiple handling devices to operate simultaneously in three-dimensional space without interfering with each other's paths, increasing handling capacity without complicating path planning.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a warehouse system, a retrieval method and a storage method. The warehouse system comprises a storage area, rack-hung robots, goods conveyor lines and a picking area, wherein the storage area comprise a plurality of warehouse racks arranged at intervals; an aisle extending in the direction of length of the warehouse racks is formed between adjacent warehouse racks; a first end of each goods conveyor line extends into the corresponding warehouse rack in the storage area, and a second end of each goods conveyor line extends to the picking area, and is used for conveying goods between the storage area and the picking area; and each rack-hung robot is hung on the side of the warehouse rack close to the aisle, and is configured to move along the aisle to pick and place goods between the warehouse rack and the goods conveyor line inside the warehouse rack. Goods storage and retrieval are realized by means of labor division and cooperation between the rack-hung robots and the goods conveyor lines, and the mobile goods picking and placing of the rack-hung robots and the conveying of the goods conveyor lines can be performed simultaneously, and do not interfere with each other, thereby improving the goods pick-and-place efficiency and the handling efficiency of the warehouse system.