CN112676171A - Automatic sorting equipment and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses automatic sorting equipment and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of warehouse logistics. In a specific embodiment of the apparatus, the cargo identification and pickup device on the rotatable suspension device can push the target cargo to an inclined state through the retractable push bracket, and adjust the mechanical arm to the inclined state, so as to use the clamping jaw of the mechanical arm to hold the bottom of the target cargo, and restore the target cargo to be horizontal after the target cargo is successfully picked up, so as to complete the pickup of the target cargo; the transmission device drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the target goods picked by the goods identification and pickup device are sorted to the designated sorting position. Can simulate manual operation in order to reduce artificial intervention, realize unmanned letter sorting, can many-to-many automatic letter sorting to with the goods stream steering a plurality of terminal points of a plurality of starting point positions, the developments set up the letter sorting in a flexible way and start and end the position, need not the manual adjustment goods and put, realize putting the goods automatically.

Description

Automatic sorting equipment and control method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of computers, in particular to automatic sorting equipment and a control method thereof.

Background

The existing automatic sorting equipment carries out automatic sorting based on a plurality of groups of conveyor belts. Put at the initial position of letter sorting and wait to sort the goods, the goods can be on the conveyer belt automatic movement, and when the goods removed the node of crossing of conveyer belt, the sensor can discern the label information of goods, and then the flow direction of control goods can have a plurality of control nodes in whole letter sorting in-process, until all goods all shifted to the final card position of letter sorting, ended whole letter sorting process.

In the process of implementing the invention, the inventor finds that at least the following problems exist in the prior art:

the current letter sorting technique all needs more manual intervention in links such as goods pick up, discernment and put, can't realize unmanned letter sorting to can only realize the letter sorting process of a pair of many, the goods stream of an entry starting point turns to a plurality of terminal points promptly, in addition, can not change the start-stop position of letter sorting in a dynamic and flexible way, and need artifically put respectively the goods of equidimension not in the terminal point position, still need move to the temporary storage area with putting the goods simultaneously so that the transportation.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic sorting apparatus and a control method thereof, which can simulate manual operations to reduce manual intervention in the links of picking, identifying, and placing goods, so as to achieve unmanned sorting, and can achieve many-to-many automatic sorting, so that a flow of goods at a plurality of starting points can be diverted to a plurality of end points, and starting and ending positions of sorting can be dynamically and flexibly set, and the goods placement does not need to be manually adjusted at the end points of sorting, so as to achieve automatic goods placement, and the placed goods do not need to be moved to a temporary storage area.

To achieve the above object, according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an automatic sorting apparatus.

An automated sorting apparatus comprising: the cargo recognition and pickup device comprises a telescopic pushing support and a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms, a cargo pickup end of each mechanical arm is provided with a clamping jaw, the cargo recognition and pickup device can push the target cargo to an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support, the mechanical arms are adjusted to the inclined state, the bottom of the target cargo is supported by the clamping jaws of the mechanical arms, and the target cargo is restored to be horizontal after being successfully picked up, so that the target cargo is picked up; the transmission device drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the target goods picked by the goods identification and pickup device are sorted to a designated sorting position.

Optionally, the cargo identifying and picking device further comprises a rotatable fixed surface and a tiltable angle fixed surface, wherein a connecting piece is arranged below the rotatable fixed surface, the tiltable angle fixed surface is connected with length-adjustable control angle cables on two sides of the connecting piece, and the length of the control angle cables is adjusted to enable the tiltable angle fixed surface to rotate in the vertical direction, so that the plurality of groups of mechanical arms below the tiltable angle fixed surface are driven to tilt; a pushing device moving track for the telescopic pushing support to move is further arranged below the rotatable fixing surface; when the rotatable fixing surface rotates in the horizontal direction, the plurality of groups of mechanical arms and the telescopic pushing support are driven to rotate in the horizontal direction.

Optionally, the cargo recognition and pickup device recognizes the target cargo by using a camera and sensor component, the camera and sensor component includes at least two camera sensors and at least one distance sensor, wherein at least one first camera sensor is used for recognizing the target cargo from the top of the target cargo, and at least one second camera sensor is used for recognizing the target cargo from the side of the target cargo, and the distance sensor is used for measuring the distance to the target cargo.

Optionally, the cargo identification and pickup apparatus further comprises a retractable tilt angle bracket for mounting the second camera sensor, and the height and viewing angle of the second camera sensor are adjustable by changing the length and tilt angle of the retractable tilt angle bracket.

Optionally, the rotatable suspension device is configured in a plurality, and the plurality of rotatable suspension devices are rotated synchronously under the driving of the transmission device.

Optionally, the rotatable suspension device further comprises a stand column, the rotatable suspension device comprises a first cantilever and a sub-suspension device, the first cantilever is fixedly connected with the upper portion of the stand column, the sub-suspension device is connected with the first cantilever in a sliding mode through a suspension sliding block, a first end of a second cantilever is fixedly connected with the suspension sliding block, a second end of the second cantilever is fixedly connected with the cargo identification and pickup device, and the second end of the second cantilever is adjustable in height in the vertical direction.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a control method of an automatic sorting apparatus.

A control method of an automatic sorting apparatus, comprising: controlling the goods identification and pickup device to pick up the target goods and identify the tag information of the target goods; obtaining the volume of the target goods and a target sector corresponding to the target goods in the sorted goods storage area according to the label information; determining the position of a radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods in the target sector as the designated sorting position according to a preset corresponding relation between the volume of the goods and the radial distance of each position in the sector, wherein the radial distance of one position in one sector refers to the distance from the position to the center of a sorting area, the sorting area is a circular distribution area comprising a goods storage area to be sorted and the sorted goods storage area, and the rotatable suspension device can rotate around the position right above the center of the sorting area; controlling the transmission device to drive the rotatable suspension device to rotate so that the rotatable suspension device sorts the target goods to the designated sorting position.

Optionally, before the step of controlling the goods identification and pickup device to pick up the target goods and the tag information identifying the target goods, the method further includes: and configuring starting and stopping angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in the goods storage areas to be sorted and the sorted goods storage areas, and configuring the corresponding relation between the radial distance of each position in each sector of the sorted goods storage areas and the goods volume.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is provided.

An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; a memory for storing one or more programs which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the control method of the automatic sorting apparatus provided by the present invention.

According to yet another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable medium is provided.

A computer-readable medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by a processor, implements the control method of an automatic sorting apparatus provided by the present invention.

One embodiment of the above invention has the following advantages or benefits: the goods identification and pickup device of the automatic sorting equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention can push the target goods to an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support, adjust the mechanical arm to the inclined state, support the bottom of the target goods by using the clamping jaw of the mechanical arm, restore the target goods to be horizontal after the target goods are successfully picked up so as to finish the pickup of the target goods, and sort the picked target goods to the designated sorting position through the rotation of the rotatable suspension device, so that the simulated manual operation is realized. The rotatable suspension device is configured in plurality so that many-to-many automated sorting can be performed to divert cargo flows at multiple starting points to multiple end points. The goods are not based on linear transmission in the sorting process, but start and stop angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in a goods storage area to be sorted and a sorted goods storage area are configured according to needs, so that the start and stop positions of sorting are dynamically and flexibly set. Need not the manual work at the terminal position of letter sorting and put the goods and adjust, realize the automation and put the goods, and need not to move the goods of putting to the temporary storage area. According to the preset corresponding relation between the cargo volume and the radial distance of each position in the sector, the position of the radial distance corresponding to the target cargo volume in the target sector is determined as the designated sorting position for placing the target cargo, and the target cargo is automatically placed at the designated sorting position through the rotation of the rotatable suspension device and the sliding of the suspension sliding block of the rotatable suspension device. This embodiment picks up at the goods, discerns and puts etc. link reduction manual intervention, realizes unmanned letter sorting to because the goods is put according to the polar coordinate position, make need not to put the goods and move to the temporary storage area alright convenient transportation.

Further effects of the above-mentioned non-conventional alternatives will be described below in connection with the embodiments.

Drawings

The drawings are included to provide a better understanding of the invention and are not to be construed as unduly limiting the invention. Wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automated sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotatable suspension device and a column according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cargo identification and pickup apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic views illustrating that the telescopic pushing support can push a large piece of target cargo to rotate according to the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of an automated sorting apparatus in a sorting area according to one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic view of the main steps of a control method of an automatic sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the major modules of a control system of an automated sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary system architecture diagram in which embodiments of the present invention may be employed;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing a terminal device or a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various details of embodiments of the invention are included to assist understanding, and which are to be considered as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted in the following description for clarity and conciseness.

The automatic sorting equipment of the embodiment of the invention mainly comprises: a rotatable suspension device and a transmission device 1-2, the rotatable suspension device is provided with a goods identification and pickup device 1-8, the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 comprises a telescopic pushing support 3-5 and a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11, the goods pickup end of the mechanical arms 3-11 is provided with a clamping jaw 3-13, wherein,

the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 can push the target goods to an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support 3-5, adjust the mechanical arm 3-11 to the inclined state, support the bottom of the target goods by using the clamping jaw 3-13 of the mechanical arm 3-11, and restore the target goods to be horizontal after the target goods are successfully picked up so as to finish the pickup of the target goods; the transmission device 1-2 drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the target goods picked by the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 are sorted to the designated sorting position.

The automatic sorting apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the following embodiments, respectively.

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automatic sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the automatic sorting apparatus of the embodiment includes a column 1-1, a transmission device 1-2, a column support device 1-3, a support device fixing structure 1-4, a first suspension arm 1-5, a suspension slider 1-6, a second suspension arm 1-7, and a goods identification and pickup device 1-8.

The column 1-1 may include an outer cylinder 2-1 (see fig. 2) and an inner cylinder 2-2 (see fig. 2), the automatic sorting apparatus being fixed in the sorting area 5-1 (see fig. 5) by the inner cylinder 2-2, and the outer cylinder 2-1 being rotatable around the inner cylinder 2-2.

In an alternative embodiment the inner cylinder 2-2 may be replaced by a spindle or the like which may serve the same purpose.

The outer cylinder 2-1 is a polygon prism, the rotatable suspension device can be configured in a plurality of numbers, and the rotatable suspension devices rotate synchronously under the drive of the transmission device 1-2. When a plurality of rotatable suspensions are provided, the number of the first arms 1 to 5 is correspondingly provided in plural, each rotatable suspension includes one first arm 1 to 5, and the number of the first arms 1 to 5 provided is at most the number of the edges of the polygonal column (the number of the edges refers to the number of the side lengths of the base surface of the polygonal column). In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the rotatable suspension device is rotated by driving the outer cylinder 2-1 to rotate through the transmission device 1-2.

The inner layer cylinder stands in the letter sorting district, and the letter sorting district is a circular distribution region, and wherein including waiting to sort goods storage area and the goods storage area of having sorted. The circle center of the sorting area is the position of the inner-layer cylinder, and particularly refers to a position point where the plane where the inner-layer cylinder and the sorting area are located is intersected.

The transmission device can be specifically a motor and is used for driving the outer layer cylinder 2-1 of the upright post 1-1 to rotate, so that the first cantilever 1-5 rotates.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the first suspension arm 1-5 is arranged horizontally, i.e. the first suspension arm 1-5 is perpendicular to the upright, and when the transmission device 1-2 drives the outer column 2-1 to rotate, the first suspension arm 1-5 rotates in the horizontal direction.

As an alternative embodiment, the first cantilever 1-5 may be inclined at an angle with the horizontal direction, that is, the angle between the first cantilever 1-5 and the upright column 1-1 is not 90 degrees, when the transmission device 1-2 drives the outer column 2-1 to rotate, the first cantilever 1-5 rotates around the inner column 2-2 along with the outer column 2-1, in which case the track of the first cantilever 1-5 is a conical surface.

The upright post supporting device 1-3 is used for supporting the upright post 1-1 to enable the upright post 1-1 to be stably installed in the sorting area 5-1, and the supporting device fixing structure 1-4 is used for fixing the upright post supporting device 1-3 and the upright post 1-1.

In an alternative embodiment the mounting post 1-1 may be reinforced by universal reinforcement without the post support 1-3 and the support fixture 1-4.

The suspension sliding block 1-6, the second suspension arm 1-7 and the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 form a sub-suspension device, and the first suspension arm 1-5 and the sub-suspension device form a rotatable suspension device.

One end of the first cantilever 1-5 is fixedly connected with the upper part of the column 1-1, in particular to the upper part of the outer column 2-1 of the column 1-1.

The sub-suspension device is connected with the first suspension arm (1-5) in a sliding manner through a suspension slider (1-6), wherein the suspension slider 1-6 is connected to the first suspension arm 1-5 in a sliding manner, specifically, the suspension slider 1-6 is sleeved on the first suspension arm 1-5 in a sliding manner, so that the suspension slider 1-6 can move along the direction of the first suspension arm 1-5.

As an alternative embodiment, the first suspension arm 1-5 may comprise a slide rail, and the suspended sliding block 1-6 is not slidably sleeved on the first suspension arm 1-5, but is slidably embedded in the slide rail of the first suspension arm 1-5, and the movement along the direction of the first suspension arm 1-5 is realized by sliding the suspended sliding block 1-6 in the slide rail.

The second cantilever 1-7 comprises a first end 1-9, a second end 1-10, a third end 1-11, and further comprises two rod-shaped members 1-12 respectively positioned between the first end 1-9 and the third end 1-11 and between the second end 1-10 and the third end 1-11. The first end 1-9 of the second suspension arm 1-7 is fixedly connected with the suspension sliding block 1-6, the second end 1-10 is fixedly connected with the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8, and the second suspension arm 1-7 is foldable according to the angle at the third end 1-11, so that the height of the second end 1-10 of the second suspension arm 1-7 in the vertical direction can be adjusted.

As an alternative embodiment, the second boom 1-7 is not arranged to be foldable according to an angle, but is arranged as a vertical and telescopic boom, by which the height of the second end 1-10 of the second boom 1-7 in the vertical direction is made adjustable.

The automatic sorting equipment of the embodiment of the invention adjusts the positions of the goods identification and pickup devices 1-8 through the mutual matching of the following actions, so as to pick up and identify the target goods in the goods storage area to be sorted and sort the target goods to the designated sorting position of the sorted goods storage area, wherein the mutual matching actions comprise: rotating the first suspension arm 1-5, sliding and suspending the slider 1-6, and adjusting the height of the second end 1-10 of the second suspension arm 1-7 in the vertical direction.

The goods identification and pickup device 1-8 identifies the target goods by using the camera and the sensing component, and specifically includes identifying the position of the target goods and identifying the label information located on the target goods, and the identifying the position of the target goods may be identifying one to-be-sorted goods closest to the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 from a plurality of to-be-sorted goods, and using the identified goods as the target goods, and locating the position of the target goods. The image pick-up and sensing device is also used to detect the working status of the target goods and other components of the goods recognition and pick-up device 1-8, such as detecting the lower edge of the target goods to determine whether the target goods are successfully picked up, etc., during the process of picking up the target goods and placing the target goods at the designated sorting location of the sorted goods storage area. The specific component configurations of the cargo identification and pickup devices 1-8 are described in detail below.

The automatic sorting equipment of the embodiment of the invention also comprises a network device, which is used for sending the information identified or detected by the camera shooting and sensing component to a control system of the automatic sorting equipment and receiving a control instruction sent by the control system, wherein the control instruction is used for controlling the automatic sorting equipment to pick up, identify and sort target goods.

As an alternative embodiment, the automatic sorting equipment may not include the upright column 1-1, but directly fix the rotatable suspension device in the sorting area 5-1 (the center of the circle of the sorting area in this alternative embodiment is the fixed position of the rotatable suspension device, specifically, the position point where the rotatable suspension device intersects with the plane of the sorting area), and may rotate horizontally under the driving of the transmission device 1-2. In particular, in this alternative embodiment, a third boom is provided comprising a horizontal part and an inclined part, the horizontal part of the third boom having the same function as the first boom 1-5 of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and the inclined part having a function similar to the function of the upright 1-1 of the embodiment shown in fig. 1, both for supporting and fixing the rotatable suspension means, the inclined part differing from the upright 1-1 in that the inclined part is not arranged vertically but at an angle to the vertical (the angle can be set as desired). In this alternative embodiment, the suspension slider 1-6, the second suspension arm 1-7, the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 form a sub-suspension device, the third suspension arm and the sub-suspension device form a rotatable suspension device, the sub-suspension device is connected with the horizontal part through the sub-suspension device, and the specific connection relationship between the sub-suspension device and the horizontal part is the same as that between the sub-suspension device and the first suspension arm 1-5 in the embodiment shown in fig. 1. In this alternative embodiment, the positions of the goods identification and pickup devices 1-8 are adjusted to pick up and identify the target goods in the storage area for goods to be sorted and to sort the target goods to the designated sorting position in the storage area for sorted goods by the cooperation of the following actions: the third suspension arm is rotated to slidingly suspend the slider 1-6, and the height of the second end 1-10 of the second suspension arm 1-7 in the vertical direction is adjusted.

The goods storage area to be sorted and the sorted goods storage area are determined by the control system in advance through configuration, and the configuration specifically comprises: the method comprises the steps of configuring starting and stopping angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in a goods storage area to be sorted and a sorted goods storage area, and configuring a corresponding relation between the radial distance of each position in each sector of the sorted goods storage area and the volume of goods, wherein the radial distance of one position in one sector refers to the distance from the position to the center of a circle of a sorting area 5-1.

When sorting the appointed letter sorting position of district is deposited to the goods of will target goods, appointed letter sorting position specifically is: the position of the target goods in the target sector corresponding to the sorted goods storage area and the radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods is located; the volume and the target sector of the target cargo are determined according to the label information of the target cargo identified by the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8.

Fig. 2 is a bird's eye view of a rotatable suspension device and a column according to one embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the column 1-1 of the present embodiment includes an outer column 2-1 and an inner column 2-2, the outer column 2-1 is an octagonal column, the cross section of the octagonal column is regular octagon, the inner column 2-2 is inside the outer column 2-1, eight rotatable suspension devices are configured in the present embodiment, each rotatable suspension device has the same structure and includes a first suspension arm 1-5 and a sub-suspension device, and the sub-suspension device includes a suspension slider 1-6, a second suspension arm 1-7, and a cargo identification and pickup device 1-8. The suspension sliding block 1-6 is slidably sleeved on the first suspension arm 1-5. The eight first cantilevers 1-5 are fixedly connected with different side surfaces of the outer-layer column 2-1 respectively, and specifically, each first cantilever 1-5 can be embedded into a side surface of the outer-layer column 2-1. The outer layer column 2-1 can support and drive each first cantilever 1-5 to rotate in the horizontal direction, and the rotation can be carried out at a constant speed.

It should be noted that the outer column 2-1 of the present embodiment is not limited to an octagonal prism, and may be configured as an N-prism (N is a natural number) according to business needs.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cargo identification and pickup apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8 of the present embodiment includes: the device comprises a fixing piece 3-1, a fixed camera support 3-2, a rotatable fixing surface 3-3, a pushing device moving track 3-4, a telescopic pushing support 3-5, a telescopic inclination angle support 3-6, a connecting piece 3-7, a control angle cable 3-8, a tiltable angle fixing surface 3-9, a mechanical arm moving track 3-10, a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11, a pressure sensor 3-12, a clamping jaw 3-13, a camera and distance sensor 3-14 and a second camera sensor 3-15.

The goods identification and pickup device 1-8 is fixedly connected with the second end 1-10 of the second cantilever 1-7 through a fixing piece 3-1. The fixed camera support 3-2 and the rotatable fixing surface 3-3 are both connected with the lower part of the fixing part 3-1, the rotatable fixing surface 3-3 can rotate in the horizontal direction, but the fixed camera support 3-2 cannot rotate along with the rotatable fixing surface 3-3.

The lower part of the rotatable fixing surface 3-3 is connected with a connecting piece 3-7 (the rectangular component and the round component pointed by the '3-7' in the figure integrally form the connecting piece 3-7), and the joint of the rotatable fixing surface 3-3 and the connecting piece 3-7 in the figure 3 is not shown (is shielded by the moving track 3-4 of the pushing device). A pushing device moving track 3-4 for a telescopic pushing support 3-5 to move is further installed below the rotatable fixing surface 3-3, the non-pushing goods end of the telescopic pushing support 3-5 is connected to the pushing device moving track 3-4 in a sliding mode, and a pushing fulcrum 3-16 is arranged at the pushing goods end of the telescopic pushing support 3-5 and used for pushing goods. The cargo pushing end of the telescopic pushing support 3-5 is the end which is in contact with the cargo when the cargo is pushed, and correspondingly, the end which is not in contact with the cargo is the non-cargo pushing end.

The tiltable angle fixing faces 3 to 9 are rotatable in the vertical direction. The tiltable angle fixing surfaces 3-9 are fixedly connected with length-adjustable control angle cables 3-8 arranged at two sides of the connecting pieces 3-7, mechanical arm moving tracks 3-10 are arranged below the tiltable angle fixing surfaces 3-9, the mechanical arms 3-11 are used for picking target cargos, and non-picking cargo ends of the mechanical arms 3-11 are connected with the mechanical arm moving tracks 3-10 in a sliding mode. The pick-up end of the robot arm 3-11 refers to an end that comes into contact with the goods when picking up the goods, and accordingly, an end that does not come into contact with the goods is referred to as a non-pick-up end. The length of the control angle cable 3-8 at the two sides of the connecting piece 3-7 is adjusted to enable the inclinable angle fixing surface 3-9 to rotate in the vertical direction, so that a plurality of groups of mechanical arms 3-11 below the inclinable angle fixing surface 3-9 are driven to incline.

The rotatable fixing surface 3-3 rotates in the horizontal direction to drive a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11 and telescopic pushing supports 3-5 to rotate in the horizontal direction.

The pressure sensors 3-12 are arranged inside each group of robot arms, i.e. on the side between two robot arms of the same group, for example in the position shown in fig. 3. The goods picking end of the mechanical arm 3-11 is provided with a clamping jaw 3-13.

The cargo recognition and pickup device 1-8 of the present embodiment recognizes target cargo using a camera and sensor unit including at least two camera sensors including at least one first camera sensor for recognizing the target cargo from the top of the target cargo and at least one second camera sensor 3-15 for recognizing the target cargo from the side of the target cargo, and at least one distance sensor for measuring a distance to the target cargo. The first camera sensor and the distance sensor are mounted at the same location, and both components are represented by the camera and distance sensors 3-14 in fig. 3.

The telescopic inclination angle support (3-6) is used for mounting a second camera sensor (3-15), and the telescopic inclination angle support (3-6) can adjust the length through stretching and retracting and can also change the inclination angle in the vertical direction but cannot rotate along with the rotation of the rotatable fixing surface (3-3). One end of the telescopic inclination angle support 3-6 is connected with one end of the fixed camera support 3-2, the other end of the telescopic inclination angle support 3-6 is connected with the second camera sensor 3-15, and the telescopic inclination angle support 3-6 is telescopic and can be inclined to a certain angle in the vertical direction (the inclined angle range can be preset). The height and viewing angle of the second camera sensor 3-15 are made adjustable as the length and tilt angle of the telescopic tilt angle bracket 3-6 are changed.

In the case that the target cargo cannot be picked up by the mechanical arm 3-11, the cargo recognition and pickup device 1-8 of the embodiment pushes the target cargo to an inclined state by the retractable pushing support 3-5, adjusts the mechanical arm 3-11 to the inclined state, so as to hold the bottom of the target cargo by the clamping jaw 3-13 of the mechanical arm 3-11, and returns the target cargo to a horizontal state after the target cargo is successfully picked up, so as to complete the pickup of the target cargo. The principle is as follows: for the goods with smaller top view area, the goods usually have smaller weight, and after the mechanical arms 3-11 at the two sides of the goods are extended, the goods can be directly clamped and lifted, and the picking process is finished. For an object with a large visual angle area, a visual angle focal plane image of the object is a parallelogram (an actual cargo plane is a rectangle, and an actual cargo is a cuboid) and usually has large weight, the mechanical arm 3-11 tries to clamp the cargo first, and if the surface friction force of the mechanical arm 3-11 is not enough to clamp the cargo, the telescopic pushing support 3-5 controls the pushing fulcrum 3-16 to push the cargo, namely, one cargo (cuboid) rotates for a certain angle by taking a bottom edge as an axis. Then the tiltable angle fixing surface 3-9 is adjusted to make the plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11 keep parallel with the side surface of the cuboid. And controlling the mechanical arm 3-11 close to the lifted side of the goods to extend until the clamping jaws 3-13 below the mechanical arm 3-11 on the lifted side of the goods are opened by 90 degrees, and clamping the goods inwards. Then, the height of the second end 1-10 (not shown in fig. 3) of the second cantilever 1-7 in the vertical direction is controlled to lift the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8 upwards for a certain distance, after the cargo is suspended and stopped, the other side mechanical arm 3-11 is controlled to extend, and the clamping jaw 3-13 of the other side mechanical arm 3-11 is opened for 90 degrees, so as to clamp the cargo inwards. And finally, adjusting the inclinable angle fixing surfaces 3-9 to keep the goods horizontal, and finishing the picking process.

The process of picking up the target cargo specifically comprises the following steps:

the position of each cargo in the image collected by the first camera sensor is different, the central point of the collected image is right below the first camera sensor, and the cargo closest to the central point in the image is the cargo closest to the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8, namely the target cargo.

The automatic sorting apparatus allows the goods recognition and pickup device 1-8 of the present embodiment to reach directly above the target goods by rotating the first suspension arm 1-5 (not shown in fig. 3) and slidably suspending the slider 1-6 (not shown in fig. 3).

The distance to the target load is measured by the camera and the distance sensor among the distance sensors 3-14, and the automatic sorting apparatus lowers the load recognition and pickup device 1-8 to a predetermined working height by adjusting the height of the second end 1-10 (not shown in fig. 3) of the second arm 1-7 in the vertical direction according to the measured distance.

The edge of the target cargo to be detected is detected from above the target cargo through the first camera sensor, and the rotation angle of the rotatable fixing surface 3-3 in the horizontal direction is adjusted to adjust the mechanical arm 3-11 to the direction suitable for picking up the target cargo. The multiple groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11 move in the mechanical arm moving tracks 3-10 to reach the edge of the target cargo, the interval between the mechanical arms 3-11 in the same group is equal to the width of the target cargo, the mechanical arms 3-11 extend downwards, the second camera sensors 3-15 descend synchronously, the second camera sensors 3-15 start to work, and at the moment, the second camera sensors 3-15 are used for detecting the lower edge of the target cargo. When the pickup end of the robot arm 3-11 descends to the lower edge of the target cargo, the robot arm 3-11 stops the downward elongation and tries to pick up the target cargo.

And if the pressure between the mechanical arm 3-11 and the target cargo sensed by the pressure sensor 3-12 reaches a pressure threshold value, lifting the target cargo by using the friction force between the mechanical arm 3-11 and the target cargo. The position change of the lower edge of the target cargo can be detected by the second camera sensors 3-15 to determine whether the target cargo is lifted successfully, if the lower edge of the target cargo is still at the original position, it indicates that the target cargo cannot be lifted, and if the lower edge is lifted, it indicates that the target cargo is lifted.

If the target cargo fails to be lifted, indicating that the target cargo is too heavy, the robot arm 3-11 leaves the clamped state and is away from the target cargo by a distance (which may be preset). The telescopic pushing supports 3-5 are controlled to move in the pushing device moving tracks 3-4, the target goods are pushed to be in an inclined state through the telescopic pushing supports 3-5, and in the process, the second camera sensors 3-15 can detect the inclination angle of the target goods.

And adjusting the multiple groups of mechanical arms 3-11 to reach an inclined state the same as the inclined angle of the target goods, supporting the bottom of the lifting side of the target goods by using the clamping jaws 3-13 of the mechanical arms 3-11 on one side, supporting the bottom of the other side of the target goods by using the clamping jaws 3-13 of the mechanical arms 3-11 on the other side after the target goods are lifted to enable the target goods to leave the contacted plane, and then restoring the target goods to be horizontal to finish the picking of the target goods. In the process, the position change and the inclination angle change of the target cargo are detected through the second camera sensor 3-15, and the positions of the mechanical arm 3-11 and the clamping jaw 3-13 are detected.

When the cargo recognition and pickup device 1-8 picks up the target cargo, the telescopic pushing support 3-5 can push the target cargo to an inclined state from the upper side or the side of the target cargo, wherein when the telescopic pushing support 3-5 pushes the target cargo from the upper side of the target cargo, the telescopic pushing support 3-5 is positioned above the target cargo and is far away from one side of the second camera sensor 3-15; when the telescopic pushing support 3-5 pushes the target cargo from the side of the target cargo, the telescopic pushing support 3-5 is located at the side of the target cargo and is located at the same side as the second camera sensor 3-15. Accordingly, the side where the target cargo is lifted up is made to be the side close to the second camera sensor 3-15, so that the second camera sensor 3-15 detects a change in the position and a change in the tilt angle of the target cargo, a change in the positions of the robot arm 3-11 and the gripper 3-13, and the like.

Fig. 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams illustrating that the telescopic pushing support of the embodiment pushes a large piece of target cargo to rotate. The large piece of the embodiment mainly means a heavy weight, and the goods usually have a large volume. Fig. 4(a) is a schematic view showing that the telescopic pushing support 3-5 pushes the target cargo from above, and when the telescopic pushing support 3-5 pushes the cargo from above the target cargo, a pushing force is generated at the pushing fulcrum 3-16 by extending the telescopic pushing support 3-5; fig. 4(b) is a schematic view showing that the telescopic pushing bracket 3-5 pushes the target cargo from the side of the target cargo to rotate, and when the telescopic pushing bracket 3-5 pushes the cargo from the side of the target cargo, a pushing force is generated at the pushing fulcrum 3-16 by moving the telescopic pushing bracket 3-5 in the pushing means moving track 3-4.

The goods identification and pickup device 1-8 of the embodiment identifies the target goods after picking up the target goods, and mainly identifies the tag information of the target goods. The label information is, for example, bar code information. The cargo identification process is described below.

In the case where the tag is located above the target cargo, the tag information of the target cargo may be directly recognized by the first camera sensor of the camera and distance sensors 3 to 14.

In the case that the tag is not above the target cargo, the rotatable stationary plane 3-3 is adjusted while the second camera sensor 3-15 on the retractable tilt angle bracket 3-6 starts to recognize the tag information at the side of the target cargo. If no label information is recognized from each side surface, which indicates that the label of the target cargo is positioned at the bottom, the inclination angle of the telescopic inclination angle bracket 3-6 is adjusted and the telescopic inclination angle bracket 3-6 is extended, so that the second camera sensor 3-15 can shoot the bottom of the cargo to recognize the label information of the bottom of the target cargo.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of an automated sorting apparatus in a sorting area according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 5, the sorting device comprises sorting areas 5-1 distributed in a circle, wherein the sorting areas 5-1 are centered at inner cylinders 2-2 of the automatic sorting device, and comprise a storage area for goods to be sorted (see the upper half part of the sorting area 5-1 in fig. 5) and a storage area for the sorted goods (see the lower half part of the sorting area 5-1 in fig. 5), and different areas belong to different angle (i.e. angle coordinates in polar coordinates) intervals, so that dynamic setting and adjustment are facilitated. Fig. 5-2 shows a truck for transporting sorted goods, which reserves a position for parking the truck 5-2 when the sector angle of the sorted goods storage area is configured.

The automatic sorting equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention can be provided with N rotatable suspension devices, wherein N is any integer between 1 and 8. Fig. 5 shows, by way of example only, a top view of a rotatable suspension of the automatic sorting device, which top view comprises the first suspension arm 1-5 and the suspended slider 1-6. The automatic sorting apparatus recognizes a label of a target cargo by using a cargo recognition and pickup device 1-8 (not shown in fig. 5) on a rotatable suspension device and picks up the target cargo according to its polar coordinate position, calculates a polar coordinate of a designated sorting position to which the target cargo is finally sorted according to a sorted cargo storage area to which the target cargo should be sorted and a volume size of the target cargo, and finally places the target cargo at the designated sorting position.

The goods picking process comprises the following steps: and placing the goods to be sorted in the goods storage area to be sorted. When the rotatable suspension device moves above the goods storage area to be sorted, the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 starts to work to locate the target goods to be picked up (using the camera sensor on the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 to locate the target goods), and controls the current rotatable suspension device (i.e. the rotatable suspension device shown in the top view of fig. 5) to pick up the located target goods. The first boom 1-5 is suspended from rotating during the picking of the goods to avoid unsuccessful picking of the goods. The sub-suspension devices (including the suspension sliders 1-6, the second suspension arms 1-7, the goods identification and pickup devices 1-8) (not shown in fig. 5) on the other rotatable suspension devices (not shown in fig. 5) can still continue to operate. After the rotatable suspension device carries the target goods to reach the designated height, the target goods move along with the first cantilever 1-5 and are conveyed to the sorted goods storage area for placement.

The goods placing process comprises the following steps: the first boom 1-5 to the designated sorting location of the sorted goods storage area, the rotatable suspension device starts to simultaneously lower and move the target goods. When the volume of the target goods is larger, the target goods can be placed in the direction that the radius of the sorted goods storage area is close to the edge, and when the volume of the target goods is smaller, the target goods can be placed in the direction that the radius of the sorted goods storage area is close to the circle center (namely, the radius coordinate of the polar coordinate). Specifically, the designated sorting location to which the target goods are finally sorted is determined as follows: the method comprises the steps of firstly determining a target sector corresponding to target goods in a sorted goods storage area, and then determining the position of a radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods in the target sector, wherein the volume of the target goods and the target sector are determined according to label information of the target goods identified by the goods identification and pickup device 1-8. Therefore, the embodiment of the invention realizes automatic tallying according to different volumes. The freight train that waits to the loading also stops near the outside region of the radius in the district is deposited to the goods of having sorted, conveniently carries out follow-up loading.

When the rotatable suspension device is used for placing goods, the first cantilever 1-5 can also pause to rotate so as to avoid errors in the position for placing the goods, and the sub-suspension devices on other rotatable suspension devices can still continue to work at the moment.

When the ground surface of the area occupied by the goods in the sorted goods storage area is full, the rotatable suspension device can superpose and place new goods on the upper layer of the existing goods, so that the occupied space is reduced. And when the height of the goods reaches the minimum working height of the rotatable suspension device, the sorting of the goods corresponding to the sorted goods storage area is suspended. The minimum working height of the rotatable suspension means the maximum height of the second end 1-10 (not shown in fig. 5) of the second boom 1-7 of the rotatable suspension in the vertical direction from the ground of the sorting area 5-1.

And finishing the whole automatic sorting process when all the goods are sorted. The embodiment of the invention determines the position of the goods to be sorted by utilizing the polar coordinates (including sector angles and radial distances), and puts the goods on different polar coordinate radius axes according to the volume of the goods by utilizing the characteristics of the polar coordinates. The change of goods and the temporary storage area can be well coped with. The rotatable suspension device (comprising the goods identification and pickup device 1-8) is used for simulating a manual sorting and carrying mode, so that manual intervention is reduced, and unmanned sorting and carrying are realized. In addition, the embodiment of the invention does not need a conveyor belt, and has the advantages of low cost, high sorting speed and the like compared with a sorting scheme such as a sorting robot with a stepping device and a robot arm.

In the whole automatic sorting process, the automatic sorting equipment provided by the embodiment of the invention is controlled to work by a background control system. A control method and a control system of the automatic sorting apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of main steps of a control method of an automatic sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The control method of this embodiment may be executed by a background control system (control system for short) that controls the automatic sorting device, and the control system may be specifically located on a server or a terminal. The control method of the automatic sorting apparatus of the present embodiment mainly includes steps S601 to S604 as follows.

Step S601: and controlling the goods identification and pickup device to pick up the target goods and identify the label information of the target goods.

Step S602: and obtaining the volume of the target goods and the target sector of the target goods corresponding to the sorted goods storage area according to the label information.

Step S603: and determining the position of the radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods in the target sector as the designated sorting position according to the preset corresponding relation between the volume of the goods and the radial distance of each position in the sector.

Wherein, the radial distance of a position in a sector refers to the distance from the position to the center of a circle of a sorting area 5-1, the sorting area is a circular distribution area comprising a storage area for goods to be sorted and a storage area for the sorted goods, and the rotatable suspension device can rotate around the position right above the center of the circle of the sorting area.

Step S604: the control transmission device drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the rotatable suspension device sorts the target goods to the designated sorting position.

Specifically, the control system can control the transmission device 1-2 to drive the first cantilever 1-5 of the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the rotatable suspension device can carry and place the target goods to the designated sorting position to complete sorting.

The control method of this embodiment further includes, before step S601, configuring in advance start and stop angles corresponding to sectors included in each of the storage areas for the goods to be sorted and the storage areas for the sorted goods, and configuring a corresponding relationship between a radial distance of each position in each sector of the storage areas for the sorted goods and a volume of the goods.

The automatic sorting apparatus of the present embodiment may be configured with a plurality of rotatable suspensions, and in the case where two or more rotatable suspensions are configured, the control system further includes, before controlling the first boom 1 to 5 of one of the rotatable suspensions to rotate: determining that the rotatable suspension device to be controlled has been assigned turning control. The rotatable suspension can only be rotated by the transmission 1-2 if the rotatable suspension is assigned rotational control.

The control method of the automatic sorting apparatus of the present embodiment is explained in detail below based on the structure of the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3.

And (3) picking and positioning:

the first cantilever 1-5 waits for a background control system (control system for short) to distribute the rotation control right of the rotatable suspension device to which the first cantilever belongs; when the first cantilever 1-5 determines to obtain the rotation control right, the control system starts a top camera sensor (namely a first camera sensor) in the goods identification and pickup device 1-8. The top camera sensor obtains the position of the target cargo closest to the top camera sensor, and the control system obtains the angle difference between the angle of the first cantilever 1-5 and the angle of the target cargo according to the position of the target cargo. The control system controls the transmission device to drive the rotatable suspension device to rotate around the position right above the circle center of the sorting area, and the circle center of the sorting area is the position point of the intersection of the upright post 1-1 and the plane of the sorting area. The rotatable suspension device rotates around the right upper part of the circle center of the sorting area, namely, the rotatable suspension device rotates by taking the upright post 1-1 as an axis. Specifically, the control system starts the transmission device 1-2 to drive the outer-layer cylinder 2-1 of the upright post 1-1 to rotate, so that the first cantilever 1-5 rotates to the angle of the target goods.

Then, the control system controls the transmission device 1-2 to stop driving the outer layer cylinder 2-1 of the upright post 1-1 to rotate, according to information collected by the top camera sensor, the control system can obtain the distance difference between the suspension sliding block 1-6 on the first cantilever 1-5 and the position of the target cargo, and the control system starts the suspension sliding block 1-6 to move to the position right above the target cargo.

And (3) picking up:

the rotatable suspension device has no control over the rotation of the picking device, i.e. the first suspension arm 1-5 is not rotatable, so as to avoid unsuccessful picking.

The control system obtains the height difference between the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8 and the target cargo according to the top camera sensor and the distance sensor, and controls the foldable second suspension arm 1-7 between the cargo identification and pickup device 1-8 and the suspension slide block 1-6 to descend to a preset working height according to the height difference.

After the second cantilever 1-7 reaches a preset working height, the top camera sensor detects the edge of the target cargo, and the control system controls the multiple groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11 to move in the horizontal direction, so that the positions between the same group of mechanical arms 3-11 with the same width as the target cargo are reached. The pick-up end of the mechanical arm 3-11 descends synchronously with the side camera sensor (i.e. the second camera sensor 3-15), and the side camera sensor starts to work at the same time.

When the side camera sensor detects the lower edge of the target cargo, the control system stops and the robot arm 3-11 extends (i.e., stops the cargo picking end from moving). The robot arms 3-11 on both sides of the target cargo attempt to pick up the target cargo. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 3-12 inside the robot arm 3-11 reaches a predetermined pressure threshold, the control system stops the gripping action of the robot arm 3-11. The control system controls and adjusts the folding angle of the second cantilever 1-7 to try to lift the target goods, and if the side camera sensor does not detect that the side of the second cantilever changes to the lower edge of the target goods (indicating that the lifting of the target goods is unsuccessful, the second cantilever is not lifted and the target goods are too heavy), the control system controls the mechanical arms 3-11 on the two sides of the target goods to leave the clamping state and leave the target goods to reach a certain distance threshold value.

The control system controls the telescopic pushing support 3-5 to increase pressure on the edge of the target cargo (the edge increasing the pressure is opposite to the direction of the side camera sensor, so that the camera sensor can monitor the subsequent positions of the clamping jaws 3-13 conveniently). When the side camera sensor detects that the target cargo is rotated to a preset angle, the control system controls the telescopic pushing supports 3-5 to stop working.

The control system controls the control angle cable above the tiltable angle fixing surface 3-9 to change the length so that the tiltable angle fixing surface 3-9 rotates in the vertical direction, thereby driving the mechanical arm 3-11 to tilt, and controls the tiltable angle fixing surface 3-9 to stop rotating after the tilt angle of the mechanical arm 3-11 is the same as that of the target cargo.

The control system controls the mechanical arm 3-11 on the side lifted by the target cargo to descend to the target cargo suspension area. When the side camera sensor detects that the clamping jaws 3-13 reach the suspended area at the lower edge of the target goods on the lifted side, the control system stops the descending of the side mechanical arm 3-11. The control system controls the mechanical arm 3-11 to clamp the target goods and ascend, and when the side detection of the side camera sensor reaches the state that the clamping jaw 3-13 is overlapped with the lower edge of the target goods (at the moment, the side clamping jaw 3-13 holds the target goods), the control system stops the ascending of the mechanical arm 3-11 (the ascending refers to the shortening length of the mechanical arm 3-11 which is stretched before).

The control system controls the foldable second suspension arm 1-7 between the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 and the suspension sliding block 1-6 to lift the target goods. When the folding angle in the folding booms reaches a predetermined first angle threshold, the control system controls the second booms 1-7 to suspend raising the target cargo. The control system controls the control angle cable above the tiltable angle fixing planes 3-9 to change the length to adjust the target cargo to a horizontal state.

The control system controls the other side mechanical arm 3-11 to descend (i.e. extend), and when the clamping jaw 3-13 of the other side mechanical arm 3-11 reaches the lower edge of the target cargo, the other side mechanical arm is also detected by the side camera sensor and fed back to the control system. The control system controls the other side arm 3-11 to stop descending (extending) and start ascending (shortening). When the side camera sensor detects that the clamping jaws 3-13 are overlapped with the lower edge of the target cargo, the control system stops the other side mechanical arm 3-11 from rising (shortening) so that the clamping jaws 3-13 of the other side mechanical arm 3-11 support the target cargo. The control system controls the foldable second cantilever 1-7 to lift the target cargo, and when the folding angle reaches a predetermined second angle threshold, the lifting is stopped.

The control system controls the overhead camera sensor to attempt to identify the target cargo tag (i.e., the tag information of the target cargo) of the logistics above the target cargo. If the label is not identified, the control system controls the rotatable fixing surface to rotate for 360 degrees 3-3, and the side camera sensor searches for the label on the side of the target cargo in the rotating process. If the side face is not recognized, the control system controls the telescopic inclination angle support 3-6 to a certain angle, and enables the telescopic inclination angle support 3-6 to extend, so that the side face camera sensor reaches the position below the lower edge of the target goods, and the side face camera sensor recognizes the label of the target goods at the bottom of the target goods.

And after the target cargo tag is identified, the target cargo tag is transmitted back to the control system through the network device. The control system controls the retractable reclining braces 3-6 that retract the sides.

After the picking is finished, the first cantilever 1-5 waits for the control system to distribute the rotation control right of the rotatable suspension device to perform subsequent calculation and placement.

Cargo conveying and placing processes:

the control system obtains the destination and the volume of the target goods in a logistics subsystem (a system for storing information) according to the label of the target goods sent by the automatic sorting equipment. And the control system inquires the starting and stopping angle of the sector where the destination is located in a local database of the control system according to the destination. The control system inquires the distance corresponding to a central point (the larger the volume is, the farther the distance is) in a local database of the control system according to the volume of the target goods, wherein the central point is the center of the sorting area 5-1, namely the installation position of the inner-layer cylinder 2-2 in the sorting area 5-1, and the distance corresponding to the central point at a certain position is the distance from the position to the center of the sorting area 5-1.

After the control system distributes the rotation control right of the rotatable suspension device, the transmission device 1-2 is started to drive the first cantilever 1-5 to move to the designated sector (namely the target sector corresponding to the target goods in the sorted goods storage area) according to the obtained angle range and distance, and the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 is enabled to convey the target goods to the position right above the designated sorting position. The control system inquires the local database information and finds the angle and the distance of the lowest point in the height of the placed goods (the height of the placed goods can be obtained by the side camera sensor) within the specified distance of the specified sector. The control system controls the first boom 1-5 to move to an angle above the lowest point, and stops the first boom 1-5 from rotating (the rotatable suspension device does not have rotation control).

The control system controls the suspension sliding blocks 1-6 on the first suspension arms 1-5 to slide to the positions corresponding to the distance from the lowest point to the central point, and controls the foldable second suspension arms 1-7 to descend the target cargo to the designated height. The control system controls the mechanical arms 3-11 to gradually release and gradually separate (so as to prevent the target cargos from being damaged by excessive vibration), so that the target cargos are placed in a radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target cargos in a target sector, and the lowest height of the placed cargos is achieved.

The control system then controls the second foldable cantilever arms 1-7 to be reset. The control system updates the height of the placement position in the database. The control system releases the state that the outer cylinder 2-1 of the automatic sorting equipment is not rotatable, and other rotatable hanging devices can obtain the rotation control right.

The control method of the automatic sorting equipment can control the automatic sorting equipment to automatically position, pick up, transport and place the goods, so that the automatic sorting of the goods is completed, the manual intervention is reduced, the dynamic and flexible setting of the sorting starting and stopping positions is realized, and the many-to-many automatic sorting can be realized. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that some of the alternative embodiments of the automated sorting apparatus mentioned above for the embodiment of fig. 1 may also be controlled with reference to the above-described method.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of main blocks of a control system of the automatic sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 7, the control system 700 of the automatic sorting apparatus of the present embodiment mainly includes:

a goods picking and identifying control module 701 for controlling the goods identifying and picking device to pick up the target goods and identify the tag information of the target goods;

a cargo volume and sector determining module 702, configured to obtain a volume of the target cargo and a target sector corresponding to the target cargo in the sorted cargo storage area according to the tag information of the target cargo;

a sorting position determining module 703, configured to determine, according to a preset correspondence between the volume of the goods and the radial distance of each position in the sector, a position at which the radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods in the target sector is located as an assigned sorting position, where the radial distance of a position in one sector is a distance from the position to a circle center of a sorting area, the sorting area is a circular distribution area including a storage area for the goods to be sorted and a storage area for the sorted goods, and the rotatable suspension device may rotate around a position right above the circle center of the sorting area;

and the sorting control module 704 is used for controlling the transmission device to drive the rotatable suspension device to rotate so that the rotatable suspension device sorts the target goods to the designated sorting position.

The control system 700 may also include a configuration module to: and configuring starting and stopping angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in the goods storage area to be sorted and the sorted goods storage area, and configuring the corresponding relation between the radial distance of each position in each sector of the sorted goods storage area and the goods volume.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, the detailed implementation of the control system of the automatic sorting apparatus has been described in detail in the above control method of the automatic sorting apparatus, and therefore, the repeated description is not repeated here.

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary system architecture 800 of a control method of an automated sorting apparatus or a control system of an automated sorting apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention may be applied.

As shown in fig. 8, the system architecture 800 may include terminal devices 801, 802, 803, a network 804, and a server 805. The network 804 serves to provide a medium for communication links between the terminal devices 801, 802, 803 and the server 805. Network 804 may include various types of connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables, to name a few.

A user may use the terminal devices 801, 802, 803 to interact with a server 805 over a network 804 to receive or send messages or the like. The terminal devices 801, 802, 803 may have installed thereon various communication client applications, such as shopping-like applications, web browser applications, search-like applications, instant messaging tools, mailbox clients, social platform software, etc. (by way of example only).

The terminal devices 801, 802, 803 may be various electronic devices having a display screen and supporting web browsing, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop portable computers, desktop computers, and the like.

The server 805 may be a server that provides various services, such as a back-office management server (for example only) that supports shopping-like websites browsed by users using the terminal devices 801, 802, 803. The backend management server may analyze and otherwise process data such as the received product information query request, and feed back a processing result (for example, cargo information — just an example) to the terminal device.

It should be noted that the control method of the automatic sorting apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present invention is generally executed by the server 805, and accordingly, the control system of the automatic sorting apparatus is generally provided in the server 805.

It should be understood that the number of terminal devices, networks, and servers in fig. 8 is merely illustrative. There may be any number of terminal devices, networks, and servers, as desired for implementation.

Referring now to FIG. 9, shown is a block diagram of a computer system 900 suitable for use in implementing a terminal device or server of an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device or the server shown in fig. 9 is only an example, and should not bring any limitation to the functions and the scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 9, the computer system 900 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU)901 that can perform various appropriate actions and processes in accordance with a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)902 or a program loaded from a storage section 908 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 903. In the RAM 903, various programs and data necessary for the operation of the system 900 are also stored. The CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 are connected to each other via a bus 904. An input/output (I/O) interface 905 is also connected to bus 904.

The following components are connected to the I/O interface 905: an input portion 906 including a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output section 907 including components such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and the like, and a speaker; a storage portion 908 including a hard disk and the like; and a communication section 909 including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, or the like. The communication section 909 performs communication processing via a network such as the internet. The drive 910 is also connected to the I/O interface 905 as necessary. A removable medium 911 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is mounted on the drive 910 as necessary, so that a computer program read out therefrom is mounted into the storage section 908 as necessary.

In particular, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the processes described above with reference to the main step schematic may be implemented as computer software programs. For example, the disclosed embodiments of the invention include a computer program product comprising a computer program embodied on a computer readable medium, the computer program comprising program code for performing the method shown in the main step diagram. In such an embodiment, the computer program may be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication section 909, and/or installed from the removable medium 911. The above-described functions defined in the system of the present application are executed when the computer program is executed by a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 901.

It should be noted that the computer readable medium shown in the present invention can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium or any combination of the two. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the present application, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In this application, however, a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated data signal may take many forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, fiber optic cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The principal step diagrams and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each block in the main step diagrams or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams or block diagrams, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The modules described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by software or hardware. The described modules may also be provided in a processor, which may be described as: a processor includes a cargo pick-up and identification control module, a cargo volume and sector determination module, a sort location determination module, a sort control module. The names of these modules do not constitute a limitation to the modules themselves in some cases, and for example, the goods pick-up and identification control module may also be described as a "module for controlling the goods identification and pick-up device to pick up the target goods and to identify tag information of the target goods".

As another aspect, the present invention also provides a computer-readable medium that may be contained in the apparatus described in the above embodiments; or may be separate and not incorporated into the device. The computer readable medium carries one or more programs which, when executed by a device, cause the device to comprise: a rotatable suspension device and a transmission device 1-2, wherein the rotatable suspension device is provided with a cargo identification and pickup device 1-8, the goods identifying and picking device 1-8 comprises a telescopic pushing support 3-5 and a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms 3-11, the goods picking end of the mechanical arm 3-11 is provided with a clamping jaw 3-13, the goods identifying and picking device 1-8 can push the target goods to an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support 3-5 and adjust the mechanical arm 3-11 to the inclined state, to hold the bottom of the target cargo by the gripping jaws 3-13 of the robot arms 3-11, restoring the target good to a level after the target good is successfully picked up to complete the picking of the target good; the transmission device 1-2 drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so as to sort the target goods picked up by the goods identification and pickup device 1-8 to the designated sorting position.

According to the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, under the condition that the target goods cannot be picked up by the mechanical arm, the goods identification and pickup device of the automatic sorting equipment pushes the target goods to be in an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support, adjusts the mechanical arm to be in the inclined state, supports the bottom of the target goods by using the clamping jaw of the mechanical arm, restores the target goods to be horizontal after the target goods are successfully picked up so as to finish the pickup of the target goods, and sorts the picked target goods to the designated sorting position through the rotation of the rotatable suspension device, so that the simulated manual operation is realized, the manual intervention is reduced in the links of goods pickup, identification, placement and the like, and the unmanned sorting is realized. The rotatable suspension device is configured in plurality so that many-to-many automated sorting can be performed to divert cargo flows at multiple starting points to multiple end points. The goods are not based on linear transmission in the sorting process, but start and stop angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in a goods storage area to be sorted and a sorted goods storage area are configured according to needs, so that the start and stop positions of sorting are dynamically and flexibly set. Need not the manual work at the terminal position of letter sorting and put the goods and adjust, realize the automation and put the goods, and need not to move the goods of putting to the temporary storage area. According to the preset corresponding relation between the cargo volume and the radial distance of each position in the sector, the position of the radial distance corresponding to the target cargo volume in the target sector is determined as the designated sorting position for placing the target cargo, and the target cargo is placed at the designated sorting position through the rotation of the rotatable suspension device and the sliding of the suspension sliding block of the rotatable suspension device. Thereby reduce manual intervention, realize the automation and put the goods to because the goods is put according to the polar coordinate position, make need not to move the goods of putting to the temporary storage region alright convenient transportation.

The above-described embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can occur, depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. An automated sorting apparatus, comprising: the device comprises a rotatable suspension device and a transmission device (1-2), wherein the rotatable suspension device is provided with a cargo identification and pickup device (1-8), the cargo identification and pickup device (1-8) comprises a telescopic pushing support (3-5) and a plurality of groups of parallel and telescopic mechanical arms (3-11), the cargo pickup end of each mechanical arm (3-11) is provided with a clamping jaw (3-13),

the goods identification and pickup device (1-8) can push the target goods to an inclined state through the telescopic pushing support (3-5), adjust the mechanical arm (3-11) to the inclined state, support the bottom of the target goods by using a clamping jaw (3-13) of the mechanical arm (3-11), and restore the target goods to be horizontal after the target goods are successfully picked up so as to finish the pickup of the target goods;

the transmission device (1-2) drives the rotatable suspension device to rotate, so that the target goods picked up by the goods identification and pickup device (1-8) are sorted to a designated sorting position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said goods identifying and picking up device (1-8) further comprises a rotatable fixed face (3-3) and a tiltable angle fixed face (3-9), wherein,

a connecting piece (3-7) is arranged below the rotatable fixed surface (3-3), the inclinable angle fixed surface (3-9) is connected with a control angle cable (3-8) with adjustable length at two sides of the connecting piece (3-7), and the inclinable angle fixed surface (3-9) is rotated in the vertical direction by adjusting the length of the control angle cable (3-8), so that the groups of mechanical arms (3-11) below the inclinable angle fixed surface (3-9) are driven to incline;

a pushing device moving track (3-4) for the telescopic pushing support (3-5) to move is further arranged below the rotatable fixing surface (3-3);

when the rotatable fixing surface (3-3) rotates in the horizontal direction, the plurality of groups of mechanical arms (3-11) and the telescopic pushing supports (3-5) are driven to rotate in the horizontal direction.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the goods recognition and pick-up device (1-8) recognizes the target goods with a camera and sensor means comprising at least two camera sensors and at least one distance sensor, wherein at least one first camera sensor is used to recognize the target goods from the top of the target goods and at least one second camera sensor (3-15) is used to recognize the target goods from the side of the target goods, the distance sensor being used to determine the distance to the target goods.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the cargo identification and pick-up device (1-8) further comprises a telescopic tilt angle bracket (3-6) for mounting the second camera sensor (3-15), the height and viewing angle of the second camera sensor (3-15) being adjustable by changing the length and tilt angle of the telescopic tilt angle bracket (3-6).

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotatable suspension means is configured in plurality, and the plurality of rotatable suspension means are rotated simultaneously by the drive means (1-2).

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical column (1-1), wherein the rotatable suspension device comprises a first suspension arm (1-5) and a sub-suspension device, the first suspension arm (1-5) is fixedly connected with the upper part of the vertical column (1-1), the sub-suspension device is slidably connected with the first suspension arm (1-5) through a suspension slider (1-6), a first end (1-9) of a second suspension arm (1-7) is fixedly connected with the suspension slider (1-6), a second end (1-10) is fixedly connected with the cargo identification and pickup device (1-8), and the second end (1-10) of the second suspension arm (1-7) is adjustable in height in the vertical direction.

7. A control method of an automatic sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising:

controlling the goods identification and pickup device to pick up the target goods and identify the tag information of the target goods;

obtaining the volume of the target goods and a target sector corresponding to the target goods in the sorted goods storage area according to the label information;

determining the position of a radial distance corresponding to the volume of the target goods in the target sector as the designated sorting position according to a preset corresponding relation between the volume of the goods and the radial distance of each position in the sector, wherein the radial distance of one position in one sector refers to the distance from the position to the center of a sorting area, the sorting area is a circular distribution area comprising a goods storage area to be sorted and the sorted goods storage area, and the rotatable suspension device can rotate around the position right above the center of the sorting area;

controlling the transmission device to drive the rotatable suspension device to rotate so that the rotatable suspension device sorts the target goods to the designated sorting position.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, before the steps of controlling the item identification and pickup device to pick up the target item and tag information identifying the target item:

and configuring starting and stopping angles corresponding to sectors respectively included in the goods storage areas to be sorted and the sorted goods storage areas, and configuring the corresponding relation between the radial distance of each position in each sector of the sorted goods storage areas and the goods volume.

9. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory for storing one or more programs,

the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to implement the method of any of claims 7-8.

10. A computer-readable medium, on which a computer program is stored, which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 7-8.

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