CN110482262B

CN110482262B - Handling equipment and handling method

Info

Publication number: CN110482262B
Application number: CN201811519417.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王力展; 任云超
Original assignee: Guangdong Tianniang Intelligent Equipment Co ltd; Foshan Haitian Flavoring and Food Co Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Tianniang Intelligent Equipment Co ltd; Foshan Haitian Flavoring and Food Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-12-12
Filing date: 2018-12-12
Publication date: 2024-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-12
Also published as: CN110482262A

Abstract

The invention relates to a loading and unloading device and a loading and unloading method, wherein the loading and unloading device comprises: a frame (14); a pallet (4) for carrying an object (5); and the mechanical arm and the frame (14) form a four-bar linkage (1), the supporting plate (4) is arranged on a rod piece far away from the frame (14) in the four-bar linkage (1) so as to drive the supporting plate (4) to reach a target position through the swing of the four-bar linkage (1), and the length of at least one rod piece used for forming the four-bar linkage (1) in the mechanical arm is adjustable so as to adjust the inclination angle of the supporting plate (4) under different working conditions. The loading and unloading equipment can better meet the use requirements under different working conditions, the operation of the loading and unloading equipment in the object circulation process is more reliable, and the object circulation efficiency is improved; and the inclined angle of the supporting plate is changed by adjusting the length of the rod piece, so that the supporting plate has larger load capacity, simple structure and lower cost.

Description

Handling equipment and handling method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of automatic logistics, in particular to loading and unloading equipment and a loading and unloading method.

Background

The handling device is used for stacking objects in a container or a carriage or unloading objects from the container or the carriage, and the transfer of the objects can be flexibly realized by adopting a mechanical arm.

In the prior art known to the inventor, the mechanical arm can be designed as a four-bar mechanism, and the lifting and lowering of the whole mechanical arm can be realized by driving the four-bar mechanism to swing, so that the end execution part of the mechanical arm reaches the target position. However, there are still some problems in using such a mechanical arm, for example: when the mechanical arm is dithered in the carrying process, the carried objects can fall down, so that the carrying efficiency is low, the smooth operation of the whole carrying process is affected, and the objects can be damaged; in addition, during unloading, when the object is heavy, a large pushing force is required to be applied to unload the object.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide loading and unloading equipment and a loading and unloading method, which can better meet the use requirements under different working conditions.

According to an aspect of the invention, a handling device is proposed, comprising:

A frame;

The supporting plate is used for bearing the object; and

The mechanical arm and the rack form a four-bar linkage, the supporting plate is arranged on a rod piece far away from the rack in the four-bar linkage, so that the supporting plate is driven to reach a target position through the swing of the four-bar linkage, and the length of at least one rod piece used for forming the four-bar linkage in the mechanical arm is adjustable, so that the inclination angle of the supporting plate can be adjusted under different working conditions.

Further, under the loading working condition, the supporting plate is kept in a horizontal state; under at least partial carrying working conditions, the supporting plate keeps a horizontal state or the free end is in an upward inclined state; under the unloading working condition, the supporting plate keeps a horizontal state or the free end is inclined downwards.

Further, the four-bar linkage mechanism further comprises a first driving part and a second driving part, wherein the first driving part is used for driving the four-bar linkage mechanism to swing, the second driving part is used for driving the rod piece with adjustable length to stretch and retract, and the control of the first driving part and the control of the second driving part are mutually independent.

Further, the length of a rod piece adjacent to the frame in the four-bar linkage mechanism is adjustable.

Further, the four-bar mechanism comprises a first bar and a second bar, the first bar and the second bar are respectively arranged adjacent to the frame, the first bar is configured to rotate under the driving of external force so that the supporting plate reaches the target position, and the length of the second bar is adjustable.

Further, the four-bar mechanism further comprises a third bar, the third bar is arranged opposite to the frame, and the supporting plate is arranged at the lower end of the third bar and forms an L-shaped structure with the third bar.

Further, the first rod is connected to the upper end of the third rod, and the second rod is connected to the lower end of the third rod.

Further, the four-bar linkage can be constructed as a parallel four-bar linkage in which the opposing bars are equal in length in the original state.

Further, the telescopic rod further comprises a second driving part which is used for driving the rod with the adjustable length to stretch and retract, and the second driving part is arranged in the rod with the adjustable length in series.

Further, the second driving part is a telescopic device.

Further, the device further comprises a push rod group, wherein the push rod group is integrally and rotatably arranged at one end of the supporting plate connected with the mechanical arm and is configured to rotate to a first position when the object needs to be loaded, so that the space occupied by the side surface of the supporting plate connected with the mechanical arm is reduced, and the push rod group is rotated to a second position when the object needs to be unloaded, so that the object on the supporting plate is pushed out.

Further, the push rod group comprises a plurality of push rods which are arranged at intervals side by side along the length direction of the supporting plate, each push rod is independently controlled, and different pushing strokes can be realized.

Further, the first rod piece is provided with one piece, and the second rod piece is positioned at one side of the first rod piece in the length direction of the supporting plate; or the first rod members are arranged in two, each first rod member is independently driven, and the second rod member is positioned between the two first rod members in the length direction of the supporting plate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a loading and unloading method is provided, comprising:

swinging the four-bar linkage to drive the supporting plate to reach a target position;

The rod piece with adjustable length used for forming the four-bar linkage mechanism in the mechanical arm stretches out and draws back, so that the dip angle of the supporting plate can be adjusted under different working conditions.

Further, the step of adjusting the inclination angle of the supporting plate under different working conditions specifically comprises:

Under the loading working condition, adjusting the supporting plate to keep a horizontal state;

Under at least partial carrying working conditions, adjusting the free end of the supporting plate to incline upwards; or (b)

And under the unloading working condition, the free end of the supporting plate is adjusted to incline downwards.

Further, under the loading working condition, the four-bar linkage mechanism is of a parallel four-bar linkage structure when the supporting plate is in a horizontal state, and the step of adjusting the inclination angle of the supporting plate under the carrying working condition specifically comprises the following steps:

When the mechanical arm is in a rotating and carrying working condition, the supporting plate is adjusted to be kept in a horizontal state;

And under the working condition that the mechanical arm is in horizontal movement or vertical movement, the free end of the supporting plate is adjusted to incline upwards.

Further, the step of unloading the object by making the pallet reach the target position based on the parking direction of the loading and unloading device specifically includes:

Bringing the pallet to the rear of the target position;

and pushing the object out of the supporting plate under the condition that the position of the mechanical arm is kept unchanged.

Further, the step of unloading the object by making the pallet reach the target position specifically includes:

allowing the pallet to reach directly above the target position;

and when pushing out the object from the supporting plate, the mechanical arm is retracted away from the bottom of the object by swinging the four-bar linkage.

Aligning the front edge of the supporting plate with the edge of the target position where the object is not fully stacked;

And pushing out the object from the supporting plate to a target position which is not full under the condition that the position of the mechanical arm is kept unchanged.

Further, when the heights of the objects stacked on the bottom layer are different, and a whole row of objects needs to be further stacked on the objects on the bottom layer, the step of enabling the supporting plate to reach the target position to unload the objects specifically includes:

The supporting plate reaches a high-level target position, and only the object to be unloaded on the supporting plate to the high-level target position is pushed out until the pushed object reaches the high-level bottom layer stacked object; and

And enabling the supporting plate to reach a low-level target position, pushing out the rest objects to be unloaded to the low-level target position on the supporting plate until the pushed objects reach the low-level bottom layer stacked objects.

Further, when the object is stacked on the top layer and there is still a space between the top of the object and the top of the stacking space, the step of unloading the object by making the pallet reach the target position specifically includes:

aligning the front edge of the supporting plate with the upper edge of the current topmost object;

pushing out the object with the height dimension smaller than the interval height to the topmost object to realize the plug top.

Based on the technical scheme, the loading and unloading equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention has the advantages that the mechanical arm and the rack form the four-bar mechanism, the supporting plate can be driven to reach the loading or unloading target position through the swing of the four-bar mechanism, the length of at least one rod piece used for forming the four-bar mechanism in the mechanical arm is adjustable, so that the inclination angle of the supporting plate can be adjusted under different working conditions, the mechanical arm can better meet the use requirements under different working conditions, the operation of the loading and unloading equipment in the object circulation process is more reliable, and the object circulation efficiency is improved; and the inclined angle of the supporting plate is changed by adjusting the length of the rod piece, so that the supporting plate has larger load capacity, simple structure and lower cost.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and do not constitute a limitation on the application. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a loading device of the present invention in a loading mode;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the handling apparatus of the present invention in a handling condition;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention in an unloaded condition;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are schematic views showing the mechanical arm of the loading and unloading device of the present invention lowered to a low position in a loading condition, a carrying condition and an unloading condition;

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of a mechanical arm of a loading and unloading device lifted to a high position and installed in a working condition;

FIGS. 5B and 5C are front and side views, respectively, of a single mechanical arm employed in the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention;

FIGS. 5D and 5E are front and side views, respectively, of a handling apparatus of the present invention employing dual robotic arms;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention in a loading condition;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the handling apparatus of the present invention in a handling condition;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic views of a process state of a first embodiment of stacking articles using the handling apparatus of the present invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views of a process for stacking articles using the handling apparatus of the present invention, respectively;

FIGS. 10A-10D are schematic views of a process state of a third embodiment of stacking articles using the handling apparatus of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A-11F are schematic views of a fourth embodiment of a loading apparatus for stacking objects according to the present invention;

Fig. 12A and 12B are schematic views of a process state of a fifth embodiment of stacking objects using the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1. a four bar linkage; 11. a first rod member; 12. a second rod member; 13. a third lever; 14. a frame; 2. a first driving part; 3. a second driving part; 4. a supporting plate; 5. an article; 6. a push rod; 10. and a loading machine.

Detailed Description

The present invention is described in detail below. In the following paragraphs, the different aspects of the embodiments are defined in more detail. Aspects so defined may be combined with any other aspect or aspects unless explicitly stated to be non-combinable. In particular, any feature or features may be combined with one or more other features may be desired and advantageous.

The terms "first," "second," and the like in the present invention are merely for convenience of description to distinguish between different constituent components having the same name, and do not denote a sequential or primary or secondary relationship.

In the description of the present invention, the directions or positional relationships indicated by "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front" and "rear", etc. are used for convenience of description of the present invention based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the apparatus referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and thus should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. Taking the loading and unloading operation of loading and unloading equipment parked in a carriage of a truck as an example, all directions mentioned later are based on the front-back and left-right directions of the loading and unloading equipment.

As shown in fig. 1 to 7, the present invention provides a loading and unloading device, in one embodiment, the loading and unloading device includes a frame 14, a pallet 4 and a mechanical arm, wherein the frame 14 is a fixed base on the loading and unloading device, the mechanical arm is swingably connected to the frame 14, the mechanical arm includes three rods, and forms a four-bar linkage 1 with the frame 14, the pallet 4 is disposed on a rod of the four-bar linkage 1 far from the frame 14, and the pallet 4 is used for carrying an object 5 to swing through the four-bar linkage 1 to drive the pallet 4 to reach a loading or unloading target position. The pallet 4 may reach the rear (the side of the target position near the loading and unloading device) or the upper of the target position, the loaded target position is the position where the object 5 to be loaded is located, and the unloaded target position is the position where the object on the pallet 4 needs to be unloaded. Furthermore, the length of at least one rod in the mechanical arm for forming the four-bar linkage 1 is adjustable in order to adjust the inclination of the pallet 4 under different conditions. Moreover, the inclination angle of the supporting plate 4 can be accurately controlled according to the expansion and contraction amount of the rod pieces, and continuous adjustment can be realized.

The loading and unloading equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention can better meet the use requirements under different working conditions, improve the operation reliability of the loading and unloading equipment in the object circulation process and improve the object circulation efficiency. The method for changing the dip angle of the supporting plate by adjusting the length of the rod piece and the method for changing the dip angle of the supporting plate by directly driving the joint have larger load capacity, can reduce the power requirement on the driving part, and has simple structure and lower cost.

The different conditions may include a loading condition, a handling condition, and an unloading condition. Wherein, under loading conditions, the articles need to be loaded on the pallet 4, and the pallet 4 is kept in a horizontal state, so that the articles can be more easily transferred to the pallet 4; under at least partial carrying working conditions, namely, the objects on the supporting plate 4 are transferred to a target station through the movement of the loading and unloading equipment, the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined upwards, so that the phenomenon that the mechanical arm shakes or collides the objects in time in the carrying process is avoided, the objects are not easy to drop from the supporting plate 4 to damage, and the carrying efficiency of the objects is improved; or the pallet 4 may be kept horizontal. Under the unloading working condition, the required articles are unloaded from the supporting plate 4 to the target station, and the free ends of the supporting plate 4 incline downwards so as to reduce the thrust required by the articles in the unloading process; or the pallet 4 may be kept horizontal. Wherein the free end of the pallet 4 is the end for outputting the object.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the loading and unloading device may be a loader 10 for effecting loading and unloading of items in a boxcar or large container, for example, the items may be unloaded from the boxcar of a truck, or the items may be stacked in the boxcar of a truck. The object may be a container or the like.

As shown in fig. 6, the loader 10 is in a working condition for loading the articles 5, and the pallet 4 is in a horizontal state at this time, so that the articles 5 are smoothly loaded on the pallet 4. As shown in fig. 7, the loader 10 is under the condition of carrying the objects 5, and the pallet 4 is in a state that the free end is inclined upwards, so as to prevent falling during the process of transferring the objects 5.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the loading and unloading device further comprises a first driving part 2 and a second driving part 3, wherein the first driving part 2 is used for driving the four-bar mechanism 1 to swing, the second driving part 3 is used for driving the length-adjustable connecting rod to stretch and retract, and the control of the first driving part 2 and the control of the second driving part 3 are independent. For example, the first driving part 2 may be a motor or the like, and the second driving part 3 may be a linear driving part such as an electric screw, an air cylinder, or a hydraulic cylinder. When the electric screw rod is adopted, the connecting rod with adjustable length can be accurately and stably driven to stretch out and draw back, so that the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 can be more stably adjusted.

According to the embodiment, the swing of the mechanical arm and the adjustment of the inclination angle of the supporting plate 4 can be automatically realized, and the reliability of the mechanical arm control can be improved by independently controlling the two actions. The sequence of the two links of swinging of the mechanical arm and adjusting the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 can be selected according to actual demands, and the adjustment of the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 can be realized in the swinging process of the mechanical arm, so that the object circulation efficiency can be improved.

In some embodiments, the length of the rod adjacent to the frame 14 in the four-bar linkage mechanism 1 is adjustable, so that the adjustment range of the dip angle of the support plate 4 can be increased as much as possible, and a larger driving force can be provided for dip angle adjustment of the support plate 4. For example, the four-bar linkage 1 is a double-rocker mechanism, the rod adjacent to the frame 14 is long, the second driving part 3 is convenient to set, and a large adjustment range is easy to realize. Alternatively, the rod member of the four-bar linkage mechanism 1 far from the frame 14 can be provided in a length-adjustable structure; or alternatively, any two or three of the three rods in the mechanical arm are of a length-adjustable structure, and the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 is adjusted in a telescopic manner through the cooperation of multiple rods.

In some embodiments, the four-bar linkage 1 includes a first bar member 11 and a second bar member 12, the first bar member 11 and the second bar member 12 are respectively disposed adjacent to the frame 14, the first bar member 11 is configured to rotate under the driving of an external force to enable the pallet 4 to reach the target position, and the length of the second bar member 12 is adjustable. The swing of the mechanical arm and the inclination adjustment of the supporting plate 4 are realized by driving different rod pieces, so that the two actions are independent in structure and control, and the working reliability of the mechanical arm is further improved.

Further, the four-bar linkage 1 further comprises a third bar 13, the third bar 13 is opposite to the frame 14, and the supporting plate 4 is arranged at the lower end of the third bar 13 and forms an L-shaped structure with the third bar 13. In order to obtain a suitable working angle for the pallet 4, the frame 14 may be arranged vertically.

As shown in fig. 1, the first rod 11 is connected to the upper end of the third rod 13, and the second rod 12 is connected to the lower end of the third rod 13. The first rod piece 11 can be driven to swing through the first driving part 2 so as to change the position of the supporting plate 4 in the height direction, the second rod piece 12 is positioned below the first rod piece 11 and is positioned closer to the supporting plate 4, the second rod piece 12 is driven to stretch through the second driving part 3, the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 can be adjusted more directly and accurately, and when the preset dip angle is required to be reached, the stretch amount of the second rod piece 12 can be reduced.

As shown in fig. 1, in the loading condition, the pallet 4 is kept in a horizontal state, and the length of the second rod 12 is L0. In the carrying condition, the second driving part 3 stretches the second rod piece 12 to be larger than L0, so that the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined upwards. In the unloading condition, the second driving part 3 shortens the second rod piece 12 to be smaller than L0, so that the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined downwards.

Preferably, the four-bar linkage 1 can be configured as a parallel four-bar structure with opposite bars of equal length in the original state, i.e. the first bar 11 and the second bar 12 are of equal length, and the third bar 13 is of equal length to said frame 14. In the process of the rotation lifting or descending of the mechanical arm, the angle of the supporting plate 4 can be kept unchanged, so that the working process of the loading and unloading equipment is more flexible.

Further, the pallet 4 may be in different states during handling conditions. Specifically, when the mechanical arm is in a rotating and carrying working condition, the adjusting support plate 4 is kept in a horizontal state, namely, the four-bar mechanism 1 is of a parallel four-bar structure, and in the process that the mechanical arm rotates to swing up and down, the angle of the support plate 4 is kept unchanged, so that the object is prevented from falling due to the angle change of the support plate 4. Under the condition that the mechanical arm is in horizontal movement or vertical movement carrying working condition, the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined upwards, so that the phenomenon that the mechanical arm shakes or collides in time in the carrying process of an object is not easy to drop from the supporting plate 4 to damage, and the carrying efficiency of the object is improved.

As shown in fig. 1, the handling device further comprises a second driving component 3 for driving the rod with adjustable length to stretch and retract, and the second driving component 3 is arranged in the rod with adjustable length in series. This embodiment can simplify the structure of the four-bar linkage 1 and reduce the occupied space, and the direction of the force applied by the second driving part 3 is consistent with the bar length direction of the second bar 12, so that the expansion and contraction of the second bar 12 can be more stable, thereby enabling the angle adjustment of the pallet 4 to be smoother and being less prone to jamming.

In some embodiments, the handling device further comprises a first driving part 2 and a second driving part 3, wherein the first driving part 2 is used for driving the first rod piece 11 to swing, and the second driving part 3 is used for driving the second rod piece 12 with adjustable length to stretch and retract. For example, the first driving part 2 may be a motor, and the second driving part 3 may be a telescopic device, such as an electric screw, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like.

As shown in fig. 5B and 5C, the first lever 11 is provided with one, and the second lever 12 is located on one side of the first lever 11 in the length direction of the pallet 4.

As shown in fig. 5C and 5D, there are two first rods 11, each first rod 11 is correspondingly provided with one first driving component 2, and the two first driving components 2 control the corresponding first rods 11 to move synchronously. The two first bars 11 may be disposed at intervals along the length direction of the pallet 4, more preferably symmetrically with respect to the center of the pallet 4 along the length direction, and the second bar 12 is located between the two first bars 11 along the length direction of the pallet 4.

The embodiment can effectively ensure the stress balance of the rod piece with fixed length and the rod piece with adjustable length, reduce the stress of a single first rod piece 11, reduce the power requirement on the first driving part 2 and reduce the volume of the first driving part 2.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A to 4C, the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention further includes a push rod set integrally rotatably disposed at an end of the pallet 4 connected to the robot arm, and configured to be rotated to a first position when the object 5 needs to be loaded, to reduce a space occupied at a side of the end of the pallet 4 connected to the robot arm, and rotated to a second position to push out the object 5 on the pallet 4 when the object 5 needs to be unloaded. The first position may refer to fig. 4A and 4B, and the second position may refer to fig. 4C, 5B, and 5D.

For example, when rotated to the first position, the push rod set is perpendicular to the pallet 4; when rotated to the second position, the push rod set is parallel to the pallet 4.

By switching the positions of the push rod groups under different working conditions, the embodiment can reduce the occupied space of the push rod groups and improve the space utilization rate of the supporting plate 4, so that the loading and unloading equipment can be suitable for operation in a small space (such as a container).

Specifically, the pusher group includes a plurality of pushers 6 arranged at intervals side by side along the longitudinal direction of the pallet 4 (corresponding to the left-right direction of the loading and unloading apparatus), and each of the pushers 6 is independently controlled and can realize different pushing strokes. When the objects 5 need to be unloaded, the corresponding push rods 6 of the objects 5 to be pushed out can be extended according to the needs, or each push rod 6 can be extended for different strokes according to different specifications of the objects 5 or different object stacking target positions. The embodiment can realize the whole row synchronous pushing out, multiple grouping pushing out of the objects 5 on the supporting plate 4 or pushing out a plurality of objects 5 with different strokes, so that the unloading modes of the objects 5 are more flexible and various to adapt to different stacking demands of the objects.

The operation of the handling apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 4A to 4C and fig. 5A.

As shown in fig. 4A, the robot arm is swung down, and the object 5 in the lower position is required to be loaded. In the loading condition, each push rod 6 swings to the first position to reduce the occupied space at the inner end of the pallet 4, and the pallet 4 is in a horizontal state so that the objects 5 are more easily loaded on the pallet 4. As shown in fig. 4B, after the object 5 is loaded on the pallet 4, the pallet 4 needs to be transported to the target station, and in order to prevent the object 5 from slipping off, the second driving member 3 is controlled to operate to extend the second rod 12, so that the free end of the pallet 4 is inclined upward. After the pallet 4 reaches the target station, it is necessary to unload the objects 5 from the pallet 4 to the target station, swing each push rod 6 to the second position, and shorten the second rod 12 by controlling the operation of the second driving part 3, thereby tilting the free end of the pallet 4 downward to reduce the force required to push out the objects 5, as shown in fig. 4C.

As shown in fig. 5A, the robot arm is swung up, and the object 5 in the upper position is required to be loaded. In the loading condition, each push rod 6 swings to the first position to reduce the occupied space at the inner end of the pallet 4, and the pallet 4 is in a horizontal state so that the objects 5 are more easily loaded on the pallet 4.

Next, the present invention also provides a loading and unloading method, which can be based on the loading and unloading device of the above embodiments, and in some embodiments, the loading and unloading method includes:

Step 101, enabling the four-bar mechanism 1 in the loading and unloading equipment to swing so as to drive the supporting plate 4 to reach a target position;

Step 102, the rod piece with adjustable length used for forming the four-bar linkage mechanism 1 in the mechanical arm stretches and contracts so as to adjust the dip angle of the supporting plate 4 under different working conditions.

The execution sequence of steps 101 and 102 is not limited, and the swinging of the mechanical arm and the adjustment of the inclination angle of the supporting plate 4 may be performed sequentially or simultaneously.

The loading and unloading method provided by the embodiment of the invention can better meet the use requirements under different working conditions, improve the operation reliability of loading and unloading equipment in the object circulation process and improve the object circulation efficiency. And the method for changing the dip angle of the supporting plate by adjusting the length of the rod piece has larger load capacity, and can reduce the power requirement on the driving part.

The step of adjusting the inclination angle of the supporting plate 4 under different working conditions specifically comprises the following steps:

under the loading working condition, the supporting plate 4 is adjusted to keep a horizontal state;

under the carrying working condition, the free end of the supporting plate 4 is adjusted to incline upwards; or (b)

In the unloading condition, the free end of the adjustment pallet 4 is inclined downwards.

This embodiment enables easier transfer of the articles onto the pallet 4 during loading conditions; under the carrying working condition, the phenomenon that the mechanical arm shakes or collides in time during the carrying process of the object is not easy to drop from the supporting plate 4 to be damaged, and the carrying efficiency of the object is improved; under the unloading working condition, the thrust required by the object in the unloading process can be reduced.

Further, the four-bar linkage 1 has a parallel four-bar linkage structure when the pallet 4 is in a horizontal state, and the step of adjusting the inclination angle of the pallet 4 under the carrying condition specifically includes:

under the condition that the mechanical arm is in a rotating and carrying working condition, the adjusting supporting plate 4 is kept in a horizontal state;

the free end of the adjusting support plate 4 is inclined upwards under the condition that the mechanical arm is in a horizontal movement or vertical movement carrying condition.

In the embodiment, in the process of rotating the mechanical arm to swing up and down, the four-bar mechanism 1 forms a parallel four-bar structure, the angle of the supporting plate 4 is kept unchanged, and the falling of objects caused by the angle change of the supporting plate 4 can be prevented. Under the condition that the mechanical arm is in horizontal movement or vertical movement carrying working condition, the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined upwards, so that the phenomenon that the mechanical arm shakes or collides in time in the carrying process of an object is avoided, the object is not easy to drop from the supporting plate 4 to damage, and the carrying efficiency of the object is improved.

Five methods of stacking articles 5 into the wagon compartment using the loading and unloading apparatus of the present invention are provided below, and are also applicable to stacking articles 5 into large containers.

In the first embodiment, as shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the step of bringing the pallet 4 to the target position in step 101 to unload the object 5 specifically includes:

the pallet 4 is made to reach the rear of the target position (the side of the target position opposite to the loading and unloading equipment), and the target position is the position of the objects to be stacked;

The object 5 is pushed out of the pallet 4 while keeping the robot arm stationary.

As shown in fig. 8A, the loading and unloading apparatus reaches a front region near the target position a in the vehicle cabin, swings the robot arm to cause the pallet 4 to reach the front of the target position a, tilts the free end of the pallet 4 downward, and swings the push rod 6 to the second position. As shown in fig. 8B, with the robot arm held stationary, the push rod 6 is actuated to push the object 5 directly out of the pallet 4 to the target position a. When stacking the bottom layer article, the article 5 rubs with the pallet 4 and the floor of the carriage, and when stacking the article above the bottom layer, the article 5 rubs with the pallet 4 and the top of the lower layer article, and the friction distance is about 2 times of the box width.

In the second embodiment, as shown in fig. 9A and 9B, the step of bringing the pallet 4 to the target position in step 101 specifically includes:

the pallet 4 is made to reach the position right above the target position;

The mechanical arm is retracted away from the bottom of the article 5 by swinging the four-bar linkage 1 while pushing the article 5 out of the pallet 4.

As shown in fig. 9A, the loading and unloading apparatus reaches a front region near the target position a in the vehicle cabin, swings the robot arm to cause the pallet 4 to reach above the target position a, tilts the free end of the pallet 4 downward, and swings the push rod 6 to the second position. As shown in fig. 9B, the push rod 6 is operated to push the object 5 out of the pallet 4 to the target position a, and the four-bar mechanism 1 is driven to swing to retract the mechanical arm so as to leave the bottom of the object 5. During unloading, the object 5 only rubs against the pallet 4 by a distance of about 1 box width.

In the third embodiment, as shown in fig. 10A to 10D, the step of bringing the pallet 4 to the target position in step 101 specifically includes:

Aligning the front edge of the supporting plate 4 with the edge of the target position where the object 5 is not fully stacked;

while keeping the robot arm position stationary, the object 5 is pushed out from the pallet 4 to a target position that is not full.

For example, when the objects 5 are containers, due to the problem of different boxes coming from the goods, or when the grouping is not full, the objects 5 need to be added to the position of the non-full row, and only part of the objects 5 of the row need to be stacked.

In the side view shown in fig. 10A, the bottom article 5 has been stacked, and the innermost articles 5 of the second layer have been partially stacked, so that the remaining articles 5 of the innermost row need to be stacked completely. The loading and unloading device reaches the front area close to the target position A in the carriage, the front edge of the supporting plate 4 is aligned with the edge of the target position A where the objects 5 are not fully stacked, the free end of the supporting plate 4 is inclined downwards, and the push rod 6 is swung to the second position.

In the top view shown in fig. 10B, two whole rows of articles 5 are stacked on the bottom layer based on the same direction as the loading and unloading device, three articles 5 are stacked at the left remaining target position a of the innermost row of the second layer, and when the pallet 4 reaches the front edge of the target position a, the bottom of the pallet 4 contacts with the top of the articles 5 of the outer row of the bottom layer.

In the side view shown in fig. 10C, the corresponding push rods 6 of the three articles 5 on the left are extended, and the three articles 5 are synchronously pushed out from the pallet 4 to directly push the three articles 5 to the target position a of less than full line, and the remaining push rods 6 may also be extended or kept in a fully retracted state.

In the plan view shown in fig. 10D, the push rods 6 corresponding to the three objects 5 on the left are extended, and the three objects 5 are synchronously pushed out from the pallet 4 to the target position a which is not full, and the remaining push rods 6 remain retracted.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in fig. 11A to 11F, when the objects 5 stacked on the bottom layer have different heights, and it is required to further stack the entire row of objects 5 on the bottom layer object 5, the step of unloading the objects 5 by bringing the pallet 4 to the target position in step 101 specifically includes:

The pallet 4 reaches the high-order target position, and only the objects 5 which need to be unloaded on the pallet 4 to the high-order target position are pushed out until the pushed-out objects 5 reach the high-order bottom layer piled objects 5;

The pallet 4 is made to reach the low target position, and the remaining objects 5 on the pallet 4 to be unloaded to the low target position are pushed out until the pushed-out objects 5 reach the low bottom layer stacked objects 5.

In this embodiment, since different boxes are mixed in the carriage, and when the stacking heights are different, the whole row of objects 5 on the pallet 4 need to be stacked in sections at different heights, so that the objects 5 corresponding to the high-order target position and the low-order target position are stacked in sections. Preferably, the high order part may be stacked first and then the low order part may be stacked. Alternatively, the lower part may be stacked first and then the upper part may be stacked.

In the side view shown in fig. 11A, the entire row of articles 5 stacked in the bottom innermost row has different heights H1 and H2, H1 being greater than H2. The pallet 4 can be loaded with the whole row of objects 5, when the objects 5 at the high target position are stacked, the pallet 4 can reach the position right above the object 5 at the bottom layer corresponding to the high target position, and the mechanical arm can be retracted to leave the objects 5 while pushing out part of the objects 5; then the pallet 4 reaches the lower target position corresponding to the position right above the bottom object 5, and the mechanical arm is retracted to leave the object 5 while pushing out the rest object 5.

In the top view shown in fig. 11B, the entire row of articles 5 has been stacked on the innermost row of the second layer.

In the side view shown in fig. 11C, the pallet 4 can be unloaded to the front edge of the target position. The article 5 is first stacked toward the high target position A1, the pallet 4 is brought to the front edge of the high target position A1, the free end of the pallet 4 is inclined downward, and then the push rod 6 is swung to the second position.

In the plan view shown in fig. 11D, the push rod 6 at the left side portion of the pallet 4 is actuated to push out the five objects 5 at the left side on the pallet 4 from the pallet 4 to the high-order target position A1.

In the side view shown in fig. 11E, the article 5 is again stacked toward the lower target position A2, the pallet 4 is brought to the front edge of the lower target position A2, and the free end of the pallet 4 is kept in a state of being inclined downward.

In the plan view shown in fig. 11F, the push rod 6 at the right side portion of the pallet 4 is actuated to push out the five objects 5 on the right side of the pallet 4 from the pallet 4 to the low target position A2.

In the fifth embodiment, as shown in fig. 12A and 12B, when the object 5 has been stacked on the top layer, there is still a space between the top of the object 5 and the top of the stacking space, for example, the top of the object 5 and the top of the carriage still have space, and the step 101 of bringing the pallet 4 to the target position to unload the object 5 specifically includes:

Aligning the front edge of the pallet 4 with the upper edge position of the current topmost object 5;

Pushing out the object 5 with the height dimension smaller than the interval height onto the topmost object 5 to realize the plug top.

In this embodiment, the articles 5 may not be fully stacked on top of the topmost layer, leaving a larger void on top. At this point, a partially hybrid small-sized article 5 may be selected to fill the top.

In the side view shown in fig. 12A, the object 5 with a size suitable for the head space is selected, the robot arm is swung to the upper position, and the front edge of the pallet 4 is aligned with the upper edge position of the current topmost object 5, which may be slightly higher than the upper edge position of the current topmost object 5. The push rod 6 is then rotated to the second position.

In the side view shown in fig. 12B, the corresponding push rod 6 is actuated to push the article 5 out of the pallet 4 onto the topmost article 5, completing the plugging.

The loading and unloading equipment and the loading and unloading method provided by the invention are described in detail. The principles and embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be merely illustrative of the methods of the present invention and their core ideas. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations of the invention can be made without departing from the principles of the invention and these modifications and adaptations are intended to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A handling apparatus, comprising:

a frame (14);

a pallet (4) for carrying an object (5); and

The mechanical arm and the rack (14) form a four-bar linkage mechanism (1), the supporting plate (4) is arranged on a rod piece far away from the rack (14) in the four-bar linkage mechanism (1) so as to drive the supporting plate (4) to reach a target position through the swing of the four-bar linkage mechanism (1), and the length of at least one rod piece used for forming the four-bar linkage mechanism (1) in the mechanical arm is adjustable so as to adjust the inclination angle of the supporting plate (4) under different working conditions;

Wherein the mechanical arm is configured to swing back away from the bottom of an object (5) by the four-bar linkage (1) while the pallet (4) reaches directly above the target position and the object (5) is pushed out from the pallet (4); or alternatively

The robotic arm is configured to allow an item (5) to be pushed out of the pallet (4) onto an unfinished target location with the leading edge of the pallet (4) aligned with the edge of the unfinished target location and with the location stationary.

2. Loading and unloading apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the pallet (4) is kept horizontal in the loading condition; in at least partial carrying conditions, the supporting plate (4) is kept in a horizontal state or the free end is in an upward inclined state; under the unloading working condition, the supporting plate (4) is kept in a horizontal state or the free end is in a downward inclined state.

3. Handling device according to claim 1, further comprising a first driving member (2) and a second driving member (3), the first driving member (2) being adapted to drive the four bar linkage (1) in oscillation, the second driving member (3) being adapted to drive the length-adjustable rod member in extension and retraction, the control of the first driving member (2) and the second driving member (3) being independent of each other.

4. Handling equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the bars of the four-bar linkage (1) adjacent to the frame (14) is adjustable.

5. Handling device according to claim 4, characterized in that the four bar linkage (1) comprises a first bar (11) and a second bar (12), the first bar (11) and the second bar (12) being arranged adjacent to the frame (14), respectively, the first bar (11) being configured to rotate under the drive of an external force to bring the pallet (4) to a target position, the second bar (12) being of adjustable length.

6. Handling equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that the four bar linkage (1) further comprises a third bar (13), the third bar (13) being arranged opposite to the frame (14), the pallet (4) being arranged at the lower end of the third bar (13) and forming an L-shaped structure with the third bar (13).

7. Handling device according to claim 6, characterized in that said first bar (11) is connected to the upper end of said third bar (13) and said second bar (12) is connected to the lower end of said third bar (13).

8. Handling equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that the four-bar linkage (1) can be constructed as a parallel four-bar linkage with opposite bars of equal length in the original state.

9. Handling equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a second driving member (3) for driving the length-adjustable rod member to extend and retract, said second driving member (3) being arranged in series in the length-adjustable rod member.

10. Handling equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that the second drive member (3) is a telescopic device.

11. Loading and unloading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a push rod group, which is integrally rotatably provided at the end of the pallet (4) connected to the robot arm, and is configured to be rotated to a first position when the object (5) needs to be loaded, to reduce the space occupied at the side of the end of the pallet (4) connected to the robot arm, and to be rotated to a second position when the object (5) needs to be unloaded, to push out the object (5) on the pallet (4).

12. Handling equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that the push rod group comprises a plurality of push rods (6) arranged side by side at intervals in the length direction of the pallet (4), each push rod (6) being independently controlled and being capable of realizing different push-out strokes.

13. The handling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the handling apparatus comprises a plurality of support members,

The first rod piece (11) is provided with one, and the second rod piece (12) is positioned at one side of the first rod piece (11) in the length direction of the supporting plate (4); or alternatively

The two first rods (11) are arranged, each first rod (11) is independently driven, and the second rod (12) is positioned between the two first rods (11) in the length direction of the supporting plate (4).

14. A loading and unloading method based on the loading and unloading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by comprising:

Swinging the four-bar linkage (1) to drive the supporting plate (4) to reach a target position;

The rod piece with adjustable length used for forming the four-bar linkage mechanism (1) in the mechanical arm stretches out and draws back so as to adjust the dip angle of the supporting plate (4) under different working conditions;

Wherein the step of unloading the article (5) with the pallet (4) reaching the target position comprises in particular:

bringing the pallet (4) to a position directly above the target position;

Pushing out the object (5) from the supporting plate (4), and simultaneously, enabling the mechanical arm to retract away from the bottom of the object (5) by swinging the four-bar mechanism (1);

or the step of unloading the article (5) by bringing the pallet (4) to the target position comprises:

aligning the front edge of the supporting plate (4) with the edge of the target position where the object (5) is not fully stacked;

while keeping the robot arm position stationary, pushing out an object (5) from the pallet (4) to a target position that is not full.

15. Loading and unloading method according to claim 14, characterized in that the step of adjusting the inclination of the pallet (4) under different conditions comprises in particular:

under the loading working condition, the supporting plate (4) is adjusted to keep a horizontal state;

under at least partial carrying conditions, adjusting the free end of the supporting plate (4) to incline upwards; or (b)

And under the unloading working condition, the free end of the supporting plate (4) is adjusted to incline downwards.

16. The loading and unloading method according to claim 15, wherein the four-bar linkage (1) is a parallel four-bar linkage when the pallet (4) is in a horizontal state in a loading condition, and the step of adjusting the inclination of the pallet (4) in a handling condition comprises:

When the mechanical arm is in a rotating and carrying working condition, the supporting plate (4) is adjusted to be kept in a horizontal state;

and under the working condition that the mechanical arm is in horizontal movement or vertical movement, the free end of the supporting plate (4) is adjusted to incline upwards.

17. The loading and unloading method according to claim 14, wherein the step of unloading the objects (5) by bringing the pallet (4) to the target position when the objects (5) stacked on the bottom layer are different in height and the objects (5) need to be further stacked on the bottom layer objects (5) comprises:

The supporting plate (4) reaches a high-position target position, and only the object (5) to be unloaded on the supporting plate (4) to the high-position target position is pushed out until the pushed object (5) reaches the high-position bottom layer piled object (5); and

And enabling the supporting plate (4) to reach a low-level target position, pushing out the rest objects (5) needing to be unloaded to the low-level target position on the supporting plate (4) until the pushed-out objects (5) reach the low-level bottom-layer stacked objects (5).

18. The loading and unloading method according to claim 14, wherein the step of unloading the article (5) by bringing the pallet (4) to the target position when the article (5) has been stacked on top of the top layer, while the top of the article (5) is still spaced from the top of the stacking space, comprises:

aligning the front edge of the pallet (4) to the upper edge position of the current topmost object (5);

pushing out the object (5) with the height dimension smaller than the interval height onto the topmost object (5) to realize the top plugging.