CN114885612A

CN114885612A - Self-walking equipment, equipment combination and automatic vending system

Info

Publication number: CN114885612A
Application number: CN202080036892.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周俊杰
Original assignee: Suzhou Youzhida Robot Co ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Youzhida Robot Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-10
Filing date: 2020-12-06
Publication date: 2022-08-09
Also published as: CN211827440U; WO2021115216A1

Abstract

Self-propelled device (200) configured to pick up goods through an outlet (503) of a container (100), the self-propelled device (200) being provided with a receiving arrangement (210) for receiving an item (60), the receiving arrangement (210) entering the interior of the container (100) at least partly through the outlet (503) upon picking up the goods for receiving the item (60); also provided is an apparatus combination comprising a container (100) and a self-propelled apparatus (200); a vending system comprising a combination of the server (700) and the self-propelled device (200) is also provided. Provided are a self-walking device (200), a device combination and an automatic vending system, which can realize that an intelligent mobile robot (300) can take goods from a container (100) and send the goods to a destination.

Description

Self-walking equipment, equipment combination and automatic vending system

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority from a chinese patent application filed on 10.12.2019 under the name "a multi-functional container", with the application number 201922200411.6, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of containers, in particular to a self-walking device, a device combination and an automatic vending system.

Background

At present, along with the popularization of unmanned goods selling, the application of multifunctional containers is wider and wider, the multifunctional containers can be seen everywhere in subway stations, shopping malls and office buildings, and huge business opportunities are formed. Correspondingly, the research on the multifunctional containers is also expanded, and the types of the multifunctional containers are different.

At present, multifunctional containers on the market are used for personal operation, people select articles on site and pay, and the corresponding articles are taken out from a storage rack and are transmitted to a goods taking port through a transmission assembly to be also called a goods outlet. The structure of present transmission assembly is complicated, leads to the packing cupboard with high costs, is unfavorable for the popularization of packing cupboard. In addition, the goods of getting of this packing cupboard is got the goods with the help of the manual work mostly, and user experience is low when the packing cupboard sets up the position far away.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to overcome the defects, the application aims to provide a self-walking device, a device combination and an automatic vending system so as to solve the technical problem that the user experience is low due to the fact that goods are taken from a container in a manual mode.

To this end, the present application provides a self-propelled device configured to pick up goods through a shipment port of a container, the self-propelled device being provided with a receiving arrangement to receive an item, the receiving arrangement, when picking up goods, entering the interior of the container at least partially through the shipment port to receive the item.

Optionally, the storage device comprises a retractable storage device, the storage device extends out from the traveling device and enters the interior of the container through the cargo outlet when the cargo is taken, and the storage device exits from the interior of the container and retracts into the traveling device when the cargo is taken.

Optionally, the storage device is a drawer.

Optionally, the number of drawers is two or more.

Optionally, each of the drawers sequentially enters the interior of the container when the goods are taken, and the next drawer reenters the interior of the container when the current drawer is taken and retracted into the self-propelled device.

Optionally, when taking goods, the drawers enter the interior of the container at the same time, and take goods and retract the self-walking equipment in sequence from top to bottom.

Optionally, the receiving apparatus comprises a receiving chamber, a flap that closes or opens the receiving chamber, the flap is provided at a side of the self-propelled device, and the flap is configured to open and enter the interior of the container through the outlet when the goods are taken, and to exit and close the receiving chamber from the interior of the container when the goods are taken.

Optionally, when taking the goods, the baffle receives the goods and guides the goods out of the goods outlet to enter the receiving cavity.

Optionally, the flap tilts in the open state, and a first motive force to direct an article out of the exit port into the receiving cavity is generated via the flap tilting.

Optionally, closing the receiving cavity via the flap generates a second motive force directing articles out of the exit port into the receiving cavity.

Optionally, the number of the receiving cavities and the corresponding baffles is two or more.

Optionally, when the goods are taken, the baffles corresponding to the receiving cavities sequentially enter the interior of the container, and when the goods are taken by the baffle corresponding to the current receiving cavity and exit from the interior of the container, the next baffle enters the interior of the container.

Optionally, when goods are taken, the baffles corresponding to the receiving cavities enter the interior of the container at the same time, and the goods are taken and exit from the interior of the container in sequence from top to bottom.

Optionally, the storage apparatus includes a storage chamber, a baffle capable of closing or opening the storage chamber, the baffle is disposed at the top of the self-propelled device, when the goods are taken, the baffle is opened, the self-propelled device enters the inside of the container through the goods outlet to receive the goods through the storage chamber, when the goods are taken, the self-propelled device exits from the inside of the container, and the baffle closes the storage chamber.

The application still provides an equipment combination, including packing cupboard and among the above-mentioned technical scheme from the walking equipment, the packing cupboard sets up the confession from the shipment mouth that the walking equipment got goods, with article to the device of getting goods that the direction of shipment mouth removed, storage device passes through at least partly when getting goods the shipment mouth gets into the inside of packing cupboard is with following get the device of getting goods and receive article.

Optionally, the goods taking device is detached from the goods before moving to the goods outlet, so that the goods can freely fall to the receiving device.

Optionally, the inside of the container is further provided with a detection sensor for detecting a drawer or a baffle entering the inside of the container.

Optionally, the detection sensor is further configured to detect identification information of the drawer or baffle entering the interior of the container relative to other drawers or baffles.

Optionally, the detection sensor is a distance measurement sensor for detecting relative position information of the drawer or the baffle entering the container, wherein the identification information of the drawer or the baffle relative to other drawers or baffles is obtained through the relative position information of the drawer or the baffle.

Optionally, the identification information is represented as a number of the drawer or the shutter.

Optionally, the bottom of the container is hollowed out to form the cargo outlet.

Optionally, the container is provided with a first outlet for manual goods taking, and the goods taking device further moves the goods towards the first outlet.

Optionally, the first outlet is located below the second outlet.

The application also provides an automatic vending system, which comprises a server and the equipment combination in the technical scheme, wherein the server is respectively in communication connection with the container and the self-walking equipment.

The application provides a from equipment of walking, equipment combination and automatic vending system, wherein, be provided with the storage device who holds article from equipment of walking, storage device gets into the inside of packing cupboard in order to receive article through the shipment mouth of packing cupboard at least part when getting goods to can replace the manual work to get goods from the packing cupboard, reinforcing user experience nature.

Drawings

FIG. 1 and FIG. 1a are schematic front views of the multifunctional container according to the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a multi-functional container according to another embodiment of the present application;

3 a-3 d are perspective views of a mobile robot for picking up goods according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion E of FIG. 3 c;

FIGS. 5-9 are perspective views of a mobile robot for picking items according to further embodiments of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a vending system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The above-described scheme is further illustrated below with reference to specific examples. It should be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The conditions employed in the examples may be further adjusted as determined by the particular manufacturer, and the conditions not specified are typically those used in routine experimentation.

The embodiment of the utility model provides a multifunctional container, including the packing cupboard body, be provided with a plurality of storage frame of shelving article in it, be provided with the storage check that a plurality of is used for placing object article on should storing the frame, and set up in the elevating platform that rises or descend based on the instruction of storing frame one side, it is used for accepting the article of choosing from the storage check and guides it to second shipment storehouse, it matches there is the second shipment mouth, through this second shipment storehouse with remove the robot cooperation, or rise or descend based on the instruction and remove the elevating platform to the position of first shipment storehouse, it matches there is first shipment mouth, through its realization manual work goods of getting. Therefore, the multifunctional container can be used for the occasions of manual goods taking and also can be used for the occasions of unmanned goods taking matched with the mobile robot. The length of this elevating platform covers the goods way of every layer of storage rack, and preferably, be provided with the push mechanism who pushes away article from the storage grid in the storage grid respectively. Preferably, the pushing mechanism comprises a conveyor belt structure which is arranged at the top of the storage grid and provided with bulges at intervals, the conveyor belt structure moves to drive the bulges to move, so that the bulges push the articles to move to push the preset articles to a platform of a lifting platform at the front side of the lifting platform, a conveyor belt is arranged on the platform, and when the multifunctional container is in the first working mode, the lifting platform rises or descends to receive the selected articles and transmit the received articles to the second delivery warehouse to further take the articles, for example, the articles are taken at the delivery warehouse by a robot; when the lifting platform is in the second working mode, after the lifting platform ascends or descends to receive the selected article and receive the article, the lifting platform descends or ascends to stop the selected article to the first goods discharging chamber side so as to realize manual goods taking. The container body is internally provided with a control component which is electrically connected with the lifting platform to control the ascending/descending of the lifting platform and the rotation of the conveying belt on the platform. The container body is internally provided with a control assembly which is electrically connected to a human-computer interface, so that a user can select services such as articles on site. The control component is connected to the remote server cloud server and performs information interaction with the remote server cloud server. The container has at least two outlets, at least one of which is used for manual fetching.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 1a, a multi-functional container according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail, which includes a container body 1, a control component is disposed in the container body 1, a man-machine interface 2 is connected to the control component, a storage rack 3 for storing articles is further disposed in the container body 1, a plurality of lanes 15 for storing articles are disposed on the storage rack 3, each lane 15 is provided with a pushing mechanism for pushing out articles from the lane, the pushing mechanism is a prior art, and reference may be made to an embodiment disclosed in CN 207895568U. The container body 1 is internally provided with a lifting component capable of ascending/descending and a delivery bin 4 which is provided with an outlet communicated with the outside and an inlet for the articles on the lifting component to enter the delivery bin; the length of the lifting assembly covers the lane of each tier of storage racks 3 to allow items in the lane to slide/drop onto the deck. The lifting component in this embodiment is at least 1 lifting component 5 placed at the bottom of the container body 1, and a crawler 6 driven by a motor to drive the gear component is arranged on the lifting component 5. The track mechanism 6 employs conventional track equipment to accomplish the above-described transport function. Therefore, the crawler 6 is not described in detail in this embodiment, and the working principle thereof can refer to the solution disclosed in chinese patent No. 2014106847863. The number of crawler tracks may be selected in practice depending on the width of the storage shelf 3. The control assembly in the embodiment adopts a programmable control assembly, and a control system is arranged in the programmable control assembly and is used for controlling the automatic operation of the container. The container is provided with a power supply unit connected with an external power supply and used for supplying power to the operation of the container. The human-computer interface is also called a touch display screen for field personnel to use for ordering, the touch display screen can be used for selecting and determining the quantity of articles and carrying out mobile payment, and the mobile payment generally supports code scanning payment of mainstream payment treasures, WeChat and the like. In this embodiment, an article display area 7 is disposed on a side surface of the container body 1, and the article display area 7 is an electronic screen or a display area of a storage rack. In one embodiment, the surface of the article display area 7 may further be provided with a camera 8, a microphone and a speaker 9, preferably, the camera 8 is placed near the human-computer interface 2, so that the camera 8 can perform camera shooting and/or human face payment when ordering on site; preferably, the microphone and loudspeaker 9 are arranged to assist the on-site person in ordering and processing the order by means of speech recognition. In one embodiment, the container body 1 is provided with a signal transceiver, which is connected to the cloud database and the control component, so that the container can be connected to a network. In an embodiment, the container body 1 is provided with a sensing assembly and/or an identification module 10 for guiding and/or detecting the robot to a predetermined position, which is used in cooperation with the robot for enabling the mobile robot to pick up goods. Therefore, the client can remotely place an order, if the order is placed through mobile phone APP software or a computer website, the corresponding order can be transmitted to the cloud database for processing, and the cloud database sends the instruction to the corresponding container and the mobile robot at the same time. When getting the robot and getting goods, the push mechanism in the corresponding goods way will article propelling movement to lifting unit on to rotate along with the track on the lifting unit and transmit to shipment chamber 4 mobile robot and extend shipment chamber 4 with its self in advance, thereby realize article shift to mobile robot on.

As a variation of the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the multifunctional container of another embodiment of the present invention is different from the above container in that 2 outlets of the container are used to realize manual goods taking, and another outlet is matched with the mobile robot, so that the multifunctional container can be used to realize manual goods taking and also can be matched with the mobile robot to realize unmanned goods taking. Therefore, the position separation of the goods taking by the person and the goods taking by the mobile robot is realized, and the application range of the container is expanded. The multifunctional container 500 comprises a container body 501, a control component is arranged in the container body, the container body is not shown, at least one layer of storage rack is arranged in the container body, a plurality of storage grids for storing articles are arranged on the storage rack, a pushing mechanism for pushing the articles out of the storage grids is arranged in the storage grids, and a lifting platform which is arranged on one side of the storage rack and ascends or descends based on instructions is arranged in the storage rack, the container is provided with a first goods outlet 504, the first goods outlet is opposite to the first goods outlet, the first goods outlet is not shown, and the manual site taking of the predetermined articles is realized; a second delivery opening 503, which faces a second delivery compartment, not shown, and is matched with the mobile robot, a sensing component and/or an identification module 506 for guiding and/or detecting the robot to a preset position is arranged on the side of the second delivery compartment, and when the mobile robot takes the goods, the receiving cavity of the mobile robot is close to the lower part of the second delivery compartment through the second delivery opening 503 to receive the preset goods. The multifunctional container is provided with a human-computer interface which is connected to the control component, and the user can select the articles or inquire the required articles, settle accounts after selecting the articles and the like. In other embodiments, the container has more than 2 outlets, such as a manual on-site access port, and multiple outlets cooperating with the robot, thus improving the operation efficiency of the container.

As shown in fig. 3a, for the mobile robot of an embodiment of the present invention reaches the container to get the structure of goods and shows, the mobile robot 200, which includes a retractable storage cavity 202, when the mobile robot 200 reaches the container 100, the mobile robot 200 carries the sensing component and/or the identification module 108 for guiding and/or detecting the robot to a predetermined position through the retractable storage cavity, and interacts with the robot, and the mobile robot 200 reaches the predetermined position of the container, the storage cavity 202 opens the delivery chamber 107 into the container, and takes the predetermined goods.

As shown in fig. 3b, for the mobile robot of another embodiment of the present invention reaches the container to get the goods, the top of the mobile robot 300 includes a baffle 301, the baffle 301 is connected to the body 302 through a connecting device, the body 302 includes a receiving cavity not shown, the baffle 301 is opened when getting the goods, the mobile robot reaches the preset position of the container 400, the guiding and/or detecting robot carried by the mobile robot to the sensing component and/or the identification module 408 of the preset position establishes the connection, the receiving cavity faces the delivery warehouse of the container, the goods are pushed into the receiving cavity, after the goods are taken, the mobile robot leaves the container, the baffle 301 is closed, and the goods are transmitted to the destination. In this embodiment, selected articles transferred via the first transfer plate and/or the second transfer plate are guided to the outlet opening to fall into the receiving cavity of the device to be picked, e.g., a mobile robot.

As shown in fig. 3c, for the mobile robot of another embodiment of the present invention reaches the container to pick up goods, the mobile robot 800 includes a retractable storage cavity 801, when the mobile robot 800 reaches the predetermined location of the container 500, the mobile robot 800 carries a sensing component and/or an identification module for guiding and/or detecting the robot to a predetermined location to establish connection, that is, the mobile robot 800 reaches the predetermined location of the container, a baffle 802 at the front section of the storage cavity 801 is opened to guide the article into the storage cavity 801, so that the mobile robot 800 takes the predetermined article. The baffle 802 also has the function of guiding the article into the receiving cavity 801 when the article is taken.

A variation on the embodiment of figure 3c is shown in figure 3d, which differs from that of figure 3c in that it comprises a multi-layer receiving chamber. The mobile robot 800 comprises 2 layers of receiving cavities, each layer of receiving cavity can also be a plurality of rotatable receiving cavities, the front ends of the receiving cavities are respectively provided with an openable baffle 801/802, when the mobile robot 800 reaches a predetermined position of the container 500, the mobile robot 800 carries a sensing component and/or an identification module for guiding and/or detecting the robot to the predetermined position to establish connection, namely, the mobile robot 800 reaches the predetermined position of the container, the baffle 801 or the baffle 802 at the front section of the receiving cavity is opened to guide an article into the receiving cavity, and thus the mobile robot 800 takes the predetermined article. When the mobile robot reaches a destination, the barrier 801 or the barrier 802 opens the storage chamber for the user to take an article or the storage chamber for storing an article extends, and the user takes a predetermined article.

In one embodiment, a sensor is disposed on the lower side of the second shipping compartment, and is electrically connected to the control component, sometimes referred to as the control component, and the sensor includes an ir grating sensor for detecting whether the goods in the shipping compartment are to be taken or not. In other embodiments, the sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor. If the article is not taken correctly, a prompt is sent to a server connected with the article or a prompt device carried by a container, such as a buzzer or a voice horn, for prompting. In other embodiments, the sensor is disposed on the top of the second warehouse, the side of the conveying assembly, or other positions of the container as long as it can recognize that the mobile robot reaches the preset position.

In one embodiment, the lower side of the second shipment room is provided with a sensing component and/or an identification module, which can actively guide and/or detect the component, and also can be a passive component recognized and/or detected by the mobile robot, so as to determine whether the mobile robot reaches a predetermined position. Preferably, the sensing component and/or the identification module is an electronic component, an image identification and a special structure which is easy to recognize, the mobile robot is provided with a corresponding component which interacts with the device, the robot can guide and/or detect the movement of the mobile robot to a preset position through one or a combination of laser, a magnetic sensor, infrared rays, vision and sound waves and the sensing component and/or the identification module carried by the container, the control component receives and responds to the opening of the second goods outlet of the container after the mobile robot reaches the preset position, and the mobile robot controls the telescopic containing cavity on the mobile robot to extend into the second goods outlet after acquiring the opening information of the goods outlet.

The embodiment of the utility model provides a mobile robot is still provided, it is arranged in taking article and sending this article to predetermined place in the packing cupboard. The robot carries at least one retractable storage cavity for taking articles, please refer to fig. 3a to 3 d. Preferably, the robot carries a detection module for detecting whether the article is put into the containing cavity. In one embodiment, the detection module carried by the robot is further used for detecting whether a cabinet door of the goods outlet is opened. The detection module comprises an ultrasonic sensor, a CCD image recognition module and a grating ruler sensor.

The container of the above embodiment has a container body having a control component, also called control component, electrically connected to the human-machine interface. The container is connected with the remote server in a wired or wireless mode to carry out information interaction. The control unit of the container operates based on a command from the server or a predetermined control program to distribute the articles.

In the design of the pushing mechanism, the pushing mechanism is arranged at the top of the storage grid, the protrusions are arranged on the pushing mechanism at intervals, the conveyor belt structure moves to drive the protrusions to move, and then the protrusions push the articles to move so as to transmit the predetermined articles to the first delivery bin or the second delivery bin.

In the design of the container, the container is provided with a human-computer interface, the human-computer interface is connected to the control assembly, a user selects an article or inquires the required article through the human-computer interface, the settlement is carried out after the article is selected, the user selects the article and takes the article through the first article taking opening, the user uses APP and other remote predetermined articles, the user can select to take the article through the first article taking opening or take the article through the second article taking opening, and when the user selects the second article taking opening to take the article, the article is taken according to the mobile robot and is transmitted to a destination. Preferably, when the user uses the APP and other remote predetermined articles and selects to take goods through the first goods taking port, the user can take goods through the first goods taking port after on-site confirmation through the order number or the preset confirmation information when arriving at the container.

In the design of the container, one side of the container is provided with a cabinet door, a first goods taking opening is arranged on the cabinet door and communicated with a first goods taking bin, and the preset goods are taken manually on site through the first goods taking opening.

In the design of the first goods-taking opening, one side of the first goods-taking opening is configured at the middle part or the middle lower part of the cabinet door.

In the design of the second access opening, one side of the second access opening is arranged at the side part or the end part of the cabinet door.

In the design of second shipment storehouse, its below can adopt the fretwork design, should remove the robot and be located the below of second shipment storehouse when cooperating with mobile robot.

In the design of the container body, the lower side of the second delivery bin is hollowed, preferably, a bottom plate or the bottom plate and a side plate are arranged, a sensing component and/or an identification module such as a sensor is arranged on the bottom plate or in the area, and the hollowed space is used for accommodating the mobile robot to be taken.

In the design of the container body, at least one layer of storage rack for placing articles is arranged in the container body, a plurality of storage grids for placing the articles are arranged on the storage rack, pushing mechanisms for pushing the articles out of the storage grids are respectively arranged in the storage grids, and the pushing mechanisms are arranged on the front sides of the storage racks, so that the articles pushed out of the storage grids are conveyed to the conveying assembly.

In the design of the mobile robot, the mobile robot comprises a plurality of storage cavities, also called storage boxes, for taking articles, when the mobile robot reaches a preset position of a bottom container, the storage cavities extend into a delivery bin to take the articles, the storage cavities are recovered after the articles are taken, and then the mobile robot transfers the articles to a destination.

In the design of the mobile robot, the containing cavity can be designed to be telescopic, and whether the containing cavity extends to a correct position or is recovered to the correct position is judged based on the travel switch. Or the receiving cavity is arranged on the top of the machine body and is covered with a baffle plate, and the baffle plate is connected to the machine body through a connecting device.

In the design of the mobile robot, the front end of the mobile robot comprises a rotatable cabinet door which can be opened, and when goods are taken, the cabinet door is opened to enable a preset article to enter the containing cavity. When the goods are taken, the cabinet door is opened, a user takes out the preset goods or the containing cavity extends out, and the user takes out the preset goods.

As shown in fig. 3a to 3d and fig. 5 to 9, in an embodiment of the present application, a self-walking apparatus is further provided, and the self-walking apparatus may be a mobile robot as proposed in the above embodiments, and may also be referred to as a delivery robot or a delivery robot. A walking device is arranged at the bottom of the self-walking equipment, and a moving path can be planned to a destination through a navigation system of the self-walking equipment. The self-propelled device is also typically communicatively coupled to a server to receive server instructions to perform pick-and-deliver tasks. In an embodiment of the application, the self-propelled device is configured to take goods through the outlet 503 of the container, the self-propelled device being provided with a receiving arrangement 210 for receiving the item 60. Wherein, the receiving device 210 at least partially enters the interior of the container through the outlet 503 to receive the article 60 when taking the goods, in other words, when taking the goods, a part of the receiving device 210 enters the interior of the container through the outlet 503 to receive the article 60 (as shown in fig. 3 a-3 d, fig. 5-9), or the whole receiving device 210 enters the interior of the container through the outlet 503 to receive the article 60 (not shown in the figure).

From walking equipment in this application embodiment, the setting holds the storage device of article, and when getting goods, storage device at least part gets into the inside of packing cupboard in order to receive article through the shipment mouth of packing cupboard to can replace the manual work to get goods from the packing cupboard, reinforcing user experience nature. Wherein, because the storage device of self-walking equipment gets into the inside article of receiving of packing cupboard, can avoid getting the article in the goods in-process packing cupboard like this and taken away by pedestrian or non-good will personnel, guarantee to get goods from the self-walking equipment and can accomplish smoothly to avoid the loss of article.

As shown in FIG. 3a, in one example, the storage device 210 comprises a retractable storage device 201, and the storage device 201 extends out from the walking equipment 200 and enters the interior of the cargo container 100 through a cargo outlet 503 when the cargo is taken. Upon completion of the retrieval, the storage devices 201 are withdrawn from the interior of the container 100 and retracted into the running gear 200. The storage device 201 may be a drawer 201, or may be a storage cabinet of other forms, wherein a driving force for driving the storage device 201 to extend or retract may be provided by a driving device such as a motor or a push rod.

As shown in fig. 7 to 9, the number of the drawers 201 may be two or more as a preferred embodiment. In this way, different drawers 201 can receive items 60 belonging to different orders, so that the self-walking equipment can perform the distribution tasks of a plurality of orders at one time, and the working efficiency is improved.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in one example, the drawers 201 sequentially enter the interior of the container 100 at the time of pickup, and the next drawer 201 reenters the interior of the container 100 when the current drawer 201 pickup is complete and retracted from the walking device 200.

As shown in FIG. 7, in another example, the drawers 201 simultaneously enter the interior of the container 100 when picking up goods, and the drawers 201 that enter the interior of the container 100 can sequentially pick up goods and retract back from the walking device 100 in a top-to-bottom order.

As shown in fig. 3c, in one example, the receiving arrangement 210 comprises a receiving chamber 801, a flap 802 that can close or open the receiving chamber 801, the flap 802 being provided at a side of the self-walking apparatus 800, and the flap 802 being configured to open upon picking and enter the interior of the container 500 through the outlet 503, to exit from the interior of the container 500 upon completion of picking and to close the receiving chamber 801. Wherein, a driving force for opening or closing the baffle 802 can be provided by a driving device such as a motor or a push rod.

As shown in FIG. 3c, when a load is taken, the baffle 802 receives the item 60 and directs the item 60 out of the egress opening 503 of the container 500 into the receiving chamber 801 of the self-propelled apparatus 800. It can be seen that the baffle 802 not only acts to open or close the receiving cavity 801, but also acts to receive the item 60 and direct the item 60 out of the exit 503 of the container 500 into the receiving cavity 801 of the self-propelled apparatus 800 during the picking process, thereby simplifying the design structure and improving the picking efficiency

As shown in fig. 3c and 4, as a preferred embodiment, the flap 802 is inclined in the open state, and the first motive force F1 for guiding the article 60 out of the outlet 503 into the storage cavity 801 is generated via the inclination of the flap 802. Wherein a first motive force F1 is provided by a component of the weight G of the article 60, the other component F of the weight G providing a motive force urging the article 60 toward the baffle 802. This not only guarantees that article 60 can have sufficient power and be guided out shipment mouth 503 in order to get into storage chamber 801, compares with article 60 direct landing storage chamber 801, slows down the impact to storage chamber 801 moreover to avoid storage chamber 801 to receive the damage because of frequently receiving the impact, improve from walking equipment 800, especially storage chamber 801's life.

As shown in fig. 4, closing the storage cavity 801 via the flap 802 generates a second motive force F2 that directs the article 60 out of the outlet 503 into the storage cavity 801. Specifically, in the process of the barrier 802 moving in the X direction to close the storage cavity 801, the second motive force F2 for guiding the article 60 out of the outlet 503 to enter the storage cavity 801 is generated via the barrier 802 moving in the X direction. In this way, the operation of closing the storage cavity 801 by the flap 802 can provide further power for guiding the article 60 out of the outlet 503 and into the storage cavity 801, and the article 60 can be prevented from being left on the flap 802 due to the shortage of the first power F1, thereby improving the picking efficiency.

As shown in fig. 3d, 5 and 6, the number of the receiving cavities 801 and the corresponding baffles 802 may be two or more as a preferred embodiment. In this way, different receiving cavities 801 can receive the articles 60 belonging to different orders, so that the self-walking equipment can perform the distribution tasks of a plurality of orders at one time, and the work efficiency is improved.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, in one example, when taking goods, the baffles 802 corresponding to each receiving cavity 801 enter the interior of the container in sequence, and when the baffles 802 corresponding to the current receiving cavity 801 finish taking goods and exit from the interior of the container, the next baffles 802 reenter the interior of the container.

In another example, as shown in fig. 3d, when picking up goods, the baffles 802 corresponding to each receiving cavity 801 enter the interior of the container at the same time, and pick up goods sequentially from top to bottom and exit from the interior of the container.

As shown in fig. 3d, in one example, the receiving means 210 comprises a receiving chamber 303, a flap 301 which can close or open the receiving chamber, wherein the flap 301 is provided at the top of the self-propelled device 300, the flap 301 is opened when the goods are taken, the self-propelled device 300 enters the interior of the container 400 through the cargo outlet 503 to receive the goods 60 through the receiving chamber 303, and when the goods are taken, the self-propelled device 300 exits from the interior of the container 400 and the flap 301 closes the receiving chamber 303. Wherein, a driving force for driving the baffle 301 to open or close the containing cavity 303 can be provided by a driving device such as a motor or a push rod.

As shown in FIGS. 3a to 3d and FIGS. 5 to 9, the embodiment of the present application also provides an apparatus combination, which comprises a container and the self-walking apparatus of the above embodiment. Specifically, referring to FIG. 3c, the container 500 is provided with an outlet 503 for taking goods from the walking equipment, and a goods taking device 510 for moving the goods 60 in the direction of the outlet 503, and the receiving device 210 of the self-walking equipment 800 enters the interior of the container 500 through the outlet 503 at least partially when taking goods to receive the goods 60 from the goods taking device 510.

The picking device 510 may be configured to disengage from the object 60 before moving to the outlet 503, so that the object 60 can freely fall to the receiving device 210.

As shown in FIG. 3d, the interior of the container 500 is also provided with a detection sensor 610 for detecting the baffle 802 entering the interior of the container 500. Specifically, the detection sensor 610 is used to detect which of the plurality of baffles 802 of the self-walking apparatus 800 the baffle 802 inside the container 500 is. The detection sensor 610 may be implemented by a laser ranging sensor or an infrared sensor that triggers the detection sensor 610 to generate a corresponding signal when the corresponding baffle 802 enters the interior of the container 500.

As shown in FIG. 7, the interior of the container 100 is also provided with a detection sensor 610 for detecting the drawer 201 entering the interior of the container 100. Specifically, the detection sensor 610 is used to detect which of the plurality of drawers 201 of the self-walking apparatus 200 the drawer 201 inside the container 500 is. The detection sensor 610 may be implemented by a laser ranging sensor or an infrared sensor that triggers the detection sensor 610 to generate a corresponding signal when the corresponding drawer 201 enters the interior of the container 100.

In other embodiments, the detection sensor 610 is also used to detect identification information of the drawer 201 or baffle 802 entering the interior of the container relative to other drawers 201 or baffles 802. Specifically, the detection sensor 610 may be employed as a ranging sensor for detecting relative position information of the drawer 201 or the baffle 802 entering the interior of the container, wherein identification information thereof with respect to the other drawer 201 or the baffle 802 is obtained via the relative position information of the drawer 201 or the baffle 802. Wherein, the identification information can be represented as the number of the drawer 201 or the baffle 802.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3d, the container has a hollow bottom to form the outlet 503.

As shown in fig. 2, and in conjunction with fig. 3 a-3 d and fig. 5-9, an embodiment of the present application further provides an apparatus combination, which includes a container and a self-walking apparatus, the container is provided with a first outlet 504 for manual goods taking, a second outlet 503 for providing goods taking from the self-walking apparatus, and a goods taking device 510 for moving the goods 60 toward the first outlet 504 or the second outlet 503; the self-propelled device is provided with a receiving means 210 for receiving the item 60, the receiving means 210 entering the interior of the container at least partly through the second outlet 503 when the item is taken, to receive the item 60 from the taking means 510.

In a preferred embodiment, the first outlet 504 is located below the second outlet 503. Thus, when an accident occurs in receiving the article 60 from the traveling apparatus, and the article 60 cannot be received, the article 60 which is not received naturally falls toward the first outlet 504 located below the second outlet 503, and thus the second outlet 503 is not blocked by the article 60. The articles 60 falling to the first outlet 504 can be taken manually without affecting the normal operation of the container.

As shown in fig. 10, an embodiment of the present application further provides an automatic vending system. The vending system comprises a server 700 and the combination of the devices of any of the above embodiments, wherein the server 700 is in communication with the container 500 and the self-propelled device 800, respectively.

In the present invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "middle", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings. These terms are used primarily to better describe the invention and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to a particular orientation or to be constructed and operated in a particular orientation.

The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and the purpose of the embodiments is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the contents of the present invention and to implement the present invention, which cannot limit the protection scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

A self-propelled device configured to take goods through a cargo outlet (503) of a container, characterized in that:

the self-propelled device is provided with a receiving means (210) for receiving an article (60), the receiving means (210) entering the interior of the container at least partly through the outlet (503) for receiving the article (60) when the article is taken.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the storage device (210) comprises a telescopic storage device (201), the storage device (201) extends out of the walking equipment when the goods are taken and enters the interior of the container through the goods outlet (503), and the storage device exits from the interior of the container and retracts into the walking equipment when the goods are taken.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the storage device (201) is a drawer (201).
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the number of the drawers (201) is two or more.
The self-propelled device of claim 4, wherein: when goods are taken, the drawers (201) sequentially enter the interior of the container, and when the current drawer (201) finishes taking the goods and retracts into the self-walking equipment, the next drawer (201) enters the interior of the container again.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 4, wherein: when goods are taken, the drawers (201) simultaneously enter the interior of the container, and the goods are sequentially taken and retracted into the self-walking equipment from top to bottom.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the stowage arrangement (210) comprises a stowage cavity (801), a flap (802) which can close or open the stowage cavity (801), the flap (802) being provided at a side of the self-walking apparatus, and the flap (802) being configured to open upon taking a good and to enter the interior of the container through the outlet (503), to exit from the interior of the container upon completion of taking a good and to close the stowage cavity.
The self-propelled device of claim 7, wherein: when goods are taken, the baffle plate (802) receives the goods (60) and guides the goods (60) out of the goods outlet (503) to enter the containing cavity (801).
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 8, wherein: the flap (802) is inclined in the open state, and a first power (F1) for guiding an article (60) out of the discharge opening (503) into the storage chamber (801) is generated by the flap (802) being inclined.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 9, wherein: closing the receiving cavity (801) via the flap (802) generates a second motive force (F2) directing an item (60) out of the outlet (503) into the receiving cavity (801).
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the number of the containing cavities (801) and the corresponding baffles (802) is two or more.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 11, wherein: when goods are taken, the baffles (802) corresponding to the receiving cavities (801) enter the interior of the container in sequence, and when the baffles (802) corresponding to the current receiving cavity (801) finish taking the goods and exit from the interior of the container, the next baffles (802) enter the interior of the container again.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 12, wherein: when goods are taken, the baffle plates (802) corresponding to the containing cavities (801) simultaneously enter the interior of the container, and the goods are sequentially taken from top to bottom and exit from the interior of the container.
The self-propelled apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the storage device (210) comprises a storage cavity (303) and a baffle (301) capable of closing or opening the storage cavity, the baffle (301) is arranged at the top of the self-walking equipment, when goods are taken, the baffle (301) is opened, the self-walking equipment enters the interior of the container through the goods outlet (503) so as to receive articles (60) through the storage cavity (303), when the goods are taken, the self-walking equipment exits from the interior of the container, and the baffle (301) closes the storage cavity.
An apparatus combination, characterized by: comprising a container and a self-propelled device according to any of the claims 1-14, the container being provided with a second outlet opening (503) for the self-propelled device to take goods, a means (510) for taking goods (60) in the direction of the outlet opening (503), the means (210) for receiving, when taking goods, at least partly entering the interior of the container through the outlet opening (503) for receiving the goods (60) from the means (510) for taking goods.
The apparatus combination of claim 15, wherein: the goods taking device (510) is separated from the goods (60) before moving to the goods outlet (503), so that the goods (60) can freely fall to the receiving device (210).
The apparatus combination of claim 15, wherein: the interior of the container is also provided with a detection sensor (610) for detecting a drawer (201) or a baffle (802) entering the interior of the container.
The apparatus combination of claim 17, wherein: the detection sensor (610) is also used for detecting the identification information of the drawer (201) or the baffle (802) entering the interior of the container relative to other drawers (201) or baffles (802).
The apparatus combination of claim 18, wherein: the detection sensor (610) is a ranging sensor and is used for detecting the relative position information of the drawer (201) or the baffle (802) entering the container, wherein the identification information of the drawer (201) or the baffle (802) relative to other drawers (201) or baffles (802) is obtained through the relative position information of the drawer (201) or the baffle (802).
The apparatus combination of claim 19, wherein: the identification information is represented as the number of the drawer (201) or the baffle (802).
The apparatus combination of claim 15, wherein: the bottom of the container is hollowed out to form the goods outlet (503).
The apparatus combination of claim 15, wherein: the container is also provided with a first goods outlet (504) for manual goods taking, and the goods taking device (510) also moves the goods (60) towards the direction of the first goods outlet (504).
The apparatus combination of claim 22, wherein: the first outlet (504) is located below the second outlet (503).
An automatic vending system, characterized by: the combination of apparatus as claimed in claim 15 and a server, wherein the server is communicatively connected to the container and the self-propelled apparatus, respectively.