CN112573058B

CN112573058B - Goods taking method, transfer robot, processing terminal and intelligent storage system

Info

Publication number: CN112573058B
Application number: CN201910944200.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈宇奇; 孔哲
Original assignee: Hai Robotics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hai Robotics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-30
Filing date: 2019-09-30
Publication date: 2023-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-30
Also published as: CN112573058A

Abstract

The application relates to the field of intelligent storage, in particular to a goods taking method, a transfer robot, a processing terminal and an intelligent storage system, wherein the goods taking method is applied to the transfer robot, the transfer robot comprises a goods transferring component, and the method comprises the following steps: and receiving a goods receiving instruction, wherein the goods receiving instruction comprises goods taking position information, goods type information to be taken and/or goods information of goods to be taken, and according to the goods taking instruction, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take and put goods and/or a first container. According to the technical scheme, the goods taking operation is carried out through the goods transferring assembly, so that the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the goods sorting automation degree is improved.

Description

Goods taking method, transfer robot, processing terminal and intelligent storage system

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of intelligent storage, in particular to a goods taking method, a transfer robot, a processing terminal and an intelligent storage system.

Background

With the rising and increasing development of electronic commerce and online shopping, a huge development opportunity is brought to the intellectualization of the warehouse logistics of goods, and in recent years, the technology of carrying goods based on carrying robots is mature. In the prior art, a transfer robot can transfer a container located on a goods shelf to a goods sorting table through a goods taking device thereof so as to sort goods at the goods sorting table.

The inventors have found in the course of implementing the present application that the related art has the following drawbacks: get goods device and get and put the operation to the packing box, can not realize getting the operation of putting to the goods in the packing box, goods letter sorting degree of automation is not high, has influenced getting goods efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a goods taking method, which improves the goods taking efficiency and improves the goods sorting automation degree by executing goods taking operation through a goods transferring assembly.

The application provides a goods taking method, which is applied to a transfer robot, wherein the transfer robot comprises a goods transferring assembly, and the method comprises the following steps of:

receiving a goods receiving instruction, wherein the goods receiving instruction comprises goods receiving position information, goods to be taken and/or goods information of goods to be taken,

and according to the goods taking instruction, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take and put goods and/or the first container.

Optionally, the handling robot further includes a vertical support and a fork, the fork being slidably connected to the vertical support, the cargo transferring assembly being slidably connected to the fork, the method further comprising:

indicating the fork to move to a first position according to the pick-up position information,

The fork or the load transfer assembly is instructed to move the first container carrying the load to be retrieved from the second position to the first position.

Optionally, the handling robot further includes a vertical support and a fork, the fork being slidably connected to the vertical support, at least one of the cargo transferring assemblies being slidably connected to the vertical support, the method further comprising:

the method further comprises the steps of:

instructing the forks to move the first container carrying the load to be retrieved from the second position to the first position, or,

and instructing the cargo transferring assembly to move to the first position and moving the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position.

Optionally, the transfer robot further includes a vertical support and a mounting platform, the mounting platform is slidably connected to the vertical support, the cargo transferring assembly is slidably connected to the mounting platform, and the method further includes:

according to the goods taking position information, the mounting platform is instructed to move to a first position,

the cargo transfer assembly is instructed to move the first container carrying the cargo to be retrieved from the second position to the first position.

Optionally, the transfer robot further includes a vertical support and a mounting platform, the mounting platform being slidably connected to the vertical support, at least one of the cargo transferring assemblies being slidably connected to the vertical support, the method further comprising:

Optionally, the transfer robot further comprises at least one storage shelf, and the fork or the mounting platform further comprises a rotation driving device, wherein the rotation driving device is used for driving the fork or the mounting platform to rotate around the vertical direction; the method further comprises the steps of:

the fork or cargo transfer assembly is instructed to move the first container from the first position to a corresponding storage shelf.

The fork or cargo transfer assembly is instructed to move the first cargo box from the first position to a third position corresponding to the storage shelf.

Optionally, the information of the type of the goods to be fetched includes information of stock units, and when the goods to be fetched in the first container have the same information of stock units,

according to the order of getting goods, instruct the goods transfer unit to get the goods and put the operation, include:

and the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take out goods to be taken from the first container and put the goods to the corresponding storage goods shelf or a preset second container of the storage goods shelf.

Optionally, the fork, the mounting platform or the cargo transferring assembly has a cargo identification device mounted thereon, and the method further comprises:

acquiring image information of the goods to be picked up in a first container, which is shot by the goods identification device,

the indication cargo transferring assembly takes out the cargo to be taken from the first container and places the cargo to the corresponding storage goods shelf or the storage goods shelf preset second container, and specifically comprises the following steps:

and according to the image information, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take out the goods to be taken out from the first container, and the taken out goods are placed on the corresponding storage shelf or the second container.

Optionally, the image information includes: the method comprises the steps of position information of goods to be taken in a container, stock unit information of the goods to be taken, shape of the goods to be taken, image feature points of the goods to be taken, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be taken.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

after the cargo transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the preset number of the to-be-taken cargoes of the first cargo box, the cargo fork or the cargo transferring assembly is instructed to place the first cargo box back to the original position or to other positions.

Optionally, the to-be-fetched goods type information includes stock quantity unit information, and when the to-be-fetched goods in the first container have different stock quantity unit information, the method further includes:

acquiring image information of the goods to be fetched in a first container;

and determining the goods consistent with the information of the stock unit in the goods taking instruction according to the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, indicating the goods transferring assembly to take out the goods from the first container and placing the goods into the second container.

Optionally, the cargo transferring assembly is provided with a cargo identification device, or the fork is provided with a cargo identification device, or the mounting platform is provided with a cargo identification device, or the cargo transferring assembly and the fork are provided with a cargo identification device, or the cargo transferring assembly and the mounting platform are provided with a cargo identification device, the acquiring the image information of the to-be-fetched cargo in the first cargo box comprises:

acquiring image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, which are respectively shot by the goods transferring assembly, the goods fork or the goods identifying device of the mounting platform;

or,

acquiring image information of the goods to be picked in the first container, which is shot by the goods recognition device of the goods fork and the goods transferring assembly,

or,

and acquiring image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, which is shot by the mounting platform and the goods identification device of the goods transfer assembly.

Optionally, the goods information includes shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the goods to be fetched, the storage shelves include an order goods storage shelf and a temporary storage goods storage shelf, the order goods storage shelf is pre-provided with a second container, and the determining, according to the stock quantity unit information of the goods to be fetched, that the goods to be fetched are placed on the corresponding storage shelf or the preset second container of the storage shelf includes:

when the image information respectively acquired by the goods identification devices arranged on the goods transfer assembly, the installation platform or the goods fork cannot determine the goods consistent with the stock unit information and/or the goods information in the goods taking instruction, the goods transfer assembly is instructed to acquire the goods from the first container;

continuing to acquire image information through the goods identification device positioned on the goods transferring assembly, the goods identification device positioned on the goods fork or the goods identification device positioned on the installation platform;

when the goods which are inconsistent with the stock quantity unit information and/or the goods information in the goods taking instruction are obtained through the goods transferring assembly, the goods obtained through the goods transferring assembly are placed on the temporary storage goods shelf or a third container preset on the temporary storage goods shelf, and otherwise, the goods are placed on the corresponding second container.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the goods to be taken of the preset number of the first containers, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to put the goods of the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container back to the corresponding first containers, and the goods fork or the goods transferring assembly is instructed to put the first containers back to the original positions or other positions.

Optionally, the pickup location information includes a plurality of first cargo box location information, and the cargo to be picked is stored in the plurality of first cargo boxes, and the method further includes:

and when the current first container is put back to the original position or other positions, sequentially reaching the positions of the goods to be fetched according to the position information of the other first containers so as to finish the fetching and putting operation of all the goods to be fetched.

Optionally, when the number of all the to-be-fetched goods of the current first container exceeds the storage capacity of one storage shelf or the second container, the method further includes:

and acquiring the total volume or the total weight of the goods placed in the current storage shelf or the second container, and if the total volume exceeds a preset volume threshold of the storage shelf or the second container or the total weight exceeds a preset load threshold of the storage shelf or the second container, instructing a goods transferring assembly to place the goods to be fetched to other storage shelves or other second containers until all the goods to be fetched are fetched.

The embodiment of the application provides a goods taking method which is applied to a processing terminal, wherein the processing terminal is in communication connection with a carrying robot, and the method comprises the following steps:

and sending a goods taking instruction to enable the carrying robot to execute the method according to the goods taking instruction.

The embodiment of the application provides a transfer robot, which comprises:

at least one processor; the method comprises the steps of,

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein,

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform a pick method as described above for a transfer robot.

The processing terminal of the embodiment of the application comprises the following steps:

at least one processor; the method comprises the steps of,

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein,

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the retrieval method as applied to a processing terminal as described above.

The embodiment of the application provides an intelligent warehousing system, which comprises the transfer robot and the processing terminal.

Embodiments of the present application provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform a pick method as described above.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a pick method as described above.

The goods taking method provided by the embodiment of the application is applied to a transfer robot, wherein the transfer robot comprises a goods transferring component, and the method comprises the following steps: receiving a goods receiving instruction, wherein the goods receiving instruction comprises goods taking position information, goods to be taken type information and goods information of goods to be taken, and according to the goods taking instruction, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take and put goods. According to the technical scheme, the goods taking operation is carried out through the goods transferring assembly, so that the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the goods sorting automation degree is improved.

Drawings

One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements, and in which the figures of the drawings are not to be taken in a limiting sense, unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an application environment provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2a is a block diagram of a processing terminal according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2b is a perspective view of a handling robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2c is a schematic exploded view of the mobile assembly of the transfer robot shown in FIG. 2 b;

FIG. 2d is another perspective view of the transfer robot shown in FIG. 2 b;

fig. 2e is an assembled schematic view of the vertical support and the lifting driving device of the transfer robot shown in fig. 2 b;

FIG. 2f is a schematic exploded view of a container handling assembly of the handling robot shown in FIG. 2 b;

FIG. 2g is a perspective view of the cargo transferring assembly of the transfer robot shown in FIG. 2 b;

fig. 3a and fig. 3b are schematic structural views of a transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of another handling robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method for picking up goods according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for picking up a good having the same inventory information in a first container provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method of picking up cargo having different inventory information for cargo within a first cargo box provided in an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a method for picking up goods according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a block diagram of a transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The present application will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and examples, in order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the application.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "fixed" to another element, it can be directly on the other element or one or more intervening elements may be present therebetween. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or one or more intervening elements may be present therebetween. The terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," "bottom," and the like as used herein, refer to an orientation or positional relationship based on that shown in the drawings, for convenience of description and simplicity of description, and do not necessarily indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus are not to be construed as limiting the application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

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

In addition, the technical features mentioned in the different embodiments of the application described below can be combined with one another as long as they do not conflict with one another.

Goods sorting refers to the process of taking out goods corresponding to an order from a warehouse or other suitable type of goods storage and completing packaging to form a final order package for delivery. In the cargo sorting process, the picking and placing efficiency of cargoes is critical to sorting efficiency, and the picking and placing efficiency of cargoes can be determined by the picking and placing quantity of ordered cargoes processed in unit time. The more order goods are processed in unit time, the higher the goods picking and placing efficiency is.

The final goods sorting efficiency may be affected by various aspects, such as the manner in which orders are placed, the allocation method for the pick tasks of the robot, the manner in which the robot picks and places the goods, etc. Optimizing the steps involved in the picking and placing of the goods by the robot can have a beneficial effect on the improvement of the goods sorting efficiency. For convenience in description, in the application, the target goods corresponding to the goods taking task take goods to be taken in the container as examples, and the application does not limit other goods taking targets.

In the process of taking and placing intelligent goods, the same goods can be stored in the same container. Each container for storing goods is placed at a specific position in the warehouse according to a specific storage rule, and the goods stored in the container are marked by the features (such as two-dimensional codes or bar codes and the like) outside the container.

Fig. 1 is an application environment provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the application environment includes an intelligent warehousing system formed by the processing terminal 10 and the robot 20, and a warehouse 30 for storing different cargoes by using the intelligent warehousing system, wherein the warehouse 30 may include shelves for storing cargo boxes.

The processing terminal 10 may be any type of electronic computing platform or device that serves as a control core for the overall intelligent warehousing system. The robot can have corresponding storage space or computing capacity according to the actual situation, so as to provide one or more application services or functions, such as receiving an order to be delivered, placing the order or controlling the robot to execute a picking and placing task.

Fig. 2a is a block diagram of an electronic computing platform for implementing all or part of the functionality of the processing terminal 10. As shown in fig. 2a, the processing terminal 10 may include: a processor 110 and a memory 120.

The communication connection between the processor 110 and the memory 120 is established by means of a bus.

Processor 110 may be any type of processor having one or more processing cores. It may perform single-threaded or multi-threaded operations for parsing instructions to perform operations such as fetching data, performing logical operation functions, and delivering operational processing results.

The memory 120 acts as a non-volatile computer readable storage medium such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device, a distributed storage device remotely located relative to the processor 110, or other non-volatile solid state storage device.

The memory 120 may have a program storage area for storing non-volatile computer-executable program instructions (which may also be referred to as "non-volatile software programs" in other embodiments) for the processor 110 to invoke to cause the processor 110 to perform one or more method steps, such as implementing one or more steps in the pick task allocation method provided by embodiments of the present invention. The memory 120 may also have a data storage area for storing the result of the operation processing issued by the processor 110.

In order to realize the communication connection between the processing terminal 10 and the robot 20, the processing terminal may further include a communication module 130, and the communication connection may be a wired connection or a wireless connection through the communication module 130 and devices such as the robot.

The robot 20 is an automated device having a traveling mechanism, which can move in a warehouse and carry a container for picking and placing, and is, for example, a carrier robot, an AGV car, or the like. The running gear may be driven by any suitable type of power system, for example, by means of electricity.

The robot 20 has one or more functional indicators including, but not limited to, cargo capacity (i.e., the number of containers that can be loaded at most each time), range, guidance mode, container pick-and-place speed, and run speed.

The warehouse 30 is an area for storing containers. For ease of administration, the warehouse 30 may be provided with a plurality of shelves, each shelf having a plurality of containers placed thereon in accordance with a particular placement rule, either the same or different containers.

As shown in fig. 1, these shelf intervals are divided to form a plurality of lanes for the robot 20 to enter. After entering the roadway, the robot 20 takes out or returns a specific container (such as the container 1, the container 2, or the container 3). The robot can enter and exit the roadway from two ends of the roadway. The openings at both ends of the roadway are referred to herein as "roadway crossings", and may be used as the outlet of the robot 20 or as the inlet of the robot 20.

In some embodiments, the directions between the partial lanes are the same, with the lane openings therebetween being opposite so that robots 20 may pass directly through, such as lane 1 and lane 2 shown in fig. 1. Such two lanes are referred to herein as "adjacent lanes". That is, the robot 20 can enter directly without turning when traveling from the tunnel 1 to its adjacent tunnel-tunnel 2 or when traveling from the tunnel 2 to its adjacent tunnel-tunnel 1.

The cargo stored in the cargo box in the warehouse 30 is managed in units of stock units (SKU stock keeping unit). The stock quantity unit is a basic unit of stock in-out metering or control preservation, and may be in units of pieces, discs or boxes, etc. (depending on specific goods). The same good may also belong to different SKUs due to differences in date of manufacture, size, color, etc.

In the embodiment of the present application, the processing terminal 10 needs to allocate a suitable picking task to each robot 20, so that the robot moves in a warehouse to carry a container corresponding to a to-be-picked object on an order.

Fig. 2b is a perspective view of a transfer robot for all or part of the functions of the robot 20. As shown in fig. 2b, the transfer robot 20 is used for taking out the cargo.

The transfer robot 20 includes a movement assembly 210, a pallet 220, a container handling assembly 230, a cargo transfer assembly 240, a container identification assembly 250, a cargo identification assembly 260, and storage shelves 270. Wherein the movement assembly 210 carries a pallet 220, a container handling assembly 230, a cargo transfer assembly 240, a container identification assembly 250, a cargo identification assembly 260, and a storage shelf 270.

The moving assembly 210 is configured to move on the floor of the warehouse to move the loaded pallet 220, the container handling assembly 230, the cargo transferring assembly 240, the container identification assembly 250, the cargo identification assembly 260, and the storage rack 270 together to access the warehouse rack.

Pallet 220 and storage shelves 270 are used to store cargo containers, respectively. The container identification component 250 is used to identify the cargo space where the container is located after the mobile component 210 approaches the warehouse rack. The container handling assembly 230 is used to remove containers from the cargo space identified by the container identification assembly 250 and store them on the pallet 220, or to remove containers from the pallet 220 and store them on the warehouse shelf or storage shelf 270. The cargo identification assembly 260 is used to identify cargo stored within the cargo box of the pallet 220. The cargo transferring assembly 240 is used to remove the cargo identified by the cargo identifying assembly 260 from the cargo box stored in the pallet 220.

By configuring the mobile assembly 210, the container handling assembly 230 can access containers on remotely located warehouse racks. In other embodiments, the warehouse racks are held adjacent to the container handling assembly 230, for example, the handling robot 20 is fixedly mounted on the ground adjacent to the warehouse racks, at which point the movement assembly 210 may be omitted.

The storage rack 270 is arranged so that the transfer robot can take out a large amount of cargo and store the cargo in the storage rack 270. In other embodiments, the transfer robot may need to remove fewer items, and the storage rack 270 may not be required, in which case the storage rack 270 may be omitted.

Through configuration cargo transfer assembly 240, take out the packing box from the warehouse goods shelves at packing box handling assembly 230 to after cargo transfer assembly 240 takes out the goods in the packing box, packing box handling assembly 230 deposits the packing box to the warehouse goods shelves again, in order to make transfer robot 20 take out and take out the goods in the packing box, do not need the staff to take out the goods in the packing box, improved the efficiency of cargo dispatch. In other embodiments, the cargo transferring assembly 240 may also remove cargo stored within the cargo box of the tray 220 without identifying the cargo, at which point the cargo identifying assembly 260 may be omitted. For example, the cargo stored in the container is the same type of cargo, and when the cargo has a large area in the container, such as clothing is laid in the container, the cargo transferring assembly 240 takes out the type of cargo without any obstacle, and the cargo transferring assembly 240 may take out one cargo from the container at random.

In other embodiments, the container handling assembly 230 may also remove containers from the warehouse racks without identifying the containers, in which case the container identification assembly 250 may be omitted. For example, warehouse racks have only one cargo space for storing cargo containers.

It should be noted that, after the cargo box handling assembly 230 takes out the cargo box from the cargo space and stores the cargo box in the pallet 220, by configuring the cargo transferring assembly 240, the cargo transferring assembly 240 takes out the cargo in the cargo box stored in the pallet 220, so that the operator is not required to take out the cargo from the cargo box, and the cargo taking efficiency is improved.

In the following, some specific implementations of the transfer robot 100 are described, and it should be noted that the following is only exemplary, and it is within the scope of the present application for other transfer robots to be able to meet at least one of the above situations.

Referring also to fig. 2c, the moving assembly 210 includes a chassis 212, a driven wheel 214, a driving wheel 216, and a guiding device 218. The chassis 212 is formed by welding a section bar and a plate, is flat as a whole and symmetrical relative to a vertical symmetry plane, and a circuit module for controlling the operation of the moving assembly 210 is arranged in the chassis 212. Four driven wheels 214 are mounted to the bottom of the chassis 212 and are evenly and symmetrically distributed at both ends of the chassis 212, together for supporting the chassis 212. In this embodiment, the driven wheel 214 is a universal wheel, and the driven wheel 214 may have other wheel body structures with steering functions according to practical situations. Two drive wheels 216 are mounted to the bottom of the chassis 212 and are symmetrically distributed at both ends of the chassis 212. The two driving wheels 216 are driven by two motors respectively, so that the rotation speeds of the two driving wheels 216 can be different, and the steering of the moving assembly 210 is realized, and when the rotation speeds of the two driving wheels 216 are the same, the moving assembly 210 moves along a straight line. A guide 218 is mounted to the bottom of the chassis 212 for guiding the moving assembly 210 to travel along a predetermined path. In this embodiment, the guiding device 218 is a camera with a lens facing the ground, a large number of two-dimensional codes are attached to the ground of the warehouse, the current position of the moving assembly 210 is determined by scanning the two-dimensional codes through the camera, then the direction of the moving assembly 210 can be determined according to the last scanned two-dimensional code, and according to the actual situation, the two-dimensional codes can be replaced by identification codes such as bar codes.

Referring again to fig. 2b, the top of the mobile unit 210 carries a vertical support 219, and the pallet 220, the container handling unit 230, the cargo transferring unit 240, the container identification unit 250, and the cargo identification unit 260 are supported by the vertical support 219. The vertical support 219 includes a post 2190 and a cross member 2192. The two posts 2190 are both vertical and symmetrical, and each post 2190 is provided with a guide slot extending in the vertical direction, and the guide slots of the two posts 2190 are commonly used for mounting the container handling assembly 230 and guiding the container handling assembly 230 to move in the vertical direction.

The plurality of cross beams 2192 are all distributed horizontally in the vertical direction, and the plurality of cross beams 2192 are supported by the two upright posts 2190 in common.

Referring to fig. 2d and 2f, the pallet 220 is a horizontally disposed plate fixedly mounted to the cargo box handling assembly 230.

The pallet stored by the storage shelf 270 may be stored by the pallet handling assembly 230 or may be stored by a worker, and in addition, the pallet stored by the storage shelf 270 may be empty. In other embodiments, the cargo transfer assembly 240 places the retrieved cargo directly onto the storage shelves 270 without pre-depositing the cargo box on the storage shelves 270.

The storage shelf 270 is fixedly mounted to one side of the upright support 219. The storage shelf 270 includes a lamina 2701. The plurality of laminates 2701 are distributed in the vertical direction. Each deck 2701 is used to store containers and is supported by a corresponding cross member 192. By configuring a plurality of the lamina 2701 for storing containers, the cargo transfer assembly 240 can continue to store cargo in a container stored in one lamina 2701 after the container stored in the other lamina 2701 is filled with the cargo transfer assembly 240. It will be appreciated that depending on the actual situation, the tier floor 2701 may also have only one, for example, where there is less cargo, or where there is less cargo relative to the cargo box.

Referring to fig. 2e and 2f, the container handling assembly 230 includes a lift drive 232, a mounting base 234, a rotary drive 236, and a fork 238.

The mounting base 234 is movably mounted to the vertical support 219 and is movable in a vertical direction relative to the vertical support 219, and the lift driving device 232 is used for driving the fork 238 to move in the vertical direction relative to the vertical support 219. The fork 238 is movably mounted to the mounting base 234 and is rotatable about a vertical direction relative to the mounting base 234, and the rotary driving device 236 is configured to drive the fork 238 to rotate about the vertical direction relative to the mounting base 234. The forks 238 are used to remove containers from a pallet 2701 or warehouse rack at their designated height and angle and store them on pallet 220, or to remove containers from pallet 220 and store them in a pallet 2701 or warehouse rack at their designated height and angle.

The container handling assembly 230 takes out the containers stored on the warehouse shelf or the storage shelf and stores the containers on the pallet, specifically as follows:

the lift drive 232 drives the forks 238 to move in a vertical direction such that the forks 238 are at the same height as the pallet or pallet storing container, while the rotary drive 236 drives the forks 238 to rotate about the vertical direction such that the forks 238 are aligned with the pallet or pallet storing container. After the forks 238 are lifted and rotated, the forks 238 remove the pallet or container stored by the pallet 2701 and store it on the pallet 220.

The pallet handling assembly 230 takes out the pallet stored pallet and stores it on a warehouse rack or storage rack, specifically as follows:

the lift drive 232 drives the forks 238 to move in a vertical direction such that the forks 238 are positioned at the same height as the empty spaces of the warehouse pallet or tier floor, while the rotary drive 236 drives the forks 238 to rotate about the vertical direction such that the forks 238 are aligned with the empty spaces of the warehouse pallet or tier floor. After the forks 238 are lifted and rotated, the forks 238 remove the pallet 220 from the container and store it on the warehouse rack or storage rack 270.

By configuring the lift drive 232, the lift drive 232 drives the forks 238 supported by the mounting base 234 to move in a vertical direction so that the forks 238 can access containers from the deck 2701 or the warehouse racks of different heights, and therefore, the warehouse racks can be configured in multiple layers, improving the utilization of the warehouse racks in a vertical space, and in addition, the storage racks 270 can be configured in multiple layers, improving the utilization of the storage racks 270 in a vertical space while realizing that the storage racks 270 can store a plurality of containers. In other embodiments, the lift drive 232 may be omitted, such as where there is only one layer of storage racks 270 and warehouse racks as described above.

By configuring the rotary drive device 236, the rotary drive device 236 drives the forks 238 to rotate about the vertical direction, so that the forks 238 can store and take containers on the warehouse shelves in different directions, the goods taking mode of the forks 238 is more flexible, and the storage and taking of containers in a complex warehouse environment are facilitated. In other embodiments, the rotary drive 236 may be omitted, for example, the empty space of the warehouse rack or the container stored in the warehouse rack is always located in the picking direction of the fork 238, for example, a track dedicated to the moving assembly 210 is provided on the warehouse floor, after the moving assembly 210 approaches the warehouse rack, the empty space of the warehouse rack or the container stored in the warehouse rack is located in the picking direction of the fork 238, and the pallet 2701 is a part of the handling robot 100, so that the pallet 2701 is disposed in the picking direction of the fork 238.

Some embodiments of the container handling assembly 230 will now be described, with the understanding that the following is exemplary only and that other container handling assemblies that meet at least one of the foregoing needs are within the scope of the present application.

The mounting base 234 and the storage shelf 270 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the vertical support 219, the mounting base 234 is formed by welding a profile and a plate, and the mounting base 234 is provided with two sliding pieces, and each sliding piece is mounted on a corresponding sliding groove and can move along the sliding groove.

The lift drive 232 includes two sets of first sprocket mechanisms, a drive shaft and a lift drive motor. Each group of first sprocket mechanisms is installed on a corresponding upright post, two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively coaxially fixed with driving wheels of the two groups of first sprocket mechanisms, the installation base is respectively fixedly connected with a link chain of the two groups of first sprocket mechanisms, and the lifting driving motor is used for driving the driving shaft to rotate so as to drive the two groups of sprockets to synchronously move, and then the installation base is driven to move along the vertical direction.

It will be appreciated that the first sprocket mechanism may be replaced with a pulley mechanism, a rack and pinion mechanism, or the like, as appropriate.

The rotary drive device 236 includes a second sprocket mechanism and a rotary drive motor. The driving wheel of the second sprocket mechanism is rotatably mounted on the fork 38, the driving wheel of the second sprocket mechanism is fixedly mounted on the mounting base 234, and the rotary driving motor is used for driving the driving wheel to rotate, so that the fork 238 is driven to rotate around the vertical direction.

It will be appreciated that the second sprocket mechanism may be replaced with a pulley mechanism, a gear set, etc., as the case may be.

Fork 238 includes a mounting platform 2380 and a telescoping arm assembly 2382, telescoping arm assembly 2382 being mounted to mounting platform 2380. The mounting platform 2380 may be mounted on top of the mounting base 234 by a slewing bearing such that the entire fork 238 may rotate about a vertical direction relative to the mounting base 234. Wherein pallet 220 is fixedly mounted to mounting platform 2380, telescoping arm assembly 2382 is used to push a container stored by pallet 220 to the empty space of deck 2701 or a warehouse rack, or to pull a container stored by deck 2701 or a warehouse rack to pallet 220. In other embodiments, the telescoping arm assembly 2382 moves the cargo box by lifting or gripping.

The two groups of telescopic arm devices 2382 are symmetrically and respectively arranged at two sides of the supporting plate 220, and the two groups of telescopic arm devices 2382 are cooperatively used for pushing or pulling goods. Depending on the actual situation, there may be only one telescopic arm device 2382.

Each set of telescoping arm arrangements 2382 includes telescoping arms 23820, a fixed pushrod 23822 and a movable pushrod 23824. One end of the telescoping arm 23820 is fixedly mounted to the mounting platform 2380 and the other end can be extended or retracted horizontally relative to the mounting platform 2380. Telescoping arm 2382 includes an inner arm, a middle arm, and an outer arm fixedly mounted to mounting platform 2380 and located on one side of pallet 220. The middle joint arm is movably arranged on one side of the outer joint arm, which is close to the supporting plate 220, and can extend or retract relative to the outer joint arm, and the middle joint arm is driven by a sprocket transmission mechanism. The inner joint arm is movably arranged on one side of the middle joint arm, which is close to the supporting plate 220, the inner joint arm can extend or retract relative to the middle joint arm, the inner joint arm is driven by a movable pulley mechanism, a pulley of the movable pulley mechanism is arranged on the inner joint arm, two ends of a sliding rope of the movable pulley are respectively arranged on the outer joint arm and the middle joint arm, when the middle joint arm extends or retracts relative to the outer joint arm, the inner joint arm moves in the same direction relative to the outer joint arm, and the moving speed of the inner joint arm is twice that of the middle joint arm.

The fixed push rod 23822 protrudes from the other end of the telescopic arm 23820, the movable push rod 23824 is movably mounted on the other end of the telescopic arm 23820, and when the telescopic arm 23820 is extended or retracted, the movable push rod 23824 and the fixed push rod 23822 are extended or retracted together. The movable push rod 23824 may be retracted into or extended beyond the other end of the telescoping arm 23820 and may be directly driven by a motor. The movable push rod 23824 protruding beyond the other end of the telescoping arm 23820 is spaced from both the fixed push rod 23822 by a distance for receiving a cargo box, wherein the movable push rod 23824 protruding beyond the other end of the telescoping arm 23820 is located in front of the fixed push rod 23822 in the extending direction of the telescoping arm 23820. The movable push rod 23824 and the fixed push rod 23822 protruding from the other end of the telescopic arm 23820 are located on the same side of the telescopic arm 23820 as the pallet 220, and are located higher than the pallet 220.

When the pallet fork 238 takes a container out of the pallet 220 and stores it in the empty space of the deck 2701 or the warehouse rack, the movable push rod 23824 is in a state of being retracted into the other end of the telescopic arm 23820, the telescopic arm 23820 is extended, the fixed push rod 23822 pushes the container stored in the pallet 220 from the pallet 220 to the empty space of the deck 2701 or the warehouse rack, and after pushing the container to the empty space of the deck 2701 or the warehouse rack, the telescopic arm 23820 is retracted.

When the pallet fork 238 is used to remove a container from the pallet 2701 or the warehouse rack and store the container on the pallet 220, the movable push rod 23824 is in a state of being retracted into the other end of the telescopic arm 23820, the telescopic arm 23820 is extended to allow the movable push rod 23824 to pass over the container, the movable push rod 23824 protrudes out of the other end of the telescopic arm 23820 after passing over the container, then the telescopic arm 23820 is retracted, the movable push rod 23824 protruding out of the telescopic arm 23820 pulls the container on the pallet 220, and after the container is pulled on the pallet 220, the movable push rod 23824 is retracted into the other end of the telescopic arm 23820.

Referring again to fig. 2f, the pallet identification assembly 250 includes an imaging device mounted to the fork 238 with a lens orientation consistent with the extension of the telescoping arm 23820 for obtaining image information of the warehouse rack or pallet. The camera device is fixedly mounted to the mounting platform 2380, and in some other embodiments, the camera device is mounted to the other end of the telescopic arm 23820 and can extend along with the other end of the telescopic arm 23820.

By acquiring image information of the warehouse rack, it is determined whether the empty space of the warehouse rack or the container stored in the warehouse rack is located at the same height as the fork 238. Because the positions of the plies are relatively fixed, whether the empty spaces of the plies or the containers stored by the plies are at the same height as the forks 238 or not can be programmed to set the parameters of the lift drive and the rotation drive with greater efficiency, and of course, the empty spaces of the plies or the containers stored by the plies can also be identified by the container identification assembly.

In some embodiments, the warehouse rack is attached with two-dimension codes, the fork 238 is initially located at the lowest position, the fork 238 is gradually lifted, the camera device starts scanning from the lower two-dimension code, when the specified two-dimension code is scanned, the fork 238 stops lifting, and at this time, the empty space of the warehouse rack or the container stored in the warehouse rack is located at the same height as the fork. The two-dimensional code is also attached to the container, when the container stored in the warehouse goods shelf and the fork 238 are located at the same height, the fork 238 rotates, the camera device scans the two-dimensional code on the container, and when the position of the two-dimensional code on the container in the visual field of the camera device is complete or centered, the fork 238 stops rotating, and at the moment, the fork 238 is aligned with the container stored in the warehouse goods shelf.

Referring to fig. 2g, the cargo transferring assembly 240 is mounted to the mounting platform 2380 and is rotatable with the forks 238 about a vertical axis or movable in a vertical direction such that the containers stored by the deck 2701 are at the same elevation as the cargo transferring assembly 240 or such that the cargo transferring assembly 240 is adjacent to the containers stored by the deck 2701. Cargo transferring assembly 240 includes a multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 and an end effector 2404. One end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 is mounted on the mounting platform 2380 and is located on the same side of the mounting platform 2380 as the supporting plate 220, and the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 can rotate at multiple angles and move in multiple directions relative to the mounting platform 2380. The multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 includes a rotating base 24020, a first radial arm 24022, a second radial arm 24024, and a tri-axial cradle 24026. The rotating base 24020 has a first rotational axis O1. One end of the first radial arm 24022 is movably mounted on the rotating base 24020, the first radial arm 24022 can rotate relative to the rotating base 24020 around a second rotation axis O2, and the second rotation axis O2 is perpendicular to the first rotation axis O1. One end of the second radial arm 24024 is movably mounted to the other end of the first radial arm 24022, and the second radial arm 24024 can rotate about a third rotational axis O3 relative to the other end of the first radial arm 24022, where the third rotational axis O3 is parallel to the second rotational axis O2. A triaxial holder 24026 is mounted to the other end of the second arm 24024 for mounting the end effector 2404. The rotating base 24020 is mounted on the mounting platform 2380 and is located on the same side of the mounting platform 2380 as the pallet 220, and the first rotation axis O1 is along the vertical direction and the second rotation axis O2 is along the horizontal direction.

The end effector 2404 is used to release the cargo from the grasp and is mounted to the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402. In this embodiment, the end effector 2404 is a chuck device, the goods are grabbed by an adsorption manner, according to practical situations, the end effector 2404 is not limited to the chuck device, and according to different types of goods, the end effector 2404 adapted to the types of goods can be configured, for example, the chuck device is suitable for grabbing solid and flat-surface boxed goods, and the gripper is suitable for grabbing goods with non-fixed shapes, such as clothes, etc.

The process of retrieving cargo from the cargo box stored by pallet 220 by cargo transfer assembly 240 is specifically as follows: the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 drives the end effector 2404 to move into the container stored in the pallet 220, and after the end effector 2404 grabs the goods, the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 drives the end effector 2404 to reset.

The process of depositing the retrieved cargo into the cargo box located in the deck 2701 by the cargo transfer assembly 240 is specifically as follows: after the multidimensional mechanical joint 2402 drives the end effector 2404 to move above the container stored in the layer 2701, the end effector 2404 releases the goods so that the goods fall into the container stored in the layer 2701, and according to practical situations, for example, the goods are fragile goods, in order to avoid damage caused by falling, after the multidimensional mechanical joint 2402 drives the end effector 2404 to move above the container stored in the layer 2701, the multidimensional mechanical joint 2402 drives the end effector 2404 to extend into the container stored in the layer 2701, and the end effector 2404 releases the goods again so as to avoid damage caused by falling of the goods.

Referring to fig. 2d and 2g, the cargo identifying assembly 260 includes a first cargo identifying device 262, a second cargo identifying device 264, and a third cargo identifying device 266.

The first cargo identification device 262 and the second cargo identification device 264 are used for identifying the cargo in the container stored by the pallet 220.

The first cargo identification device 262 is fixedly mounted to the mounting platform 2380. The first cargo recognition device 262 includes a first camera 2620 and a camera mount 2622. The camera support 2622 is rod-shaped and is located on the same side of the mounting platform 2380 as the pallet 220, one end of the camera support 2622 is fixedly mounted on the mounting platform 2380, and the other end of the camera support 2622 is higher than the pallet 220. The first camera 2620 is mounted at the other end of the camera support 2622 and is used for acquiring image information of goods in the container stored in the pallet 220 so as to identify the goods in the container stored in the pallet 220.

The second cargo recognition device 264 is fixedly mounted at the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402 and can move along with the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402. The second cargo identification device 264 includes a second camera. The second camera is mounted at the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402, and can move along with the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402, so as to obtain the image information of the goods in the container stored in the pallet 220, so as to identify the goods in the container stored in the pallet 220.

The second cargo identification device 264 is also used to identify the cargo within the cargo box stored by the storage shelf 270. Specifically, the second camera moves along with the other end of the multi-dimensional mechanical joint 2402, so as to acquire the image information of the cargo in the cargo box stored in the layer 2701, so as to identify the cargo in the cargo box stored in the layer 2701.

The third cargo identification device 266 is used to identify the cargo within the cargo box stored on the storage shelf. Third cargo identification device 266 includes a third camera 2660. A plurality of third cameras 2660 are mounted on the vertical rack 219 in a distributed manner in the vertical direction, and each third camera 2660 is configured to acquire image information of cargo in a cargo box stored in a corresponding deck 2701 to identify the cargo in the cargo box stored in the corresponding deck 2701. Each third camera 2660 may be suspended from a corresponding cross member 2192 and its corresponding laminate 2701 located below the cross member 2192.

Here, how each cargo recognition device (i.e., the first, second, and third cargo recognition devices described above) recognizes cargo within a cargo box will be described in detail. The above-described cargo image information includes SKU (stock level unit) information of the cargo, and position information of the cargo. The bar code containing SKU information is attached to the goods, the bar code containing the appointed SKU information is marked by scanning the bar code in the visual field of the camera, and the goods attached with the bar code are the goods to be taken out (in the container stored by the supporting plate) or the goods stored (in the container stored by the layer plate). Since the position of the cargo box stored in the pallet or the laminate is basically fixed, the position of the cargo to be accessed in the cargo box is determined according to the position of the marked bar code in the field of view of the camera, and at this time, the cargo identification device completes the operation of identifying the cargo in the cargo box.

The differences of the first, second and third cargo identifying devices are further described herein on the basis of the principles of the cargo identifying devices described above to identify cargo. The first cargo recognition device and the second cargo recognition device are both used for recognizing cargos in the cargo box stored by the supporting plate, but the first cargo recognition device is fixed on the mounting base, and under the condition that the positions of the cargos in the cargo box are scattered, the first camera of the first cargo recognition device can accurately acquire the position information of each cargo in the cargo box, but under the condition that the positions of the cargos in the cargo box are dense, the accuracy of acquiring the position information of each cargo in the cargo box by the first camera can be reduced. The third goods recognition device is fixed in the storage goods shelves, and similar to the first goods recognition device, when the goods position in the container that the plywood deposited is more scattered, the third camera of third goods recognition device can obtain the goods image information in the container comparatively accurately, and when the goods position in the container that the plywood deposited is comparatively concentrated, the third camera of third goods recognition device obtains the degree of accuracy of the positional information of each goods in the container and can decline. Therefore, through installing second goods recognition device in the other end of goods transfer unit, second goods recognition device moves along with the other end of goods transfer unit, and goods transfer unit can drive second goods recognition device motion in order to be close to each goods in the packing box to improve the second camera of second goods recognition device and acquire the degree of accuracy of each goods image information in the packing box. Thus, in other embodiments, the second cargo identification device may be omitted in cases where the cargo positions within the cargo box are more discrete as previously described.

Because the first cargo identification device and the second cargo identification device are both used for identifying the cargoes in the container stored by the supporting plate, in order to improve the identification efficiency, the first cargo identification device identifies the cargoes in the container before the second cargo identification device, if the first cargo identification device has identified the position information and SKU information of the cargoes in the container (under the condition that the positions of the cargoes are scattered as described above), the second cargo identification device only needs to identify SKU information of the cargoes in the container according to the position information and SKU information provided by the first cargo identification device, and can determine the position information of the cargoes by finding matched SKU information without identifying the position information of the cargoes again. If the first cargo identification device does not identify the position information of the cargo, the second cargo identification device needs to identify the position information and SKU information of the cargo. The second cargo identifying device and the third cargo identifying device are used for identifying the cargo in the cargo box stored in the storage component, and the same manner as the cooperation manner of the first cargo identifying device and the second cargo identifying device is omitted herein.

The second cargo identifying device is further used for identifying SKU information of the cargoes grabbed by the end executing device to match with the appointed SKU information so as to judge whether the end executing device grabs wrong cargoes or not. Based on this, by disposing a plurality of the deck, it is also possible to select one of the plurality of deck for storing only the wrong cargo.

Fig. 3a is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer robot 20 according to an embodiment of the present application, where various components of the transfer robot 20 and its constituent parts in the foregoing embodiments may correspond to specific physical devices, for example, the cargo handling assembly 230 may include a fork, the cargo transferring assembly 260 may include a mechanical arm, and the storage rack 270 may be used for presetting various containers for carrying cargoes, for example, a container or a pack basket. The vertical support 219 may be a vertical support that supports forks, robotic arms, and storage shelves, which may be mounted to the vertical support. Referring to fig. 3a, the transfer robot 20 includes a cargo transferring assembly 201, a storage rack 202, a vertical support 203, and a fork 204. Wherein, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may be mounted on the fork 204, the fork 204 is slidably connected to the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may move up and down on the vertical support along with the fork 204, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may also be slidably connected to the vertical support 203, the vertical support 203 may include two side columns, when the cargo transferring assembly 201 is slidably connected to the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may be one or two columns, respectively, slidably connected to the columns of the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may move up and down on the columns, as shown in fig. 3b, which is a schematic diagram of the cargo transferring assembly 203 slidably connected to the vertical support 203, and the storage rack 202 is mounted on the vertical support 203, wherein the storage rack 202 may include a plurality of columns and be layered on one side of the vertical support 203, and then the cargo fork 204 is disposed on the other side of the vertical support 203.

Referring to fig. 4, another structural schematic diagram of a transfer robot 20 according to an embodiment of the present application is provided, in which various components of the transfer robot 20 and its constituent parts in the above embodiments may correspond to specific physical devices, for example, the cargo handling assembly 230 may include a mounting platform, the cargo transferring assembly 260 may include a mechanical arm, and the storage rack may be used for presetting various containers for carrying cargoes, for example, a container or a pack basket. The vertical support 219 may be a vertical support that supports a mounting platform, a cargo transfer assembly, and a storage rack, on which the mounting platform, the cargo transfer assembly, and the storage rack may all be mounted. Referring to fig. 4, the transfer robot 20 includes a cargo transferring assembly 201, a storage rack 202, a vertical support 203, and a mounting platform 205. Wherein, the cargo transferring assembly 201 can be installed on the mounting platform 205, the mounting platform 205 sliding connection is on the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 can be along with the mounting platform 205 to move up and down on the vertical support, the cargo transferring assembly 201 can also be in sliding connection on the vertical support 203, the vertical support 203 can comprise two side uprights, when the cargo transferring assembly 201 is in sliding connection on the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 can be one or two, respectively in sliding connection on the uprights of the vertical support 203, the cargo transferring assembly 201 can move up and down on the uprights, the storage shelf 202 is installed on the vertical support 203, wherein, the storage shelf 202 can comprise a plurality of storage shelves and be arranged on one side of the vertical support 203 in a layered manner, and then the mounting platform 205 is arranged on the other side of the vertical support 203.

For the case that there are multiple storage shelves 202, the storage shelves may be divided into an order goods storage shelf and a temporary goods storage shelf, where the order goods storage shelf is used for storing goods to be fetched and placed, the goods to be fetched may correspond to the goods on the order, and the temporary goods storage shelf is used for storing goods not on the order, that is, the goods to be fetched and placed by the goods transferring assembly do not belong to the goods to be fetched.

In the implementation of the present application, when the mounting platform 205 is not capable of moving the cargo box compared to the fork 204, the cargo box can be moved to the mounting platform by the cargo transferring assembly 201, and the sliding mechanism can move the mounting platform up and down along the vertical direction so as to move the cargo box on the mounting platform to a height position corresponding to the storage shelf, so that the cargo transferring assembly takes out the cargo to be taken from the cargo box and puts the cargo box to the storage shelf; in addition, the mounting platform 205 may also be rotated so that the mounting platform may be aligned with a container on a pallet for removal of the container.

In an embodiment of the present application, the cargo transferring assembly 201 may be provided with a suction cup or a gripper, and the cargo may be sucked out through the suction cup or the gripper, and the suction cup or the gripper may be disposed at the end of the cargo transferring assembly and may be replaced according to different cargoes.

In an embodiment of the present application, in order to identify a position of a cargo in a cargo box, the cargo in the cargo box may be photographed by a cargo identification device, and meanwhile, in order to confirm accuracy of the cargo fetched and placed by a cargo transfer assembly, cargo information of the cargo may also be photographed by the cargo identification device, where the cargo identification device may be installed on the cargo transfer assembly, a cargo fork and/or an installation platform, and the image information of the cargo to be fetched in the cargo box, which may be photographed by the cargo identification device, includes: the method comprises the steps of position information of goods to be taken in a container, stock unit information of the goods to be taken, shape of the goods to be taken, image feature points of the goods to be taken, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be taken.

In the embodiment of the present application, the transfer robot 20 further includes a moving chassis for moving the transfer robot 20 according to a planned path. The regular path may be a path for picking and placing goods, where the path may be planned by the processing terminal 10 and sent to the handling robot in the form of an instruction, for example, the processing terminal 10 sends a picking instruction to the handling robot to make the handling robot perform a corresponding movement to achieve picking.

In the application scenarios and related devices shown in fig. 1 to fig. 4, the goods taking method provided by the embodiment of the application can be used to perform goods taking operation through the goods transferring assembly, so that the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the automation degree of goods sorting is improved.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a pick-up method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5, the pickup method is applied to the above-described transfer robot including the cargo transferring assembly, and includes:

s51, receiving a goods taking instruction, wherein the goods taking instruction comprises goods taking position information, goods to be taken type information and/or goods information of goods to be taken.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods taking instruction can be sent to the carrying robot by the processing terminal, the carrying robot receives the goods taking instruction and analyzes the goods taking instruction, and information included in the instruction, such as goods taking position information, goods to be taken type information and goods information of goods to be taken, is identified; the goods taking position information can comprise container positions where goods to be taken are stored, the container positions can be different positions on a goods shelf in a warehouse, the position information can be three-dimensional space coordinates, and position determination can be carried out through codes on the containers, for example, two-dimensional code information; the type information of the goods to be fetched can comprise stock unit information (SKU information) of the goods to be fetched, the information such as the name, the number and the model of the goods to be fetched can be determined through the SKU information, the SKU information of the goods in the container can be the same or different for different containers, and the SKU information can be presented in a bar code mode; the goods information of the goods to be fetched can comprise shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the goods to be fetched, and the goods information can be presented in a text, number or image mode.

In the embodiment of the application, for different types of transfer robots, due to individual differences in structure, after receiving a pickup command, different method steps may be performed, such as:

for a transfer robot including a vertical support and a fork with a cargo transfer assembly mounted to the fork, the method further comprises:

For a transfer robot comprising a vertical support and a fork, while at least one of the cargo transferring assemblies is slidingly coupled to the vertical support, the method further comprises:

For a transfer robot including a vertical support and a mounting platform with a cargo transfer assembly mounted on the mounting platform, the method further includes:

For a transfer robot comprising a vertical support and a mounting platform, while at least one of the cargo transferring assemblies is slidably coupled to the vertical support, the method further comprises:

In an embodiment of the present application, each handling robot may further include at least one storage rack, and the pallet fork or the mounting platform further includes a rotation driving device, where the rotation driving device is used to drive the pallet fork or the mounting platform to rotate around a vertical direction; the method further comprises the steps of:

instructing the forks or load transfer assembly to move the first container from the first position to the corresponding storage shelf, or,

The first container can be directly placed on a corresponding storage shelf in a whole container goods taking mode, and can be moved to a corresponding height position of the storage shelf in a goods taking mode, so that goods to be taken out can be taken out from the first container, and the goods can be placed on a corresponding storage shelf or a second container preset on the storage shelf.

In an embodiment of the present application, the storage shelves of the above-mentioned various types of transfer robots may include a plurality of storage shelves and be layered on one side of the vertical support, and the forks or the mounting platform is disposed on the other side of the vertical support.

In the embodiment of the application, the carrying robot can move to the position of the container where the goods to be taken are located according to the information of the goods taking position through a ground two-dimension code map navigation mode or other navigation modes, meanwhile, in order to take the container out of the goods shelf, the fork or the mounting platform needs to be moved to a first position which is usually located at the same height as the first container carrying the goods to be taken, the first container is a second position, wherein the first container carrying the goods to be taken can be moved from the second position to the first position by the fork or by the goods transferring assembly, after the fork or the mounting platform is moved to the first position, the telescopic arm device of the fork can be extended to clamp the container, and also the container can be grasped by the goods transferring assembly, when the fork or the mounting platform is not aligned with the container, the gesture of the carrying robot can be adjusted by scanning the two-dimension code on the goods shelf so as to align the container. When the first container carrying the goods to be picked up moves from the second position to the first position, the goods transferring assembly can take out the goods to be picked up in the container and put the goods to the storage shelf or a preset second container of the storage shelf, wherein the storage shelf can be located at the same height of the first position and located within the picking and putting range of the goods transferring assembly, for example, the first position and the storage shelf are located at two sides of the vertical support respectively. When more than two storage shelves exist, the cargo box can be moved from the first position to a third position corresponding to the storage shelf by the fork or the mounting platform, so that the robot arm takes the cargo to be taken out of the cargo box and places the cargo box to the corresponding storage shelf or a preset second cargo box of the storage shelf. Since there are multiple storage shelves, this third location may be determined based on the storage shelf to which the cargo is to be placed for removal from the first cargo box. The third position and the storage shelf position are located at the same height, for example, are located at two sides of the vertical support respectively.

And S53, according to the goods taking instruction, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take and put goods and/or the first container.

In the embodiment of the application, the information included in the goods taking instruction may be different, for example, the type information of the goods to be taken and the goods information of the goods to be taken may be different, the information in the goods taking instruction is different, and the manner of instructing the goods transferring assembly to take and put the goods is also different. For example, the information of the type of the to-be-fetched goods includes information of an inventory unit, and when the to-be-fetched goods in the first container have the same information of the inventory unit, the goods transferring component can be instructed to take out the to-be-fetched goods from the first container and put the to-be-fetched goods in the corresponding storage shelf or a preset second container of the storage shelf. When the goods to be taken in the first container have different stock unit information, the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container can be obtained, the goods consistent with the stock unit information in the goods taking instruction is determined according to the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, and the goods transferring component is instructed to take out the goods from the first container and put the goods into the storage shelf or a preset second container of the storage shelf.

In an embodiment of the present application, the image information includes: the method comprises the steps of position information of goods to be taken in a container, stock unit information of the goods to be taken, shape of the goods to be taken, image feature points of the goods to be taken, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be taken.

In the embodiment of the application, the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container can be acquired through the goods identification device, wherein the goods identification device can be installed on the goods transfer component, or the goods identification device is installed on the goods fork, or the goods identification device is installed on the installation platform, or the goods identification device is installed on the goods transfer component and the goods fork, or the goods identification device is installed on the goods transfer component and the installation platform,

the acquiring the image information of the goods to be fetched in the first container comprises the following steps:

or,

Or,

In an embodiment of the present application, the goods information may include shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the goods to be fetched, where the storage shelves include an order goods storage shelf and a temporary goods storage shelf, the order goods storage shelf is pre-provided with a second container, and the method determines, according to the stock quantity unit information of the goods to be fetched, that the goods to be fetched are placed on the corresponding storage shelf or the preset second container of the storage shelf, further includes:

In the embodiment of the application, the goods transferring assembly can be instructed to carry out the picking and placing operation of the first container according to the goods picking instruction, for example, the first container is placed on the storage shelf in a whole container, so that the picking and placing operation of the whole container of goods can be realized.

In the embodiment of the present application, the goods taking instruction may include one or more of goods taking position information, goods to be taken type information, or goods information of goods to be taken, and the handling robot may instruct the goods transferring component to take and put the goods and/or the first container according to specific information in the goods taking instruction, for example, the goods information or the goods to be taken type information.

According to the embodiment of the application, the transfer robot receives the goods taking instruction, wherein the goods taking instruction comprises the goods taking position information, the goods to be taken type information and/or the goods information of the goods to be taken, and instructs the goods transferring assembly to take and put the goods and/or the first container according to the goods taking instruction, so that the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the goods sorting automation degree is improved.

To further illustrate embodiments of the present application, the following provides specific embodiments of a method for picking specific information contained in a pick instruction.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a method for picking up a cargo to be picked up having the same inventory information in a first container according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 6, the method is applied to the transfer robot described above, where the embodiment is illustrated by taking a transfer robot in which a cargo transferring assembly is fixed on a fork and a cargo identifying device is installed on the cargo transferring assembly, and the method includes:

s61, receiving a goods taking instruction, wherein the goods taking instruction comprises goods taking position information and goods to be taken type information, the goods to be taken type information comprises stock quantity unit information, and the goods in the first container have the same stock quantity unit information.

In the embodiment of the application, the SKU information in the first container where the goods to be taken are located is the same, the goods transferring assembly does not need to be distinguished in the process of taking and placing the goods, the goods can be directly taken by the goods transferring assembly for single goods with larger volume, and the goods in the container can be taken by the goods identifying device on the goods transferring assembly for the convenience of the goods transferring assembly to grasp the goods, the image information of the goods in the container can be taken by the goods identifying device on the goods transferring assembly, and the image information can comprise the position of the goods to be taken in the container, and the goods grasping is carried out according to the taken position.

In the embodiment of the application, after receiving the goods taking instruction, the carrying robot analyzes the goods taking instruction and instructs the carrying robot to carry out corresponding processing according to the analyzed instruction information, wherein the processing comprises the following steps: the instruction handling robot moves according to the picking position, and instructs the fork and the cargo transferring assembly to perform related operations, such as moving a cargo box, picking up cargo, and the like.

S62, according to the goods taking position information, the fork is instructed to move to the first position.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods taking position information includes a first container position carrying goods to be taken, for example, three-dimensional information of the first container position, before the pallet fork moves to the first position, the carrying robot can move to the vicinity of the first container carrying the goods to be taken according to the goods taking position information, and further check the accuracy of the first container position according to information on the first container, for example, the code on the first container, and further adjust the posture of the robot according to the code information on the first container, for example, the two-dimensional code information, so that the pallet fork can be aligned with the first container.

In the embodiment of the application, the first position is generally located at the same height as the first container carrying the goods to be fetched, and the horizontal distance between the first position and the first container is within the telescopic range of the telescopic boom device on the fork, so that the fork can extend out of the telescopic boom device to move the first container to the first position.

And S63, instructing the fork or the cargo transferring assembly to move the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position.

In the embodiment of the application, after the fork moves to the first position, the telescopic arm device on the fork can move the first container carrying the goods to be fetched from the second position to the first position, or the goods transferring assembly can move the first container carrying the goods to be fetched from the second position to the first position, wherein the second position is the position where the first container is located, and is usually located on a goods shelf in a warehouse, and can be determined by three-dimensional space coordinates.

S64, acquiring image information, shot by the goods identification device, of the goods to be taken in the first container, indicating the goods transfer assembly to take the goods to be taken out of the first container according to the image information, shot by the goods identification device, of the goods to be taken out, and placing the taken goods to a preset second container corresponding to the storage goods shelf or the storage goods shelf.

In the embodiment of the application, as the goods to be taken have the same SKU information, in the process of taking the goods by the goods transferring component, the goods transferring component is prevented from grabbing the goods, the goods identifying device on the goods transferring component can be used for shooting the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, the image information comprises the position of the goods to be taken in the first container, the goods transferring component is instructed to take the goods to be taken out from the first container, the goods taking mode can be used for sucking the goods or mechanical claws on the goods transferring component to grab the goods, after the goods are taken out, the goods to be taken out can be placed in a storage goods shelf or a preset second container of the storage goods shelf, the storage goods shelf can be positioned at the same height as the first position, and the goods shelf and the goods fork are respectively positioned at two sides of the vertical support, or at different heights as the first position, and then the goods fork is required to be moved to the position at the same height as the storage goods transferring component is convenient for taking the goods to be taken out from the container to the storage goods shelf or the preset second container of the storage goods shelf.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods to be fetched can correspond to the same order, or can correspond to different orders, for the goods to be fetched of the same order, the goods to be fetched can be placed on the preset second container of the same storage shelf, if the goods to be fetched of different orders exist, the goods to be fetched of different orders can be placed on the preset other second containers of different storage shelves, the goods to be fetched of different orders can be placed on the corresponding preset second containers of different storage shelves, or the goods to be fetched can be placed on the preset second container of the same storage shelf, and if the goods to be fetched of the same order are placed on the preset second containers of the same storage shelf, the sorting of the goods to be ordered is needed before the goods to be dispatched.

And S65, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the preset number of goods to be taken of the first container, the goods fork or the goods transferring assembly is instructed to place the first container back to the original position or to other positions.

In the embodiment of the application, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the preset number of goods to be taken out of the first container, namely, when the goods to be taken out on the order to be taken out are not in the first container, the fork is instructed to move to the first position, namely, the height position corresponding to the original position of the first container, and the fork or the goods transferring assembly is instructed to put the first container back to the original position of the first container or to other positions, and for the number of the goods to be taken out of the first container, the information carried in the goods taking instruction can be used for determining, for example, the goods taking instruction can comprise different numbers of goods to be taken out of different orders.

S66, when the goods taking position information comprises a plurality of first container position information, and goods to be taken are stored in the plurality of first containers, after the current first containers are put back to the original positions or other positions, the positions of the goods to be taken are sequentially reached according to the other first container position information, so that the goods taking and placing operations of all the goods to be taken are completed.

In the embodiment of the present application, when one container of the goods to be fetched on one order is not accommodated, a plurality of containers are required to carry the goods on the order, and at this time, the goods fetching position information in the goods fetching instruction may include position information of a plurality of first containers, and the goods to be fetched on the order may be carried on the first containers at the plurality of positions. After the goods transferring assembly completes the picking and placing operation of the goods to be picked in one first container, the first container can be placed back to the original position, and then the carrying robot can sequentially reach the position of the goods to be picked according to the position information of other first containers so as to complete the picking and placing operation of all the goods to be picked.

S67, when the quantity of all the goods to be fetched exceeds the storage capacity of a storage shelf or a preset second container of the storage shelf, acquiring the total volume or the total weight of the goods which are put into the current storage shelf or the preset second container of the storage shelf, and if the total volume exceeds the preset volume threshold of the storage shelf or the preset volume threshold of the second container, or the total weight exceeds the preset load threshold of the storage shelf or the preset load threshold of the second container, instructing a goods transferring assembly to put the goods to be fetched into other storage shelves or other second containers until all the goods to be fetched are fetched.

In the embodiment of the application, when the goods transferring component takes goods to be taken to a preset second container of the storage shelf, as the taking and placing times increase, the goods in the preset second container of the storage shelf gradually increase, if the number of all the goods to be taken in the goods taking instruction exceeds the storage capacity of the preset second container of one storage shelf, the goods transferring component can be instructed to replace the preset second container of the storage shelf, when whether to replace the preset second container of the storage shelf or not is determined, the weight or the volume of a single goods can be obtained according to SKU information, the total volume or the total weight of the goods to be taken in the preset second container of the storage shelf is determined by combining with the taking and placing number, meanwhile, the volume threshold or the volume threshold of the preset second container of each storage shelf is preset, and if the total volume of the goods of the preset second container of the storage shelf exceeds the preset volume threshold of the preset second container of the storage shelf, or the total weight of the goods of the preset second container of the storage shelf exceeds the preset second container of the storage shelf is instructed to transfer the goods to be taken out to the rest goods until all the goods to be taken in the storage shelf are completed.

S68, receiving a goods conveying instruction, and conveying the goods of the second container preset by the storage shelf to a delivery area corresponding to the goods order according to the goods conveying instruction;

in the embodiment of the application, the goods to be fetched can be the goods with the same order or the goods with different orders, and when the order attribute of the goods to be fetched is the goods with the same order, the processing terminal can send a goods conveying instruction to the transfer robot, wherein the goods conveying instruction is mainly used for instructing the transfer robot to convey the goods with the storage shelf preset container to the goods delivery area corresponding to the goods order, and the goods are packaged in the goods delivery area and then sent to the goods receiving destination on the order.

And S69, when the storage shelf presets the goods of the second container to correspond to different orders, receiving a goods sorting instruction, and sorting the goods of the second container preset by the storage shelf according to the goods corresponding to the orders.

In the embodiment of the application, when the goods to be fetched correspond to the goods with different orders, the goods which are taken out from the first container by the goods transferring component are put into the same storage shelf to preset the second container, but the goods in the preset container in the storage shelf can be shipped only by further sorting, so that in order to finish the shipment of the goods with the orders, a goods sorting instruction is required to be sent to the transfer robot by the processing terminal, the goods with different orders in the preset second container in the storage shelf are sorted, and the goods can be sorted according to the order information corresponding to the goods in the sorting process.

According to the embodiment of the application, the goods are received, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to carry out goods picking and placing operation according to the goods picking position information contained in the goods picking instruction and the same SKU information in the first container where the goods to be picked are located, meanwhile, the goods identifying device is utilized to acquire the image information of the goods to be picked in the first container, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to pick the goods to be picked from the first container, and the picked goods are placed in the second container corresponding to the storage goods shelf or the storage goods shelf.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a method for picking up goods with different stock information for goods in a first container according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 7, the method is applied to the above-described transfer robot, the transfer robot described in the following embodiment includes at least one goods transferring component slidingly connected to a vertical support of the transfer robot, and the goods transferring component and a fork are both provided with a goods identifying device, and simultaneously, the method includes a plurality of storage shelves, including an order goods storage shelf and a temporary goods storage shelf, the order goods storage shelf is pre-provided with a second container, and the temporary goods storage shelf is pre-provided with a third container, the method includes:

S71, receiving a goods taking instruction, wherein the goods taking instruction comprises goods taking position information and goods to be taken type information, the goods to be taken type information comprises stock quantity unit information, and goods in the first container have different stock quantity unit information.

In the embodiment of the application, the to-be-fetched goods type information comprises stock unit information, the goods in the first container have different SKU information, and the goods transferring component increases the identification of the SKU information in the process of fetching goods so as to determine the storage position of the fetched goods, for example, whether the fetched goods are placed on an order goods storage shelf or a second container or a temporary goods storage shelf or a third container. In the process of identifying the SKU information, the image information can be shot through a cargo identification device arranged on the cargo transferring assembly, the image information can comprise the SKU information of cargoes, and whether the cargoes to be taken are required to be placed on an order cargo storage shelf or a second cargo box or a temporary cargo storage shelf or a third cargo box is determined by comparing the SKU information of the cargoes to be taken in the cargo taking instruction with the cargo SKU information in the image information shot by the cargo identification device.

S72, according to the goods taking position information, the goods fork is instructed to move to the first position.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods taking position information comprises a first container position carrying goods to be taken, such as three-dimensional information of the first container position, before the fork moves to the first position, the carrying robot can move to the vicinity of the first container carrying the goods to be taken according to the goods taking position information, and further check the accuracy of the first container position according to the information on the first container, such as the code on the first container, and can adjust the gesture of the robot according to the code information on the first container, such as the two-dimensional code information, so that the fork can be aligned with the first container.

And S73, instructing the cargo transferring assembly to move to the first position, and moving the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position.

In the embodiment of the application, since the cargo transferring assembly is slidably connected to the vertical support, when the cargo transferring assembly is required to move the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position, the cargo transferring assembly is required to be instructed to move to the first position first, and of course, the cargo fork can also be used to move the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position, wherein the second position is the position where the first container is located, and is usually located on a shelf in the warehouse, and can be determined by three-dimensional space coordinates.

S74, acquiring image information of the goods to be picked in the first container, which is shot by the goods identification device of the fork and the goods identification device of the goods transfer assembly.

In the embodiment of the application, since the goods to be taken and other goods in the container have different SKU information, in order to avoid taking wrong goods, whether the goods to be taken are the goods to be taken on the order or not can be determined through the SKU information of the goods, and the SKU information of the goods to be taken can be shot by utilizing the goods identification device on the goods transfer assembly. In the process of taking the goods by the goods transferring component, the situation that the goods transferring component cannot grasp the goods is avoided, the position space information of the goods to be taken in the container can be shot through the shooting device on the fork, and the position space information of the goods to be taken in the container can also be shot through the shooting device on the goods transferring component.

In the embodiment of the application, the image information shot by the cargo identification device may include SKU information of the cargo and position space information of the cargo in the cargo box, and may also include a shape of the cargo to be fetched, an image feature point of the cargo to be fetched, color information and/or volume information of the cargo to be fetched.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods recognition device can be independently arranged on the mounting platform, the fork or the goods transferring assembly, and can be simultaneously arranged on the mounting platform and the goods transferring assembly, when the image information of the goods is shot, the goods recognition devices at different positions can be respectively shot, wherein the image information shot by the goods recognition devices on the mounting platform and the fork can mainly comprise the relevant information of the goods, such as the position space, the shape, the volume and the like of the goods in a container, which is convenient for determining the goods to be taken out, and the image information shot by the goods recognition devices on the goods transferring assembly can mainly comprise the relevant information, such as the correlation of a stock unit and the like, which is convenient for determining whether the goods to be taken out are put into an order goods storage shelf or a temporary goods storage shelf, and of course, the image information shot by the goods recognition devices at different positions can also comprise any one or more of the information.

And S75, determining the goods consistent with the stock unit information in the goods taking instruction according to the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, indicating the goods transferring assembly to take out the goods from the first container, and placing the goods in the storage goods shelf or a preset second container of the storage goods shelf.

In the embodiment of the application, whether the SKU information in the picking instruction is consistent with the SKU information in the picking instruction can be determined according to the image information, such as SKU information, of the goods to be picked in the first container, and when the two SKU information are consistent, the goods transferring component is instructed to pick out the goods from the first container and put the goods in the order goods storage shelf or the second container. When the two SKU information are inconsistent, then the retrieved good is placed on the temporary storage goods shelf or the third container, wherein the goods transfer assembly moves along the vertical support between corresponding positions of the order goods shelf and the temporary storage goods shelf.

According to the embodiment of the application, the goods transferring assembly can be instructed to take out the goods from the position space according to the position space information of the goods to be taken in the container in the image information shot by the goods recognizing device, for example, the goods can be sucked out by utilizing a sucking disc on the goods transferring assembly or the goods can be grabbed by utilizing a mechanical claw; after the goods are taken out, whether the goods are to be taken out on the order or not can be determined according to SKU information in the image information shot by the shooting device, if the goods are to be taken out on the order, the goods are put on an order goods storage shelf or a second container, and if the goods are not to be taken out on the order, the goods are put on a temporary goods storage shelf or a third container. Because the goods that need the goods transfer unit will take out are put to order goods container or temporary storage goods container, consequently, the goods transfer unit can follow vertical support and remove between order goods storage goods shelves and the corresponding position of temporary storage goods shelves, order goods storage goods shelves and temporary storage goods shelves can be located on the different high positions of vertical support same one side.

And S76, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of picking and placing the preset number of goods to be picked of the first container, instructing the goods transferring assembly to put the goods in the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container back to the first container, and instructing the goods fork or the goods transferring assembly to put the first container back to the original position of the first container or to other positions.

In the embodiment of the application, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the preset number of goods to be taken in the first container, namely, when the goods to be taken on the order to be taken out is not in the first container, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to move to the position corresponding to the height of the temporary goods storage shelf, meanwhile, the goods fork is instructed to move the first container to the position, so that the goods transferring assembly can put the goods in the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container back to the first container, and after the goods in the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container are put back to the first container, the goods fork and the goods transferring assembly are instructed to move to the first position, namely, the height position corresponding to the original position of the first container, and the goods fork or the goods transferring assembly is instructed to put the first container back to the original position of the first container or to other positions. For the quantity of the goods to be fetched which need to be fetched from the first container, the quantity of the goods to be fetched can be determined through information carried in the goods fetching instruction, for example, the goods fetching instruction can comprise different quantities of goods to be fetched information of different orders.

And S77, when the goods taking position information comprises a plurality of first container position information, and the goods to be taken are stored in the plurality of first containers, after the current first containers are put back to the original positions or are put to other positions, the positions of the goods to be taken are sequentially reached according to the other first container position information so as to finish the goods taking and placing operations of all the goods to be taken.

In the embodiment of the present application, when one container of the goods to be fetched on one order is not accommodated, a plurality of containers are required to carry the goods on the order, and at this time, the goods fetching position information in the goods fetching instruction may include position information of a plurality of first containers, and the goods to be fetched on the order may be carried on the first containers at the plurality of positions. After the goods transferring assembly completes the picking and placing operation of the goods to be picked in one first container, the container can be placed back to the original position, and then the transfer robot can sequentially reach the position of the goods to be picked according to the position information of other first containers so as to complete the picking and placing operation of all the goods to be picked. During the picking process, the cargo transferring assembly is required to perform the above-described related steps in this embodiment during the picking process for each first container because the cargo SKU information in the containers is not exactly the same.

And S78, when the quantity of all the goods to be fetched exceeds the storage capacity of a storage shelf or a preset second container of the storage shelf, acquiring the total volume or the total weight of the goods which are put into the current storage shelf or the preset second container of the storage shelf, and if the total volume exceeds the preset volume threshold of the storage shelf or the preset volume threshold of the second container, or the total weight exceeds the preset load threshold of the storage shelf or the second container, instructing a goods transferring assembly to put the goods to be fetched into other storage shelves or other second containers until all the goods to be fetched are fetched.

In the embodiment of the application, when the goods transferring component takes goods to be taken to a preset second container of the storage goods shelf, the goods in the preset second container of the storage goods shelf gradually increases along with the increase of the taking and placing times, if the quantity of the goods placed to the preset second container of the storage goods shelf exceeds the preset volume threshold of the preset second container of the storage goods shelf, the goods transferring component can be instructed to replace the preset second container of the storage goods shelf, when whether the preset second container of the storage goods shelf is replaced or not is determined, the weight or the volume of single goods can be obtained according to SKU information, the total volume or the total weight of the goods placed to the preset second container of the storage goods shelf is determined by combining with the taking and placing quantity, meanwhile, the volume threshold or the volume threshold of the preset second container of each storage goods shelf is preset, and if the total volume of the goods placed to the preset second container of the storage goods shelf exceeds the preset volume threshold of the preset second container of the storage goods shelf, or the goods transferring component is instructed to take out the goods to be placed to the preset second container of the storage goods shelf until all goods to be taken are completed.

According to the embodiment of the application, the goods taking and placing operation is instructed to be carried out by the goods transferring assembly through receiving the goods taking instruction and according to the goods taking position information contained in the goods taking instruction and the goods with different SKU information in the first container, meanwhile, the goods storing position is determined according to the image information by utilizing the goods identifying device, the goods taking problem of the goods with different SKU information in the container is effectively solved, the goods transferring assembly can take goods quickly and accurately, the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the goods sorting automation degree is improved.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method for picking up goods according to another embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 8, the method for picking up goods is applied to the above-described transfer robot, and the transfer robot in the following embodiment includes at least one goods transferring component fixed on a mounting platform, and a goods identifying device is installed on the goods transferring component, and simultaneously includes a plurality of storage shelves, and the plurality of storage shelves includes an order goods storage shelf and a temporary goods storage shelf, the order goods storage shelf is pre-configured with a second container, and the temporary goods storage shelf is pre-configured with a third container, the method includes:

S81, receiving a goods taking instruction, wherein the goods taking instruction comprises goods taking position information, goods to be taken and goods information of the goods to be taken, the goods to be taken comprises stock quantity unit information, the goods in the first container have different stock quantity unit information, and the goods information comprises shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the goods to be taken.

In the embodiment of the application, the information of the type of the goods to be taken includes information of stock units, the goods in the first container have different SKU information, the goods transferring component can increase identification of the goods information in the process of taking the goods so as to determine the goods to be taken, for example, the image information can be shot through a goods identifying device arranged on the goods transferring component, wherein the image information can include information related to the goods information, for example, actual shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the goods, the goods to be taken is determined by comparing the goods information in the goods taking instruction with the goods information shot by the goods identifying device, meanwhile, the image information can also include SKU information of the goods, and whether the goods to be taken is taken or not is determined by comparing the SKU information of the goods to be taken in the goods taking instruction with the goods SKU information shot by the goods identifying device. After the goods are taken out, it is also possible to determine whether the taken out goods are placed on the order goods storage shelf or the second container or on the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container through image information, such as SKU information, photographed by the goods recognition device provided on the goods transferring assembly. In addition, in the process of grabbing the goods, the image information of the goods to be grabbed in the first container can be shot according to the goods identification device, wherein the image information can include position space information of the goods to be grabbed in the first container, and/or image feature points, colors, shapes, volumes and the like of the goods to be grabbed, for example, volume information or color information of the goods to be grabbed.

S82, according to the goods taking position information, the mounting platform is instructed to move to a first position,

in the embodiment of the application, the goods taking position information comprises a first container position carrying goods to be taken, such as three-dimensional information of the first container position, before the mounting platform moves to the first position, the carrying robot can move to the vicinity of the first container carrying the goods to be taken according to the goods taking position information, and further check the accuracy of the first container position according to the information on the first container, such as the code on the first container, and can also adjust the gesture of the robot according to the code information on the first container, such as the two-dimensional code information, so that the mounting platform can be aligned with the first container.

In an embodiment of the application, the first location is generally at the same elevation as the first container carrying the cargo to be retrieved, and the horizontal distance of the first location from the first container is within the retrieval range of the cargo transfer assembly so that the cargo transfer assembly can move the container to the first location.

S83, instructing the cargo transferring assembly to move the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position;

In the embodiment of the application, the mounting platform cannot grasp the container, and the cargo transferring assembly is mounted on the mounting platform, so that the cargo transferring assembly can be instructed to move the first container carrying the cargo to be fetched from the second position to the first position, wherein the second position is the position of the first container, and the position is usually positioned on a goods shelf in a warehouse and can be determined by three-dimensional space coordinates.

S84, acquiring image information of the goods to be picked up in the first container, which is shot by the goods identification device of the goods transfer assembly.

In the embodiment of the application, since the goods to be fetched have different SKU information or different goods information, such as different volume, color or weight information, compared with other goods in the first container, in order to avoid the goods from being fetched by mistake, whether the goods to be fetched are the goods to be fetched on the order or not can be determined by the goods information of the goods, and the goods information of the goods to be fetched can be shot by the goods identification device on the goods transfer assembly. In the process of taking the goods by the goods transferring assembly, the situation that the goods transferring assembly cannot grasp the goods is avoided, the position space information of the goods to be taken in the container can be shot through the goods identifying device on the goods transferring assembly, and the position space information of the goods to be taken in the container can be shot through the shooting device on the mounting platform.

In the embodiment of the application, the image information shot by the goods identification device may include goods information, SKU information of the goods and position space information of the goods in the container, where the goods information may include a shape of the goods to be fetched, image feature points of the goods to be fetched, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be fetched.

In the embodiment of the application, the goods identification device can be independently arranged on the mounting platform, and can also be simultaneously arranged on the mounting platform and the goods transfer assembly, when the image information of the goods is shot, the goods identification assemblies at different positions can be used for shooting respectively, wherein the image information shot by the goods identification device on the mounting platform can mainly comprise the relevant information of the goods, such as the position space, the shape, the volume and the like of the goods in a container, which is convenient for determining the goods to be taken out, the image information shot by the goods identification device on the goods transfer assembly can mainly comprise the relevant information of the goods to be taken out, such as the relevant information of a stock quantity unit and the like, which is convenient for determining whether the goods to be taken out are put on an order goods storage shelf or a temporary goods storage shelf, and of course, the image information shot by the goods identification device at different positions can also comprise any one or more of the information.

And S85, according to the image information of the goods to be fetched in the first container, indicating the goods transferring assembly to fetch the goods from the first container.

In the embodiment of the application, when the goods which are consistent with the stock quantity unit information and/or the goods information in the goods taking instruction cannot be determined through the image information, the goods transferring component is instructed to acquire the goods from the first container, the acquired goods are continuously shot with the image information, when the goods which are inconsistent with the stock quantity unit information and/or the goods information in the goods taking instruction are determined through the image information, the goods acquired by the goods transferring component are put into the temporary goods storage shelf or a third container preset in the temporary goods storage shelf, and otherwise, the goods are put into the corresponding order goods storage shelf or the second container.

According to the embodiment of the application, the goods transferring component can be instructed to take out the goods from the position space according to the position space information of the goods to be taken in the first container of the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, which is shot by the goods identifying device, and the goods can be sucked out by utilizing the sucking disc or the mechanical claw on the goods transferring component according to the goods information in the image information of the goods to be taken in, which is shot by the goods identifying device, such as the volume or the color of the goods to be taken; after the goods are taken out, the SKU information in the image information of the goods to be taken out, which is shot by the goods identification component, can be compared with the SKU information in the goods taking instruction to determine whether the goods to be taken out are the goods on the order, if the goods to be taken out are the goods to be taken out on the order, the goods to be taken out are put on the goods storage shelf or the second container corresponding to the order, and if the goods to be taken out are not the goods to be taken out on the order, the goods to be taken out are put on the corresponding temporary storage shelf or the third container. The order goods storage shelf and the temporary goods storage shelf can be located at different height positions on the same side of the vertical support.

S86, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of picking and placing the preset number of the to-be-picked goods of the first container, instructing the goods transferring assembly to put the goods of the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container back to the first container, and instructing the goods transferring assembly to put the first container back to the original position of the first container or to other positions.

In the embodiment of the application, after the goods transferring assembly finishes the operation of taking and placing the preset number of goods to be taken in the first container, namely, when the goods to be taken on an order to be taken out is not in the first container, the goods transferring assembly is instructed to move to the position corresponding to the height of the temporary goods storage shelf, meanwhile, the mounting platform is instructed to move the first container to the position, so that the goods transferring assembly can put the goods of the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container back to the first container, and after the goods in the temporary goods storage shelf or the third container are put back to the first container, the mounting platform and the goods transferring assembly are instructed to move to the first position, namely, the height position corresponding to the original position of the first container, and the goods transferring assembly is instructed to put the first container back to the original position of the first container or other positions. For the quantity of the goods to be fetched which need to be fetched from the first container, the quantity of the goods to be fetched can be determined through information carried in the goods fetching instruction, for example, the goods fetching instruction can comprise different quantities of goods to be fetched information of different orders.

S87, when the goods taking position information comprises a plurality of first container position information, and goods to be taken are stored in the plurality of first containers, the current first containers are put back to the original positions of the containers or put to other positions, and the positions of the goods to be taken are sequentially reached according to the other first container position information, so that the goods taking and placing operations of all the goods to be taken are completed.

In the embodiment of the present application, when one container of the goods to be fetched on one order is not accommodated, a plurality of containers are required to carry the goods on the order, and at this time, the goods fetching position information in the goods fetching instruction may include position information of a plurality of first containers, and the goods to be fetched on the order may be carried on the first containers at the plurality of positions. After the goods transferring assembly completes the picking and placing operation of the goods to be picked in one container, the container can be placed back to the original position, and then the transfer robot can sequentially reach the position of the goods to be picked according to the position information of other first containers so as to complete the picking and placing operation of all the goods to be picked. During the picking process, the SKU information in the containers is not exactly the same, and therefore, the cargo transferring assembly needs to perform the relevant steps described above in this embodiment during the picking process for each first container.

According to the embodiment of the application, the goods taking and placing operation is performed by the goods transferring assembly according to the goods taking and placing instruction and the goods with different SKU information and goods information contained in the goods taking and placing instruction and the goods in the container where the goods to be taken are located, meanwhile, the goods information and SKU information of the goods to be taken out are obtained by the goods identifying device, and the goods storage position is determined according to the goods information and SKU information, so that the goods taking problem of different goods information is effectively solved, the goods transferring assembly is facilitated to take goods quickly and accurately, the goods taking efficiency is improved, and the goods sorting automation degree is improved.

It should be noted that, each step in the above method embodiment is only needed to understand the technical solutions formed by different combinations of the steps, and all the steps can be included in the embodiments of the present application within the scope of protection of the present application.

The embodiment of the application also provides a goods taking method which is applied to the processing terminal, wherein the processing terminal is in communication connection with the carrying robot, and the method comprises the following steps: and sending a goods taking instruction so that the carrying robot executes the goods taking method according to the goods taking instruction.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present application, and the transfer robot 90 may be a robot with processing capability, and may be capable of performing the pick-up method according to the above-described corresponding method embodiment.

Specifically, referring to fig. 9, the transfer robot 90 includes:

one or more processors 901 and a memory 902 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 901, one processor 901 being illustrated in fig. 9.

The processor 901 and the memory 902 may be connected by a bus or otherwise, for example in fig. 9.

The memory 902 is used as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing a non-transitory software program and a non-transitory computer executable program, and the corresponding program can execute the corresponding steps of the picking method (e.g., S51 and S53 shown in fig. 5, S61-S69 shown in fig. 6, S71-S78 shown in fig. 7, and S81-S87 shown in fig. 8). The processor 901 executes the pick method by running a non-transitory software program or instructions stored in the memory 902, i.e. implements the pick method described in the corresponding method embodiments above.

The memory 902 may include a storage program area and a storage data area, wherein the storage program area may store an operating system, at least one application program required for a function; the storage data area may store data created by performing the pick method described above, and the like. In addition, the memory 902 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid state storage device. In some embodiments, the memory 902 optionally includes memory remotely located relative to the processor 901, which may be connected to the transfer robot 90 via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The one or more modules are stored in the memory 902 and when executed by the one or more processors 901 perform the method of fetching in the corresponding method embodiments described above, for example, performing S51 and S53 shown in fig. 5 described above; S61-S69 shown in fig. 6; S71-S78 shown in fig. 7; S81-S87 shown in FIG. 8.

The carrying robot can execute the goods taking method in the corresponding method embodiment, and has the corresponding equipment and beneficial effects of executing the method.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the pick method in the method embodiments described above. For example, the computer-executable instructions, as executed by one or more processors 901 in fig. 9, may cause the one or more processors to perform the method of fetching in the corresponding method embodiment, for example, performing S51 and S53 shown in fig. 5 described above; S61-S69 shown in fig. 6; S71-S78 shown in fig. 7; S81-S87 shown in fig. 8 may enable the one or more processors to perform the pick method in the corresponding method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising program instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the pick method of the method embodiments described above. For example, S51 and S53 shown in fig. 5 described above are performed; S61-S69 shown in fig. 6; S71-S78 shown in fig. 7; functions of S81 to S87 and the like shown in fig. 8.

The embodiment of the application also provides a processing terminal, which can be any type of electronic equipment, such as: the method may be a background server, a computer device with processing capability, a terminal device with computing function or scheduling function, etc., and may execute the goods picking method provided by the corresponding method embodiment.

The embodiment of the application also provides an intelligent warehousing system which comprises the transfer robot and the processing terminal.

The above-described embodiments of the apparatus or device are merely illustrative, in which the unit modules illustrated as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as unit modules may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed over multiple network module units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

From the above description of embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be implemented by means of software plus a general purpose hardware platform, or may be implemented by hardware. Based on such understanding, the foregoing technical solution may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the related art in the form of a software product, which may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as a ROM/RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc., including several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a processing terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method described in the respective embodiments or some parts of the embodiments.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present application, and are not limiting; the technical features of the above embodiments or in the different embodiments may also be combined within the idea of the application, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the application.

Claims

1. A method of picking up a load, applied to a transfer robot, the transfer robot comprising a fork or a mounting platform, the transfer robot further comprising a load transfer assembly and at least one storage shelf, the method comprising:

receiving a goods receiving instruction, wherein the goods receiving instruction comprises goods receiving position information, goods to be taken and/or goods information of goods to be taken;

according to the goods taking instruction, the goods fork or the mounting platform is instructed to move the first container carrying the goods to be taken from the second position to the first position, and the goods transferring assembly is instructed to take the goods to be taken from the first container and put the goods to the corresponding storage goods shelf or the preset second container of the storage goods shelf; the first position and the first container carrying the goods to be taken are located at the same height, and the position of the first container is the second position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the transfer robot further comprises a vertical support to which the forks are slidably coupled, at least one of the load transfer assemblies being slidably coupled to the vertical support, the method further comprising:

instructing the forks to move a first container carrying the load to be retrieved from the second position to the first position, or,

and instructing the cargo transferring assembly to move to the first position and moving the first container carrying the cargo to be picked from the second position to the first position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer robot further comprises a vertical support to which the mounting platform is slidably coupled, the cargo transfer assembly being slidably coupled to the mounting platform, the method further comprising:

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer robot further comprises a vertical support to which the mounting platform is slidably coupled, at least one of the cargo transfer assemblies being slidably coupled to the vertical support, the method further comprising:

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the fork or mounting platform further comprises a rotational drive for driving the fork or mounting platform to rotate about a vertical direction; the method further comprises the steps of:

6. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the fork or mounting platform further comprises a rotational drive for driving the fork or mounting platform to rotate about a vertical direction; the method further comprises the steps of:

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fork, mounting platform, or cargo transferring assembly has a cargo identification device mounted thereon, the method further comprising:

according to the goods taking instruction, instruct the goods transferring component to take out the goods to be taken from the first container and put the goods to the corresponding storage goods shelf or the storage goods shelf presets the second container, and specifically include:

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the image information comprises: the method comprises the steps of position information of goods to be taken in a container, stock unit information of the goods to be taken, shape of the goods to be taken, image feature points of the goods to be taken, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be taken.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the to-be-picked item type information includes stock level unit information, and wherein when the to-be-picked items within the first container have different stock level unit information, the method further comprises:

acquiring image information of the goods to be fetched;

according to the order of getting goods, instruct the goods transfer unit is from first packing box take out to wait to get goods and put to corresponding store goods shelves or store goods shelves's preset second packing box includes:

and determining the goods consistent with the stock unit information in the goods taking instruction according to the image information of the goods to be taken in the first container, indicating the goods transferring assembly to take out the goods from the first container, and placing the goods into the storage goods shelf or a preset second container of the storage goods shelf.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image information comprises: the method comprises the steps of position information of goods to be taken in a container, stock unit information of the goods to be taken, shape of the goods to be taken, image feature points of the goods to be taken, color information and/or volume information of the goods to be taken.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the cargo transferring assembly is equipped with a cargo identification device, or the fork is equipped with a cargo identification device, or the mounting platform is equipped with a cargo identification device, or the cargo transferring assembly and the fork are equipped with a cargo identification device, or the cargo transferring assembly and the mounting platform are equipped with a cargo identification device, the acquiring the image information of the cargo to be retrieved in the first cargo box comprises:

or,

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the item information includes shape, volume, image feature points, color and/or weight information of the item to be fetched, the storage shelves include an order item storage shelf and a temporary storage item storage shelf, the order item storage shelf is pre-provided with a second container, and the determining, according to the stock unit information of the item to be fetched, a pre-set second container in which the item to be fetched is placed on the corresponding storage shelf or storage shelf includes:

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

15. The method of claim 9 or 14, wherein the pick location information includes a plurality of first container location information, the goods to be picked being stored in the plurality of first containers, the method further comprising:

And after the first container is put back to the original position or other positions, sequentially reaching the positions of the goods to be fetched according to the position information of the other first containers so as to finish the fetching and putting operation of all the goods to be fetched.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein when all of the amounts of the load to be retrieved exceed one storage shelf or second container storage capacity, the method further comprises:

and acquiring the total volume or the total weight of the goods placed in the storage shelf or the second container, and if the total volume exceeds a preset volume threshold of the storage shelf or the second container or the total weight exceeds a preset load threshold of the storage shelf or the second container, instructing the goods transferring assembly to place the goods to be fetched to other storage shelves or other second containers until all the goods to be fetched are fetched.

17. A method for picking up goods, which is applied to a processing terminal, wherein the processing terminal is in communication connection with a transfer robot, and the method comprises the following steps:

a pick-up instruction is sent to cause the transfer robot to perform the method according to the pick-up instruction.

18. A transfer robot, comprising:

At least one processor; the method comprises the steps of,

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein,

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the pick method of any of claims 1-16.

19. A processing terminal, comprising:

at least one processor; the method comprises the steps of,

a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; wherein,

the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the pick method of claim 17.

20. An intelligent warehousing system comprising the transfer robot of claim 18 and the processing terminal of claim 19.