CN114435840A

CN114435840A - Automatic sorting device, material sorting method and server

Info

Publication number: CN114435840A
Application number: CN202011246495.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 魏华; 陈经贤; 刘宇
Original assignee: Jita International Supply Chain Management Co ltd
Current assignee: Jita International Supply Chain Management Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-04
Filing date: 2020-11-10
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2040-11-10
Also published as: CN114435840B

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic sorting device, which comprises a carrying robot, an intelligent material rack, a sorting robot and an intelligent material vehicle; the carrying robot is used for receiving a navigation path sent by the server and navigating to the initial position of the intelligent material rack according to the navigation path, and is also used for carrying the intelligent material rack to the picking station and returning the in-place state information of the intelligent material rack to the server; the picking robot is used for receiving the clamping task instruction sent by the server, controlling the manipulator to clamp the material from the intelligent material rack according to the clamping task instruction, and putting the material into the intelligent material rack. The invention also provides a material sorting method and a server, which can improve the automatic operation capacity and efficiency of storage.

Description

Automatic sorting device, material sorting method and server

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of warehouse goods picking, in particular to an automatic picking device, a material picking method and a server.

Background

With the development of electronic commerce, manufacturers are directly faced with end consumers. Therefore, the logistics are developed from few varieties and large batches to multiple varieties and small batches or multiple batches and small batches. And the commodity arrival time directly influences the shopping experience of the consumer, which puts higher requirements on the delivery and distribution of logistics. Traditional logistics center, letter sorting operation cost is high, the manpower consumes highly, the time occupies highly, is difficult to adapt to the demand of development. With the development of technology, an AGV (automated Guided vehicle) to human picking mode is presented, that is, the AGV car is used for carrying. However, the current AGV goods-to-person picking mode is performed manually by an operator when the materials are picked from the shelves, and the materials on the shelves need to be scanned and counted to complete a picking task completed once, wherein the materials and the number and check are bottleneck points of the operation.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide an automatic sorting device and a material sorting method, which can greatly improve the storage automation operation capability and efficiency.

The application provides an automatic picking device which is in communication connection with a server, wherein the automatic picking device comprises a carrying robot, an intelligent material rack, a picking robot and an intelligent material truck; the carrying robot is used for receiving a navigation path sent by the server and navigating to the initial position of the intelligent material rack according to the navigation path, wherein the navigation path is a path generated according to the position of the carrying robot, the initial position of the intelligent material rack and the position of the picking station; the carrying robot is also used for carrying the intelligent material rack to the picking station and returning the in-place state information of the intelligent material rack to the server; the picking robot comprises a slide rail, a base, a manipulator, a clamp and a controller, wherein the manipulator is connected with the slide rail through the base, the base moves on the slide rail to adjust the position of the manipulator, and the clamp is arranged at the tail end of the manipulator and used for clamping materials; the picking robot is used for receiving the clamping task instruction sent by the server, controlling the manipulator to clamp the material from the intelligent material rack according to the clamping task instruction, and putting the material into the intelligent material rack.

According to some embodiments of this application, intelligence work or material rest includes multilayer storing plate, is provided with a plurality of storage positions in each layer storing plate side by side, and each stores up position inside and all installs photoelectric detection subassembly, photoelectric detection subassembly is used for the response and detects and whether have the material to put into or take out at present storage position.

According to some embodiments of this application, intelligence skip includes multilayer storing board, is provided with a plurality of storage positions in each layer storing board side by side, and each stores up position inside and all installs photoelectric detection subassembly, photoelectric detection subassembly is used for the response and detects and whether have the material to put into or take out at present storage position.

According to some embodiments of the present application, an identification code and an LED lamp are disposed below the storage location, wherein the identification code is used to identify the storage location; the LED lamp is used for displaying the state of the material of the storage position.

According to some embodiments of the application, be provided with the scanner on the anchor clamps, the scanner is used for scanning the intelligence work or material rest with the identification code on the intelligent skip.

According to some embodiments of the application, a pressure sensing assembly is further arranged on the clamp and used for detecting and sensing the clamping state of the material.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the transfer robot includes a first camera and a second camera, the first camera is disposed above the transfer robot for recognizing the identification tag on the smart rack; the second camera is arranged below the carrying robot and used for identifying the identification label on the current position point of the carrying robot so as to confirm whether the carrying robot walks according to the navigation path.

A second aspect of the present application provides a method of sorting material, the method comprising:

receiving a task order and generating a corresponding picking task list according to the task order, wherein the picking task list comprises material information;

matching the order picking task list with an order picking station and acquiring the position information of the order picking station;

determining the position of an intelligent material rack in a warehouse according to the material information in the picking task list;

determining the position of a transfer robot, and generating a navigation path according to the position of the transfer robot, the position of an intelligent material rack and the position of the picking station;

sending the navigation path to the carrying robot, and controlling the carrying robot to navigate to the position of the intelligent material rack according to the navigation path;

sending control information to the transfer robot to control the transfer robot to transfer the intelligent material rack to the picking station;

after receiving the information fed back by the carrying robot, generating a clamping task instruction and sending the clamping task instruction to the picking robot;

after the picking robot clamps the materials according to the clamping task instruction, receiving material moving-out information fed back by the intelligent material rack; and

and receiving the material putting information fed back by the intelligent skip car.

According to some embodiments of the present application, the matching the pick order form with the pick station and acquiring the location information of the pick station includes:

acquiring the current state of the order picking station, and matching the order picking task list according to the current state of the order picking station;

if the current state of the order picking station is in a working state, the order picking task list cannot be matched with the order picking station;

and if the current state of the order picking station is in an idle state, matching the order picking task list with the order picking station and acquiring the prestored position information of the order picking station.

A third aspect of the present application provides a server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having stored therein a plurality of program modules that are loaded by the processor and execute the method of material picking as described above.

Compared with the prior art, the automatic sorting device, the material sorting method and the server in the scheme have the advantages that the intelligent material rack is conveyed to the picking station from the initial position through the conveying robot, and then the materials on the intelligent material rack are sorted to the intelligent material truck through the picking robot, so that the intelligent material truck can conveniently convey the materials to the unmanned vehicle or the freight vehicle. The automatic picking and placing robot inherits a goods-to-person picking mode, a robot technology, a storage position photoelectric vehicle inspection technology and the like, so that the full-automatic picking and placing of goods by the robot can be realized without personnel in the goods picking and placing operation link of the materials, and the goods picking and placing accuracy can be ensured without checking the materials. Thereby greatly improving the automatic operation capability and efficiency of the storage.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application environment of an automated picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of another application environment of an automated picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer robot in the automated picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an intelligent rack in the automated sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of the intelligent rack in the automated sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an intelligent skip in the automatic picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a picking robot in the automatic picking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of sorting materials in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the main elements

The following detailed description will further illustrate the invention in conjunction with the above-described figures.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When a component is referred to as being "communicatively coupled" to another component, it may be communicatively coupled, via, for example, a wired connection, or it may be communicatively coupled, via, for example, a contactless coupling.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Some embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below and the features of the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the present application provides an automated sorting apparatus 1, which includes a transfer robot (AGV)10, a smart rack 20, a picking robot 30, and a smart cart 40. The automated picking apparatus 1 is connected in communication with a server 2. The automatic picking device 1 is used for carrying the intelligent material rack 20 from an initial position to a picking station through the carrying robot 10 according to an instruction sent by the server 2, and picking the materials on the intelligent material rack 20 to the intelligent material truck 40 through the picking robot 30, so that the intelligent material truck 40 can conveniently convey the materials to an unmanned vehicle or a freight vehicle.

In this embodiment, the transfer robot 10 is configured to receive a navigation path sent by the server 2, and navigate to the initial position of the smart rack 20 according to the navigation path, where the navigation path is a path generated according to the position of the transfer robot 10, the initial position of the smart rack 20, and the position of the picking station; the carrying robot 10 is further configured to carry the intelligent rack 20 to the picking station, and transmit the in-place state information of the intelligent rack 20 back to the server 2; the picking robot 30 is configured to receive a clamping task instruction sent by the server 2, clamp a material from the intelligent rack 20 according to the clamping task instruction, and place the material into the intelligent skip 40.

As shown in fig. 3, the transfer robot 10 is a transfer AGV commonly used in warehouse logistics, and the transfer AGV can submerge into the bottom of a rack to lift the rack, thereby realizing the overall transfer of the rack. The transfer robot 10 may be one or more. The transfer robot 10 includes, but is not limited to, a battery 100, a traveling unit 101, a wireless communication unit 102, first and second cameras 103 and 104, and a controller 105. The battery 100, the traveling unit 101, the wireless communication unit 102, the first camera 103, the second camera 104, and the controller 105 are electrically connected to each other.

In the present embodiment, the battery 100 is used to supply power to the traveling unit 101, the wireless communication unit 102, the first camera 103, the second camera 104, and the controller 105. The traveling unit 101 is configured to travel according to a control command transmitted from the server 2 and received by the transfer robot 10. The walking unit 101 may be wheeled, tracked or legged. The wireless communication unit 102 is used to provide a network connection between the transfer robot 10 and the server 2. The first camera 103 is disposed above the transfer robot 10 and is configured to identify an identification tag attached to the lower side of the intelligent rack 20, so as to identify the intelligent rack 20. After the first camera 103 identifies the smart rack 20, it sends an identification result to the controller 105. In another embodiment, the first camera 103 obtains an identification tag on the smart rack 20 and sends the identification tag to the controller 105. The controller 105 determines the identity of the intelligent rack 20 according to the comparison between the received identification tag and the pre-stored identification tag. The second camera 104 is disposed below the transfer robot 10, and is configured to identify an identification tag (e.g., a two-dimensional code tag) on a current position point of the transfer robot 10, so as to determine whether the transfer robot 10 travels according to a navigation path. After recognizing the location point, the second camera 104 sends a confirmation result to the controller 105. In another embodiment, the second camera 104 acquires the identification tag at the current location point and sends the identification tag to the controller 105. The controller 105 determines whether the transfer robot 10 travels according to the navigation path by comparing the received identification tag with a pre-stored identification tag.

In the present embodiment, the controller 105 is configured to control the traveling unit 101 to travel along the navigation path, and the controller 105 may also control the traveling speed and direction of the transfer robot 10. Specifically, the controller 105 determines whether the current position point is a target position on the navigation path according to the confirmation result, and controls the traveling unit 101 to continue traveling until the transfer robot 10 reaches the target picking station if it is determined that the current position point is the target position; if it is determined that the current position point is not the target position, feeding back the abnormal information to the server 2 to regenerate the navigation path by the server 2, and transmitting the regenerated navigation path to the transfer robot 10. In this embodiment, the transfer robot 10 may further include a charging unit 106, and the charging unit 106 is electrically connected to the controller 105. The charging unit 106 is used for providing power for the battery 100.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the intelligent rack 20 is used for storing materials. The intelligent rack 20 comprises a plurality of layers of storage plates 201, and a plurality of storage positions 202 are arranged in each layer of storage plate 201 in parallel. Each storage position 202 is internally provided with a photoelectric detection component 203, and the photoelectric detection component 203 can sense and detect whether materials are put in or taken out from the current storage position 202. An identification code (not shown) and an LED light 204 are provided under each bin 202. The identification code is used to identify the reservoir 202. The LED lights 204 can display a variety of colors for displaying the status of the material at the storage location 202. For example, when the storage location 202 is normally storing material, the LED light 204 is displayed green; when the materials in the storage position 202 are to be placed on shelves, the LED lamp 204 flashes in green; when the material in the storage position 202 is wrong, the LED lamp 204 is displayed to flash red and the like. It is understood that in this embodiment, the smart rack 20 further includes a controller 205, a power source 206, and a wireless communication unit 207. The controller 205 is electrically connected to the photo detection assembly 203, the LED lamp 204, the power source 206, and the wireless communication unit 207. The power source 206 is used for supplying power to the smart rack 20. The wireless communication unit 207 provides a communication connection between the smart rack 20 and the server 2.

As shown in fig. 6 and 5, the intelligent skip 40 has a similar structure to the intelligent rack 20. For example, the intelligent stacks 20 comprise a plurality of storage plates 401, and a plurality of storage positions 402 are arranged in parallel in each storage plate 401. Each storage place 402 is internally provided with a photoelectric detection component 403, and the photoelectric detection component 403 can sense and detect whether materials are put in or taken out from the current storage place 402. An identification code and LED light 404 are provided below each bin 402. The identification code is used to identify the bin 402. The LED lights 404 can display a variety of colors for displaying the status of the material at the storage location 402. The intelligent skip 40 further includes a power supply (not shown) for supplying power to the intelligent skip 40. The intelligent skip 40 further includes a controller 405, a power source 406, and a wireless communication unit 407. The controller 405 is electrically connected to the photo detection assembly 403, the LED lamp 404, the power source 406, and the wireless communication unit 407. The power source 406 is used for supplying power to the intelligent skip 40. The wireless communication unit 407 provides a communication connection between the intelligent skip 40 and the server 2. The intelligent skip 40 is different from the intelligent rack 20 in that the intelligent skip 40 further includes a walking unit 408, and the walking unit 408 may be a roller (as shown in fig. 2). The identification code can be a bar code or a two-dimensional code.

As shown in fig. 7 and 5, the picking robot 30 includes, but is not limited to, a slide rail 301, a base 302, a robot arm 303, a gripper 304, and a controller 305. The controller 305 is electrically connected to the slide 301, the base 302, the robot 303, and the jig 304. The manipulator 303 is a multi-axis manipulator, and the clamp 304 is arranged at the tail end of the manipulator 303 and used for clamping materials. The robot 303 is connected to the slide rail 301 through the base 302, and can move and adjust the position on the slide rail 301. The robot 303 can perform its own rotation and position adjustment through the base 302. The fixture 304 is provided with a scanner 306 and/or a pressure sensing assembly 307. The scanner 306 may be a two-dimensional code scanner or a bar code scanner, and is configured to scan the identification codes on the intelligent rack 20 and the intelligent skip 40. The pressure sensing component 307 is used for detecting and sensing the clamping state of the material. It is understood that the scanner 306 and the pressure sensing assembly 307 are electrically connected to the controller 305. The picking robot 30 further comprises a wireless communication unit 308, the wireless communication unit 308 providing a communication connection between the picking robot 30 and the server 2.

In the present application, the handling robot 10 may carry the smart rack 20 storing the target material to a designated picking station according to the order information issued by the warehousing operation management system in the server 2, after the smart rack 20 is carried to the picking station, the picking robot 30 may take out the storage location 202 after picking the material according to the position information of the storage location 202 of the smart rack 20 where the target material is located (for example, using the scanner 306 to scan the identification code of the storage location 202 where the target material is located, determining whether the picking robot 30 reaches the target storage location, and using the pressure sensing component 307 to determine whether the clamp 304 clamps the material), and then rotate the position of the manipulator 303 through the base 302 to place the clamped material into the empty storage location on the smart cart 40, thereby completing the picking task of the primary material.

Referring to fig. 8, a schematic diagram of a server 2 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. In the present embodiment, the server 2 includes, but is not limited to, a wireless communication unit 21, a memory 22, a processor 23, and an input/output interface 24. The input/output interface 24, the wireless communication unit 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are electrically connected to each other.

In this embodiment, a user may interact with the server 2 via the input/output interface 24. The input/output interface 24 may be a non-contact input method, such as motion input, voice control, etc., or an external remote control unit, and transmits a control command to the processor 23 through wireless or wired communication. The input/output interface 24 may also be a capacitive touch screen, a resistive touch screen, other optical touch screens, etc. or a mechanical key input unit, such as a keyboard, a stick, a flywheel input key, etc.

In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 21 is configured to provide a network communication function for the server 2 through a wired or wireless network transmission manner. So that the server 2 can be network-communicatively connected with the carrier robot 10, the smart rack 20, and the picking robot 30. The wired network may be any type of conventional wired communication, such as the internet, a local area network. The Wireless network may be of any type of conventional Wireless communication, such as radio, Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), cellular, satellite, broadcast, etc.

In the present embodiment, the memory 22 is used to store software programs and data installed in the server 2. In the present embodiment, the storage 22 may be an internal storage unit of the server 2, such as a hard disk or a memory of the server 2. In other embodiments, the memory 22 may also be an external storage device of the server 2, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), or the like, provided on the server 2. Stored in memory 22 are a plurality of program modules that are loaded into and executed by processor 23 to perform the material picking method described below.

In the present embodiment, the memory 22 further stores a virtual map (e.g., an electronic map) of the warehouse, and the virtual map includes a plurality of navigation paths. The navigation path is composed of position points and the connection relation between the position points. The navigation path defines a plurality of position points of the transfer robot 10 on the entire navigation path and position coordinates corresponding to each position point, and the order in which each transfer robot 10 passes through the plurality of position points.

In one embodiment, the memory 22 also stores two-dimensional code information of the transfer robot 10 at each position point in advance. The navigation path is a path generated by the server 2 on the virtual map according to the position of the transfer robot 10, the position of the intelligent rack 20, and the position of the picking station. In this embodiment, the position coordinates of each position point on the navigation path may refer to coordinates in a first coordinate system (XOY) established based on an area where the entire navigation space is located.

In the present embodiment, the processor 23 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other microprocessor or other data Processing chip capable of executing control functions. The processor 23 is used for executing software program codes, arithmetic data, and the like.

In this embodiment, the server 2 may be a computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a notebook computer, or the like.

Referring to fig. 9, a flow chart of a material sorting method according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The material sorting method is applied in the server 2. The order of the steps in the flow chart may be changed, and some steps may be omitted or combined according to different requirements.

Step S1, receiving a task order and generating a corresponding order picking order sheet according to the task order, wherein the order picking order sheet comprises material information.

In the present embodiment, the server 2 stores a warehousing operation management system, and the warehousing operation management system generates a corresponding picking task sheet according to a system policy and an operation logic after receiving a task order.

And step S2, matching the order picking task list with an order picking station and obtaining the position information of the order picking station.

In the present embodiment, there are a plurality of picking stations in the logistics warehouse, and each picking station is provided with the automated picking apparatus 1. The server 2 stores the location information of all picking stations in the warehouse in advance. The server 2 may obtain the current status of the order picking station and match the order picking order sheet according to the current status of the order picking station. If the current state of the order picking station is in a working state, the order picking station can not execute the order picking task at present, and the order picking task list can not be matched with the order picking station; and if the current state of the order picking station is in an idle state, determining that the order picking station can currently execute an order picking task. The server 2 matches the picking order sheet with the picking station and obtains the position information of the picking station.

And step S3, determining the position of the intelligent rack 20 in the warehouse according to the material information in the picking order.

In the present embodiment, the server 2 further stores a material management system and an AGV management scheduling system. The material management system is used for managing material information in the warehouse, for example, determining the position of the intelligent rack 20 according to the material information. The AGV management and scheduling system user manages the transfer robot 10 in the warehouse. In this embodiment, the material management system determines the position of the intelligent rack 20 according to the material information in the pick order, then generates a plurality of transport task instructions executable by the transport robot 10, and sends the transport task instructions to the AGV management scheduling system.

Step S4, determining the position of the transfer robot, and generating a navigation path according to the position of the transfer robot, the position of the intelligent rack 20 and the position of the picking station.

In the present embodiment, the server 2 stores current position information of all the transfer robots 10. When the transfer robot 10 does not perform a transfer task, the transfer robot 10 is generally parked in the storage area of the warehouse. The AGV management scheduling system determines the transfer robot 10 according to the transfer task instruction and acquires the position of the transfer robot 10 in the warehouse. The server 2 generates a navigation path according to the position of the transfer robot, the position of the intelligent rack 20 and the position of the picking station. The navigation path is a path from the position of the transfer robot to the position of the smart rack 20, and then from the position of the smart rack 20 to the position of the pick station.

And step S5, sending the navigation path to the transfer robot 10, and controlling the transfer robot 10 to navigate to the position of the smart rack 20 according to the navigation path.

In the present embodiment, it is understood that a plurality of transfer robots 10 may perform a transfer task in the warehouse. For example, the AGV management/scheduling system performs logical operations based on information such as the state and position of the transfer robot 10(AGV) in the warehouse after receiving the transfer task instruction, and then distributes the transfer tasks to different transfer robots 10 based on the operation results.

The material sorting method further comprises the following steps: and confirming whether the intelligent material rack 20 is accurate or not.

After the transfer robot 10 operates to the bottom of a different intelligent rack 20 where the material is located according to the received instruction, whether the intelligent rack 20 is the intelligent rack 20 corresponding to the material information is checked by scanning the identification code at the bottom of the intelligent rack 20. After the intelligent material rack 20 is checked to be the intelligent material rack 20 corresponding to the material information, the intelligent material rack 20 is lifted to be carried to the picking station, and the in-place state of the intelligent material rack 20 is returned to the server 2. When there are a plurality of the transfer robots 10, the remaining transfer robots 10 transfer the intelligent racks 20 to wait in line in the order at the order picking station.

Step S6, sending control information to the transfer robot to control the transfer robot to transfer the intelligent rack 20 and then continue navigating to the picking station according to the navigation path.

Step S7, after receiving the information fed back by the transfer robot 10, generates a gripping task instruction and sends the gripping task instruction to the pick robot 30.

In this embodiment, after the AGV management and scheduling system in the server 2 receives the rack in-place information fed back by the transfer robot 10, a plurality of gripping task instructions are generated according to a logic strategy and an arithmetic logic. And sends the gripping task instruction to the cargo robot management control system to control the picking robot 30 to perform the material racking operation.

In step S8, after the picking robot 30 picks up the material according to the picking task instruction, the material moving-out information fed back by the intelligent rack 20 is received.

In the present embodiment, the picking robot system in the server 2 controls the picking robot 30 to move to the location of the smart rack 20 according to the received command, and then scans the identification code on the storage location 202 by adjusting the positions and states of the manipulator and the material clamp of the picking robot 30 to the storage location 202 where the material on the smart rack 20 is located, and after checking that the storage location 202 is correct, uses the clamp 304 to pick up the material and remove the material from the storage location 202. At this time, the intelligent rack 20 senses and detects that the material is moved out and feeds back the material moving-out state to the material management system in the server 2.

And step S9, receiving the material putting information fed back by the intelligent skip 40.

In this embodiment, the picking robot 30 adjusts the position by the slide rail 301, and after rotating a certain angle by the base 302, puts the material into the empty storage position (the empty storage position is assigned by the system budget) on the intelligent material truck 40. After the photoelectric detection component 203 in the storage position 202 on the intelligent skip car 40 detects that a material is put in, the material putting state information is fed back to the material management system in the server 2. The material management system carries out comprehensive logic judgment according to the information of the material moved out of the intelligent material rack 20 and the information of the material put in the intelligent material trolley 40. The material management system executes the change of the material picking and shelving information state and the information record of the position of the intelligent skip 40 where the material is currently located, so that the material picking and shelving task of one time of the material is completed in the above process.

It should be noted that, the steps S7 to S9 are repeated in sequence until all the materials on the intelligent material rack 20 that need to be picked and placed are placed on the intelligent material cart 40. The server 2 issues a carrying instruction to an AGV management and dispatching system according to the state information recorded in the material management system, and the AGV management and dispatching system sends a control instruction to the carrying robot 10 to carry the intelligent material rack 20 back to the storage area of the warehouse. In this way, the intelligent racks 20 which are lined up in sequence can enter the picking station in sequence through the transportation of the transfer robot 10 to pick goods.

It should be noted that, the steps S3 to S9 are sequentially repeated until all the people in the picking order form are completed, all the materials required by the order are picked and placed on the intelligent skip 40, the material management system changes the material state to the to-be-delivered state, all the order form is completed, and the system task is finished.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An automatic picking device is in communication connection with a server, and is characterized by comprising a carrying robot, an intelligent material rack, a picking robot and an intelligent material truck;

the carrying robot is used for receiving a navigation path sent by the server and navigating to the initial position of the intelligent material rack according to the navigation path, wherein the navigation path is a path generated according to the position of the carrying robot, the initial position of the intelligent material rack and the position of the picking station;

the carrying robot is also used for carrying the intelligent material rack to the picking station and returning the in-place state information of the intelligent material rack to the server;

the picking robot comprises a slide rail, a base, a manipulator, a clamp and a controller, wherein the manipulator is connected with the slide rail through the base, the base moves on the slide rail to adjust the position of the manipulator, and the clamp is arranged at the tail end of the manipulator and used for clamping materials; the picking robot is used for receiving the clamping task instruction sent by the server, controlling the manipulator to clamp the material from the intelligent material rack according to the clamping task instruction, and putting the material into the intelligent material rack.

2. The automatic sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent rack comprises a plurality of layers of storage plates, a plurality of storage positions are arranged in each layer of storage plate in parallel, and a photoelectric detection assembly is arranged in each storage position and used for sensing and detecting whether materials are put in or taken out from the current storage position.

3. The automatic sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent skip comprises a plurality of layers of storage plates, a plurality of storage positions are arranged in each layer of storage plate in parallel, and a photoelectric detection assembly is arranged in each storage position and used for sensing and detecting whether materials are put into or taken out of the current storage position or not.

4. The automated picking apparatus of claim 2 or 3, wherein an identification code and an LED light are provided below the storage location, the identification code identifying the storage location; the LED lamp is used for displaying the state of the material of the storage position.

5. The automated picking apparatus of claim 4, wherein a scanner is provided on the fixture for scanning identification codes on the smart rack and the smart cart.

6. The automated picking apparatus of claim 5, wherein the gripper further comprises a pressure sensing assembly for sensing a gripping state of the material.

7. The automated picking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer robot includes a first camera and a second camera, the first camera disposed above the transfer robot for identifying the identification tag on the smart rack; the second camera is arranged below the carrying robot and used for identifying the identification label on the current position point of the carrying robot so as to confirm whether the carrying robot walks according to the navigation path.

8. A method of sorting material, the method comprising:

9. The material picking method as recited in claim 8, wherein matching the pick order form with a picker station and obtaining location information for the picker station comprises:

10. A server, characterized in that the server comprises:

a processor; and

a memory having stored therein a plurality of program modules that are loaded by the processor and execute the method of sorting material according to any one of claims 8 to 9.