CN108698089B

CN108698089B - Automatic sorting system and automatic sorting robot

Info

Publication number: CN108698089B
Application number: CN201780013467.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张�浩; 徐熠
Original assignee: Shenzhen Dorabot Robotics Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Lan pangzi machine intelligence Co., Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-29
Filing date: 2017-09-29
Publication date: 2021-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2037-09-29
Also published as: CN108698089A; WO2019061261A1

Abstract

An automatic sorting system and an automatic sorting robot, the automatic sorting system comprising: the robot (10) and the sorting unit (20), wherein the sorting unit (20) comprises a plurality of sorting openings (201); the robot is used for identifying the goods to acquire goods information, and the goods information comprises target sorting place information; acquiring a target sorting port corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information; and placing the goods into the corresponding sorting ports. Through this mode, this system can reduce the cost of labor, improves the efficiency of letter sorting.

Description

Automatic sorting system and automatic sorting robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to an automatic sorting system and an automatic sorting robot.

Background

In the conventional freight or logistics industry, it is common to sort goods manually, and workers put goods of the same target sorting place together in a warehouse for subsequent delivery of the goods to the corresponding destination. However, with the progress of society, the labor cost is also continuously increased, the working strength of workers is high, the working efficiency is reduced along with the physical consumption of the workers, and the problems of high sorting labor cost and low efficiency are caused.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides an automatic sorting system and an automatic sorting robot, which can reduce the sorting labor cost and improve the sorting efficiency.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts a technical scheme that: an automated sorting system is provided, the system comprising a robot and a sorting unit, the sorting unit comprising a plurality of sorting ports; the robot is used for acquiring goods information, and the goods information comprises target sorting place information; acquiring a target sorting port corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information; and placing the goods into the corresponding target sorting opening.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts another technical scheme that: the automatic sorting robot at least comprises a mechanical arm, a sorting device and a control device, wherein the mechanical arm is used for placing goods into a target sorting port corresponding to the goods acquired according to goods information; the goods information comprises target sorting place information, and the robot acquires a target sorting opening corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information.

The invention has the beneficial effects that: in contrast to the state of the art, in an embodiment of the present invention, an automated sorting system is provided, the system comprising a robot and a sorting unit, the sorting unit comprising a plurality of sorting ports; the robot is used for acquiring goods information, and the goods information comprises target sorting place information; acquiring a target sorting port corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information; put into the target letter sorting mouth that corresponds with the goods to utilize the robot can realize the automatic sorting process, reduced artifical composition of participating in, reduce the cost of labor, the robot does not have the problem of physical demands simultaneously, can work for a long time, and then can improve the efficiency of letter sorting.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fifth embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a sixth embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a first embodiment of the automatic sorting robot of the present invention;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of a second embodiment of the automatic sorting robot of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a third embodiment of the automatic sorting robot of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural view of an automatic sorting robot according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

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.

As shown in fig. 1, the first embodiment of the automatic sorting system of the present invention comprises: robot 10 and letter sorting unit 20, letter sorting unit 20 includes a plurality of letter sorting mouth 201.

The robot 10 is configured to acquire cargo information of the cargo B, where the cargo information includes target sorting place information; acquiring a target sorting port 201 corresponding to the goods B according to the target sorting place information; the goods B are put into the corresponding target sorting mouths 201.

Specifically, in one application example, the robot 10 is disposed on the sorting unit 20 through the fixing mechanism 30, and the sorting unit 20 includes a plurality of sorting openings 201, and each sorting opening 201 corresponds to one sorting outlet. The fixing mechanism 30 may be a fixed pile or a fixed column fixedly disposed in the sorting unit 20, or may be a mechanism capable of ascending and descending. The plurality of sorting openings 201 in the sorting unit 20 may be circular openings or square openings, or other regular/irregular openings, and the sorting unit 20 may be square as shown in fig. 1, or circular, or other regular/irregular shapes, which is not limited herein. The robot 10 includes a robot arm 101 and a rotatable base 102, and an end effector (not shown) of the robot arm 101 is provided with an identification device 1011, wherein the identification device 1011 includes, but is not limited to, a radio frequency identification device, a barcode identification device, a two-dimensional code identification device, a vision sensor, and an optical character identification device. The recognition device 1011 may be provided to the robot arm 101.

The robot 10 uses the identification device 1011 to identify the identifier of the cargo B, such as a barcode, a two-dimensional code, or a character, and obtains cargo information of the cargo B, including the size, the shape, the target sorting location information, and the like of the cargo B, wherein the target sorting location information includes, but is not limited to, the final destination information of the cargo B and/or the next target sorting location information corresponding to the current sorting task of the cargo B.

Specifically, in the process of sorting the goods, first, according to the shipping address and the final destination information (i.e. the destination address) of the goods, the sorting task can be divided into international sorting, provincial sorting, city sorting, district sorting, regional sorting, etc., and the goods whose destination addresses are in the same country/region/province/city/district/region are sorted to the corresponding sorting places of the country/region/province/city/district/region. The robot 10 acquires an image of the goods B by using the recognition device 1011, such as a vision sensor, and then recognizes a target address, a letter number, a bar code, etc. in the image to acquire final destination information of the goods B and a current sorting task, and further acquires next target sorting place information corresponding to the target address (for example, X cell of C city, a province, china) and the current sorting task (for example, province-level sorting), that is, sorting place corresponding to a province.

In other embodiments, the robot itself may also store the current sorting task, and only need to obtain the corresponding next target sorting place information according to the final destination information of the goods; the robot can also acquire the final destination information and/or the next target sorting place information corresponding to the current sorting task from the control center; the current sorting task may also be distinguished by using a mark, for example, a01, B02, etc., and the recognition device or the control center of the robot may recognize the mark, so as to obtain the corresponding next target sorting location information, which is not limited herein.

In the above application example, after the robot 10 acquires the target sorting place information of the goods B, the robot uses the target sorting place information to inquire from the correspondence between the stored target sorting place information and the sorting opening, so as to acquire the target sorting opening 201 corresponding to the goods B, and calculates the position of the operation end of the robot arm 101 and the rotation angle of the rotatable base 102, which are required for placing the goods B, based on the position information of the target sorting opening 201 and the position information of the current robot 10. Wherein the position of the operating end of the robot arm 101 can be reached by controlling the rotation angle of each joint of the robot arm 101. When the position is out of the executable range of the current state of the robot 10, the robot 10 may further control the rotatable base 102 to rotate by a desired angle, and control the robot arm 101 to rotate by the desired angle based on the state of the rotatable base 102, and the rotation angle of each joint is such that the operating end of the robot arm 101 reaches a position corresponding to the target sorting opening 201, which may be such that the goods held by the end effector connected to the operating end can be placed into the target sorting opening. Finally, the robot arm 101 is controlled to operate an end effector (not shown) connected to the end to place the goods B into the target sorting opening 201, and the goods placed into each target sorting opening 201 can be conveyed to a next target sorting place corresponding to the next target sorting place information by a conveyor belt or a goods taking device. The robot 10 may also obtain the goods information of the goods and the target sorting opening corresponding to the goods through a control center (not shown) of the system.

In this embodiment, the rotation of the rotatable base is utilized to expand the operation range of the robot arm, and the rotatable base can also be used in cooperation with the robot arm to assist in rotation within the executable range of the robot arm, so as to reduce the mechanical motion of the robot arm. In other embodiments, the robot may not include a rotatable base, and the robot may move the goods to the corresponding target sorting opening by controlling the rotation of each joint of the robot arm.

In this embodiment, the automatic sorting system utilizes the robot can realize the automatic sorting process, has reduced artifical composition of participating in, reduces the cost of labor, and the robot does not have the problem of physical demands simultaneously, can work for a long time, and then can improve the efficiency of letter sorting.

In other embodiments, a plurality of sorting ports may correspond to a sorting outlet, the automated sorting system may further include a storage mechanism, and the like.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, in the second embodiment of the automatic sorting system according to the present invention, the sorting openings 201 correspond to a sorting outlet 202, a goods storage mechanism 203 is disposed at the sorting outlet 202, and after the robot 10 puts a goods B into the target sorting opening 201B, the goods B enter the goods storage mechanism 203 from the sorting outlet 202 for storage, wherein the goods storage mechanism 203 includes, but is not limited to, a goods storage box or a goods storage bag.

The storage mechanism 203 automatically packs the cargo B when the cargo B is fully loaded, for example, when the weight and/or volume of the cargo B reaches the weight and/or volume that the storage mechanism 203 allows to carry. The specific operation manner of the packing is determined according to the type of the storage mechanism 203, for example, when the storage mechanism 203 is a storage bag, any manner of a drawstring seal, a heat sealing seal, a zipper seal, a binding seal, etc. may be adopted, and is not limited herein.

For example, in fig. 2, the four

sorting openings

201a, 201B, 201c, 201d correspond to a sorting outlet 202, a cargo bag 203 is disposed at the sorting outlet 202, when the robot 10 puts the held cargo B into the corresponding target sorting opening 201B, the cargo B enters the cargo bag 203 from the sorting outlet 202 corresponding to the sorting opening 201B, the sorting outlet 202 is provided with a sensing device 204, such as a proximity sensor, when the cargo B enters the cargo bag 203 through the sorting outlet 202, the proximity sensor 204 senses the cargo B, when the cargo bag 203 is sensed to be fully loaded, such as the stored cargo B is stacked close to or in contact with the sorting outlet 202, the cargo bag 203 is automatically packed, and the packed cargo bag 203 may fall downward, so that the cargo bag is transported to the target sorting location by using a manual, a conveyor belt, or a cargo-taking device (not shown). Wherein, a plurality of letter sorting mouths can correspond the goods of different grade type respectively, and a letter sorting mouth corresponds a goods type, and nevertheless the target letter sorting ground information that same letter sorting goods outlet corresponds is the same to the realization has the different grade type goods of the same target letter sorting ground information to get into storage goods mechanism through different letter sorting mouths respectively. Of course, a plurality of letter sorting mouths also can correspond different target letter sorting ground information, and wherein the target letter sorting ground position that a plurality of letter sorting mouths of same letter sorting shipment mouth correspond is adjacent to carry the goods that can transport this same letter sorting shipment mouth adjacent target letter sorting ground in proper order in follow-up same time, in order to avoid getting goods device or conveyer belt etc. and need carry out a lot of and carry.

In other embodiments, a baffle plate may be disposed between the sorting outlet and the storage mechanism, and a sensing device, which may be a pressure sensor or the like, is disposed on the baffle plate and is used for sensing the weight of the goods carried by the baffle plate, so that when the weight of the carried goods reaches a predetermined weight, such as the weight allowed to be carried by the storage box, the baffle plate is opened to allow the goods to enter the storage mechanism, so that the storage mechanism performs the packing operation.

In other embodiments, each sorting port can also be used as a sorting outlet, and a goods storage mechanism can also be arranged at each sorting outlet.

In a third embodiment of the automatic sorting system according to the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, at least one sorting opening is provided with a storage mechanism, which is used to store goods and automatically pack the goods when the goods are fully loaded, so that the goods with the same information of the target sorting location can be sorted and packed according to the goods type and can be delivered to the target sorting location through the same sorting outlet. Wherein the storage mechanism includes, but is not limited to, a cargo storage box or a cargo storage bag.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, four

sorting ports

201a, 201b, 201c, 201d correspond to one sorting outlet 202, the four sorting ports are respectively and correspondingly provided with a storage bag 204, and each sorting port corresponds to a different cargo type, so that the cargo with the same target sorting location information can be classified and packaged according to different cargo types, and can be uniformly transported through the output of the same sorting outlet 202. The classification according to the cargo types comprises the steps of classifying the cargo types into large packages, small packages, letters and the like according to different sizes; the goods are divided into rigid objects, rigid deformable objects, liquid and the like according to the shapes of the goods; and classified into fragile objects, general objects, high-support objects, and the like according to the security level. The specific packing method of the storage bags can refer to the packing method of the storage bags in the second embodiment of the automatic sorting system of the invention, and the method is not repeated here.

In other embodiments, each sorting outlet may further be provided with a storage mechanism 203, such as a storage box, for packing the storage bags 204 packed by the corresponding sorting outlets in one storage mechanism 203 for subsequent transportation.

In a fourth embodiment of the automated sorting system according to the present invention, as shown in fig. 4, each sorting opening 201 of the sorting unit 20 is a sorting bag with one end closed, and the opening of the sorting bag is used as a cargo inlet of the sorting opening 201. After the robot 10 acquires the target sorting opening 201a corresponding to the target sorting location information of the goods B, the goods B are put into the sorting bag 201a from the opening of the sorting bag 201 a. When the sorting bag 201a is fully loaded, for example, a pressure sensor disposed at the bottom of the sorting bag 201a senses that the weight of the goods loaded in the sorting bag 201a reaches the maximum allowable weight of the sorting bag 201a, the sorting bag 201a is automatically packed. The specific packing method of the sorting bags can refer to the packing method of the storage bags in the second embodiment of the automatic sorting system of the invention, and the method is not repeated here.

In other embodiments, the size and shape of the goods B can be obtained by a visual sensor, so that the volume of the goods placed in the sorting bag 201a can be known, and when the volume reaches the maximum allowable volume of the sorting bag 201a, the sorting bag 201a is automatically packed.

In other embodiments, the identification of the cargo B may be recognized by a recognition device, including but not limited to a code scanning device, a visual sensor, a camera, etc., and the parameters of the cargo B, such as size, shape, weight, shape, security level, etc., may be obtained by the identification. The label of the goods can be obtained through the near-field inductor, and the required parameters are obtained. The parameter can be flexibly selected according to the setting of the judgment condition. For example, when the determination condition is the maximum allowable weight, the weight parameter of the goods B is obtained, and when the determination condition is the maximum allowable volume, the volume parameter of the goods B is obtained, and the shape parameter may also be obtained, so that it may be determined whether the space in the sorting bag 201a may further accommodate the goods in the shape in combination with the shape parameter. Therefore, the method can judge more accurately under the condition of mixing objects with various shapes. Sensing device still can be for range sensor, gets into storage goods mechanism or letter sorting bag through discernment goods, judges whether the goods number of getting into satisfies and predetermines maximum quantity, if, then judges to fill with, and then packs.

Of course, in other embodiments, other sensing devices may be used to sense whether the sorting bags are full, and are not limited herein.

As shown in fig. 4, the automatic sorting system further includes a goods taking device 40, and the goods taking device 40 includes a conveying mechanism, wherein the conveying mechanism 40 is disposed below the sorting opening 201, and the packed sorting bags are conveyed to the corresponding target sorting places through the conveying mechanism 40 after entering the conveying mechanism 40.

Specifically, in one application example, as shown in fig. 4, all the sorting ports 201 correspond to one conveying mechanism 40. The conveying mechanism 40 includes a slide 401 and a conveyor belt 402, and the conveying mechanism 40 may also include a conveyor belt directly, which is not limited herein.

The packed sorting bags are adhered or printed with target sorting place information, the target sorting place information can be distinguished by adopting marks of different colors, different patterns (such as bar codes, two-dimensional codes and the like) or characters and the like, and the conveying mechanism 40 can identify the marks in the subsequent process and convey the sorting bags of different target sorting places to corresponding sorting places. In other application examples, the identifier may be attached to or printed on the sorting bag before or during packaging, or the packaging bag itself may have the identifier and correspond to information of different targets for sorting. For example, different colors or textures of destination pockets correspond to different target sorting openings. The corresponding relation can be predefined setting, and can also be dynamically allocated to the system. It can be understood that the scheme may include the step of pasting or printing the identifier, or may not include the step, and the conveying point of the sorting bag corresponding to the target sorting place information is known through the association relationship between the identifier and the target sorting place information. The conveying point can be the final output cargo compartment of the sorting center or a transfer point for the re-sorting conveyance.

In other embodiments, the conveying mechanism may include a plurality of conveying mechanisms, each corresponding to one sorting opening, that is, each corresponding to one target sorting place, for conveying the sorting bags of the corresponding sorting opening to the target sorting place. It may also be included that each conveyor mechanism 40 of the plurality of conveyor mechanisms 40 corresponds to a plurality of sorting openings 20. The sorting mouths corresponding to the same transport mechanism 40 may be provided with the same delivery point. The delivery point may be a node of the next sorting or processing link in the current sorting center. Or the node corresponding to the next sorting center for the current sorting center. For example, the target sorting place information corresponding to a plurality of sorting openings in the current sorting center needs to be conveyed to the same cargo hold, which can be regarded as a conveying point, and further conveyed to the next sorting center for sorting again. In this way, the current sorting transports a plurality of goods corresponding to the same next sorting job with different final destination information to the same transport point, so that the next sorting job further performs sorting. The next sorting task may be information of a next target sorting place corresponding to the current sorting task of the goods.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 4, the automated sorting system may further include a loading device 50, wherein the loading device 50 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a transport mechanism, a chute, and a platform for transporting the goods B to a location where the robot 10 can access the goods B for subsequent sorting operations by the robot 10. The cargo entering device 50 may also be provided with an identification device (not shown) for identifying cargo, acquiring cargo information, uploading the cargo information to the control center and/or sending the cargo information to the robot 10.

In other embodiments, the picking device may also be a picking robot.

Referring to fig. 5, in a fifth embodiment of the automatic sorting system according to the present invention, the picking apparatus includes a picking robot 60, and the picking robot 60 includes a storage mechanism 601 and a communication circuit 602. The communication circuit 602 is configured to receive a notification message sent by at least one of the control center (not shown), the robot 10 and the sorting unit 20, and the notification message is used to notify the goods picking robot 60 to pick up the goods sorted by the sorting unit. The storage mechanism 601 is used for storing the packed goods. Comprising storing sorting bags as described in the preamble, which may be in a state where the packing is completed by a sorting unit or robot 10. The packing may also be done in an unpackaged state by the pick robot 60 or a dedicated packing robot. The solution of the above embodiments of the storage means can also be combined.

Specifically, in one application example, the sorting unit 20 packs the storage bags 203, broadcasts a message to all the picking robots 60 in the current sorting site, the picking robot 60 closest to the sorting unit 20 moves to a position below the corresponding sorting opening 201 in response to the message, receives the packed storage bags 203, acquires a target sorting place corresponding to the storage bags 203 through a control center (not shown) or the sorting unit 20, and then transports the storage bags 203 to the target sorting place. Wherein the goods storage bag 203 is pasted or printed with the target sorting place information, the picking robot 60 may further include a recognition device (not shown) through which the target sorting place of the goods storage bag 203 may be recognized.

In other embodiments, when a sorting bag is provided at each sorting opening, the picking robot can also be used for receiving the packed sorting bag and conveying the packed sorting bag to a corresponding target sorting place.

As shown in fig. 6, in a sixth embodiment of the automated sorting system of the present invention, the automated sorting system includes a robot 10, a sorting unit 20, and a control center 70, wherein the sorting unit 20 includes a plurality of sorting ports 201.

Specifically, in the automatic sorting system, the control center 70 stores the correspondence between each sorting opening and the corresponding target sorting location information, and the target sorting location information of the goods to be sorted. This control center 70 can be used for setting up the target letter sorting ground information that letter sorting mouth 201 corresponds, when the target letter sorting ground accords with the preset condition, adjusts the target letter sorting ground information that letter sorting mouth corresponds to allocate letter sorting mouth in a flexible way, improve letter sorting mouth utilization ratio and letter sorting efficiency.

The preset condition is a preset threshold value for adjusting the quantity of the goods of the target sorting place information corresponding to the sorting opening, and the specific value of the preset condition is determined according to the actual situation and is not specifically limited here.

For example, when the control center 70 detects that the quantity of the goods to be sorted corresponding to a certain target sorting location information a is greater than a first threshold (e.g., 200) and the quantity of the goods to be sorted corresponding to another target sorting location information C is less than a second threshold (e.g., 20), it determines that the target sorting location information a and C meet the preset condition, selects a part of sorting openings (e.g., 5) corresponding to the target sorting location information C, adjusts the corresponding target sorting location information to the target sorting location information a, so that the subsequent robot 10 puts the goods with the target sorting location information a into the adjusted sorting opening 201. The number of the adjusted sorting openings may be determined according to actual requirements, and is not specifically limited herein.

As shown in fig. 7, in the first embodiment of the automatic sorting robot of the present invention, the automatic sorting robot 10 includes at least: and the mechanical arm 101 acquires a target sorting port corresponding to the goods according to the goods information, and puts the goods into the target sorting port. The goods information includes target sorting place information, and the robot 10 acquires a target sorting opening corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information. The goods information may be obtained through the control center, or may be obtained through goods data obtained by a recognition device communicatively connected to the robot 10, where the recognition device may be a position where the sorting unit can obtain the goods, such as a conveyor belt for conveying the goods to the sorting unit, or a conveying position for conveying the goods to the sorting unit, or may be disposed on the robot 10, such as an end effector, a mechanical arm, or a joint where the end effector is connected to the end effector. Combinations of the different arrangements described above may also be included. As described in the foregoing embodiment, the cargo information may also be obtained by the identification device and the control center, for example, the identification device identifies the identifier of the cargo, and the control center is configured to obtain the corresponding cargo information according to the identifier, and then provide the cargo information to the robot 10. It is understood that, when the control center and the recognition device are both disposed on the robot 10, the robot may execute the method steps corresponding to the control center and the recognition device.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, in an application example, the cargo information further includes description information of the cargo. The description information of the goods includes, but is not limited to, the size, shape, type, form, weight, and the like of the goods. The robot 10 determines a target position and/or a target posture at which the end effector captures the goods according to the description information to control the end effector to reach the capture position and/or capture the goods in the capture posture, or the robot 10 determines a target position and/or a target posture at which the end effector places the goods according to the description information to control the end effector to reach the target position and/or place the goods in the target posture.

For example, as shown in fig. 2, the robot 10 acquires size information of a cargo B (such as the length, width, and height of a rectangular cargo, or the diameter of a spherical cargo), compares the size information with the width of a target sorting opening 201B corresponding to the cargo B, and selects an acquisition attitude and/or a placement attitude that matches the width of the target sorting opening 201B, where the width of the target sorting opening 201B is a circular diameter if the target sorting opening 201B is circular, and the width of the target sorting opening 201B is long/wide if the target sorting opening 201B is rectangular. For example, if the target sorting opening 201b is square, the length is equal to the width, and the width of the target sorting opening 201b is a side length of the square. The goods B are rectangular goods, and if the length of the goods B does not exceed the width of the sorting opening 201B, and the width of the goods B does not exceed the width of the sorting opening 201B, it is determined that the posture for holding and/or placing the goods B is such that the length direction of the goods B is parallel to the target sorting opening 201B. If the length of the goods B exceeds the width of the sorting opening 201B, but the width and height of the goods B do not exceed the width of the sorting opening 201B, it is determined that the posture for catching and/or placing the goods B is such that the length direction of the goods B is perpendicular to the target sorting opening 201B. Specific holding poses and/or placing target poses (hereinafter referred to as placing poses) can be realized by various planning methods, including but not limited to the above example methods, and it can be understood from the above principle that different planning methods can be realized according to different designs of the goods B and the sorting opening, as long as the placing poses at which the robot can place the goods B into the sorting opening can be obtained. And the method can comprise the steps of obtaining an acquisition pose suitable for the robot to execute according to the design parameters of the mechanical arm and the end effector, and planning the robot with the acquisition pose suitable for executing the placing pose capable of placing the goods B into the sorting port. The method can realize the planning and placement of various unknown cargos in different forms. In some embodiments, if the design of the sorting port can be suitable for arbitrary placement of all the goods B forms, the postures of the goods do not need to be acquired and considered, and the acquisition posture and the placement posture of the robot do not need to be calculated according to the postures of the goods.

In this embodiment, utilize the automatic sorting robot to realize the automatic sorting process, reduced artifical composition of participating in, reduce the cost of labor, the robot does not have the problem of physical demands simultaneously, can work for a long time, and then can improve the efficiency of letter sorting.

In other embodiments, the robot may not include an end effector, and the mechanical arm directly shifts the goods into the target sorting opening, at this time, the sorting opening is arranged around the robot, a platform is arranged between the robot and the surrounding sorting opening, the goods can be placed on the platform, and the mechanical arm directly pushes the goods to move to the platform position corresponding to the target sorting opening according to the target sorting opening of the goods corresponding to the target sorting information, and then shifts the goods into the target sorting opening.

As shown in fig. 8, in the second embodiment of the automated sorting robot according to the present invention, the automated sorting robot 10 further includes an end effector 1012 connected to the robot arm 101 and a communication circuit 103, and the communication circuit 103 is used for communication with an external device. The end effector 1012 may be a vacuum chuck, a mechanical gripper, a clamping mechanism, or the like.

Specifically, the communication circuit 103 is configured to receive notification information from the control center 70, the notification information including at least one of a holding position and/or a holding posture at which the article is held and a target position and/or a target posture at which the article is placed, and upon receiving the notification information, the robot 10 is further configured to control the end effector 1012 to hold the article at the holding position and/or the holding posture or to control the end effector 1012 to place the article at the target position and/or the target posture. The robot 10 can acquire the holding position for holding the goods to be sorted according to the position and posture of the target sorting port and the current position and posture of the goods to be sorted, plan an execution path from the current position and posture to the target position and posture of the goods to be sorted, control the end effector 1012 to hold the goods to be sorted in the holding position and place the goods to be sorted according to the execution path to the target position and posture. And the acquisition pose and the target pose are calculated according to the pose of the target sorting port and the cargo information of the cargo to be sorted.

The control center 70 calculates the target position of the target sorting opening corresponding to the cargo, and the holding posture for holding the cargo and/or the target posture for placing the cargo according to the information of the cargo, including the information of the size, the shape, the target sorting place, and the like, and generates notification information according to the holding posture and/or the target posture, and sends the notification information to the robot 10. The communication circuit 103 of the robot 10 receives the notification information, and controls the robot arm 101 to grasp the cargo in the grasping posture or to place the cargo in the target posture. Wherein, since the sorting gates in the sorting unit are fixedly arranged, the position or pose control center 70 of each sorting gate can be known in advance.

In other embodiments, the robot may also identify each sorting gate at the time of initial use, prestore the position or pose of each sorting gate, or preset the position or pose of each sorting gate before use of the robot. The robot also includes a variety of end effectors including, for example, a robot arm and a suction cup, and different end effectors may be controlled to perform according to different types of goods. For example, when the type of the cargo information includes a deformable object, or the volume and the weight of the cargo are larger than the execution category of the manipulator, the suction tray is controlled to hold the cargo. The holding parameters of the end effector can also be controlled according to the weight parameters of the cargo information, for example, when the end effector is a suction cup, the suction force of the suction cup is adjusted. It can be understood that different acquisition schemes of the robot can be flexibly obtained according to cargo characteristic planning according to cargo information.

This embodiment may be combined with the first embodiment of the automatic sorting robot.

As shown in fig. 9, in the third embodiment of the automatic sorting robot according to the present invention, the automatic sorting robot 10 further includes a rotatable base 102, and the rotatable base 102 is relatively fixed to the bottom of the robot arm 101 and is used for driving the robot arm 101 to rotate, so that the target sorting opening is located within the operation range of the robot arm 101.

The specific operation of the rotatable base 102 can refer to the first embodiment of the automatic sorting system of the present invention, and will not be repeated here.

This embodiment may be combined with the first or second embodiment of the automatic sorting robot.

As shown in fig. 10, in a fourth embodiment of the automatic sorting robot according to the present invention, the automatic sorting robot 10 further includes: the identification device 1011 is relatively fixedly arranged on the mechanical arm 1011 or arranged on the end effector 1012 connected with the mechanical arm 1011 and is used for identifying the goods so as to acquire goods information.

The identification device 1011 includes, but is not limited to, a radio frequency identification device, a bar code identification device, a two-dimensional code identification device, or an optical symbol identification device.

The specific operation of the identification device 1011 can refer to the first embodiment of the automatic sorting system of the present invention, and will not be repeated here.

This embodiment may be combined with any one of the first to third embodiments of the automatic sorting robot or a non-conflicting combination thereof.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and all modifications of equivalent structures and equivalent processes performed by the present specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic sorting system, characterized in that the system comprises a robot and a sorting unit, wherein the sorting unit comprises a plurality of sorting ports;

the robot is used for acquiring goods information, and the goods information comprises target sorting place information; acquiring a target sorting port corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information; placing the goods into the corresponding target sorting openings;

at least two sorting ports correspond to one sorting goods outlet, a goods storage mechanism is correspondingly arranged at the sorting goods outlet, and the goods storage mechanism is used for storing the goods;

wherein the goods types of the goods stored by at least two goods storage mechanisms are different;

the robot also includes a plurality of end effectors such that the robot may control different end effectors to perform according to different types of goods.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the robot is disposed on the sorting unit by a securing mechanism.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a goods taking device is disposed at each sorting outlet of the sorting unit for delivering the goods to the target sorting place corresponding to the target sorting place information.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the pickup device comprises a pickup robot and/or a transport mechanism.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each sorting unit is provided with a sensing device for sensing whether the storage mechanism is filled with the goods.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the sensing device is one of a ranging sensor, a visual sensor, a near field sensor, a tactile sensor, a proximity sensor, and a pressure sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the target sortation location information comprises final destination information for the goods and/or next target sortation location information corresponding to a current sorting assignment for the goods.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the cargo information employs one of radio frequency identification, bar code identification, two-dimensional code identification, visual identification, and optical character identification.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a control center;

the control center is used for setting target sorting place information corresponding to the sorting opening, and adjusting the target sorting place information corresponding to the sorting opening when the target sorting place meets preset conditions.

10. An automatic sorting robot is characterized by at least comprising a mechanical arm;

the mechanical arm is used for placing the goods into a target sorting port corresponding to the goods acquired according to the goods information;

the target sorting opening is positioned in a plurality of sorting openings of the sorting unit; the sorting device comprises at least two sorting ports, a goods storage mechanism and a goods sorting and delivering mechanism, wherein the at least two sorting ports correspond to one sorting and delivering port;

the robot also comprises a plurality of end effectors, so that the robot can control different end effectors to execute according to different types of goods;

the goods information comprises target sorting place information, and the robot acquires a target sorting opening corresponding to the goods according to the target sorting place information.

11. The robot of claim 10, wherein the cargo information includes descriptive information of the cargo;

the robot is further configured to determine from the description information,

determining a holding position and/or a holding posture used by the end effector to hold the goods to control the end effector to hold the goods at the holding position and/or the holding posture, or determining a target position and/or a target posture used by the end effector to place the goods to control the end effector to place the goods at the target position and/or the target posture.

12. The robot of claim 10, further comprising a communication circuit;

the communication circuit is used for receiving notification information from a control center, wherein the notification information comprises at least one of a holding position and/or a holding posture for holding the goods and a target position and/or a target posture for placing the goods;

the robot is further configured to control the end effector to capture the cargo at the capture position and/or capture pose, or to place the cargo at the target position and/or target pose.

13. A robot as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a rotatable base;

the rotatable base is relatively fixed at the bottom of the mechanical arm and used for driving the mechanical arm to rotate, so that the target sorting opening is located in the operation range of the mechanical arm.

14. The robot of claim 10, further comprising: an identification device;

the recognition device is relatively and fixedly arranged on the mechanical arm or an end effector connected with the mechanical arm and used for recognizing the goods so as to acquire the goods information.