CN115624273A - Material processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a material handling system comprising: the material storage subsystem comprises a container for storing materials and a first conveying mechanism for moving the container in a preset area; and the material processing subsystem comprises a processing device for processing the materials stored in the container and a second conveying mechanism for conveying the container containing the processed materials to a preset position. The material processing system has high space utilization rate and high automation degree.

Description

Material processing system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of material processing, in particular to a system for processing and storing materials.

Background

With the pace of life of people accelerating, the automation requirements for food preparation and clothes washing are higher and higher. At present, the corresponding processing systems with high automation degree or high efficiency are generally large-scale centralized systems, such as a large-scale planting/breeding system, a central kitchen and a central laundry factory, and centralized classification processing is the result of division of labor in modern society. However, although the centralized division of work can increase the production efficiency of products in the factory and reduce the product cost, for some services and products with high use frequency, the centralized production and processing will cause a shortage of logistics resources: many consumer goods require repeated packaging, unpacking, and transportation. And the short term logistics resources are difficult to fill gaps, especially in densely populated areas.

On the other hand, the next step of centralized production is centralized sales, and from the new coronary pneumonia in 2020 world, the centralized production and sales can be seen to increase the scope of virus propagation, and the risk factors are all the intangible cost added to the product, and the cost needs to be paid by the consumer. Although not all products/services can present the above problems remarkably, human beings should try distributed production and processing modes different from social division in at least some scenes, and perhaps we can reduce road congestion, reduce virus propagation risks, save more cultivated land, obtain more personalized products/services and reduce repeated work day by day.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above problems and vision, the present invention has been developed to provide a material handling system that overcomes, or at least partially solves, the above problems.

The material processing system comprises

The material storage subsystem comprises a container for storing materials and a first conveying mechanism for moving the container in a preset area;

a material processing subsystem including a processing device for processing the material stored by the receptacle, and a second conveying mechanism for conveying the receptacle containing the processed material to a preset position.

Optionally, the receptacles can be stacked on top of each other; the material storage subsystem further comprises a support means for supporting the lowermost container in a stack of containers consisting of containers stacked on top of each other.

Optionally, the receptacle is provided with a first locking portion; the first conveying mechanism is provided with a second locking part which can be matched with the first locking part in a locking mode.

Optionally, the processing device comprises a plurality of processing stations arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the mechanical arm of the processing device can also move along the rail to send the materials to the corresponding stations.

Optionally, the processing device includes a processing tool, and a robot capable of controlling the processing tool to process the material; the machining tool is provided with a first locking part, and the mechanical arm is provided with a second locking part which can be matched with the first locking part in a locking mode.

Optionally, the material handling system further comprises a detection mechanism for detecting a material state; and the processing device processes the material according to the detection information and the preset information fed back by the detection mechanism.

Optionally, the material handling system further comprises an environment conditioning device for conditioning the material within the container.

Optionally, the material handling system further comprises a dosing mechanism for providing nutrients to the material stored in the receptacle to maintain or promote a change in the state of the material.

Optionally, the processing device can clean and dry the materials stored in the container.

Optionally, the material processing system further comprises

And the moving device is used for adjusting the relative position between the two material storage subsystems, or between the two material processing subsystems, or between the material storage subsystem and the material processing subsystem.

Optionally, the processing subsystem is further configured to retrieve at least a portion of the material from the receptacle.

The invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the embodiment of the invention, the containers in the material storage subsystem can be mutually overlapped and are conveyed by the first conveying mechanism, the processing units in the processing subsystem are arranged along the longitudinal direction, and materials can be rapidly transported among the processing units, so that the material processing system has high space utilization rate. The material processing subsystem can process materials stored in the container, such as food materials, crops, fish, shrimp, aquatic products, biological tissues, clothes and the like, the processed materials can be directly eaten and used or put back into the material storage subsystem for storage, and the automation degree is high.

The material processing system has high space utilization rate and small occupied area, and can be directly arranged in a place close to the activity of a user to automatically complete the production, processing, storage and management of various materials. The production and processing are carried out according to the requirements of users, thereby meeting the requirements of higher individuation and timeliness.

Because the materials are produced and processed nearby and then used nearby, the materials are prevented from being transported in logistics everyday, the use of preservatives and preservatives is avoided due to the fact that secondary pollution is avoided, the use of extra disposable material outer packages is also avoided, and damage to the environment is reduced.

The system has the functions of material management and detection, replaces manpower to regularly check the materials, avoids the loss of the materials, timely processes overdue/deteriorated materials, and saves a large amount of material maintenance and management time.

Since a material handling system is only suitable for a limited number of users, there is little spread even if the system itself is subject to chemical/biological contamination. There are many derived benefits of the present invention not listed here.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the application, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings can be derived from them without inventive effort. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a material handling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another schematic block diagram of the material handling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the structure of the receptacle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an alternative receptacle

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of the second locking portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the pan of FIG. 1;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of the pot cover in fig. 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a material handling system according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is another schematic illustration of the material handling system of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural view of the second locking portion of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the processing station A of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural view of the vibrating blade of FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is an assembly view of the vibrating blade and the second locking portion in a locked state;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the processing station A of FIG. 9 in another state;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the structure of the mesh spoon shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a third embodiment of a material processing system according to the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the first receptacle of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a schematic structural view of the second locking portion of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a schematic structural view of the washing machine of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a schematic structural view of the second container fixing frame;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view of the second receptacle;

fig. 22 is an exploded view of the second container.

Description of reference numerals:

101. a cabinet body; 102. a container; 103. a support frame; 104. a limiting protrusion; 105. a robot arm; 106. a first locking portion; 107. a second locking portion; 108. an auxiliary moving mechanism; 109. a first case; 110. a second box body; 111. a main bar member; 112. a locking block; 113. a carrier; 114. a temporary storage platform; 115. a cooking device; 116. cleaning the disc; 117. a chopping board; 118. a pan main body; 119. a pot cover;

201. a cabinet body; 202. a container; 203. a support frame; 204. a limiting protrusion; 205. a robot arm; 206. a first locking portion; 207. a second locking portion; 208. an auxiliary moving mechanism; 209. a main bar member; 210. a locking block; 211. a carrier; 212. a temporary storage platform; 213. a cooking device; 214. cleaning the disc; 215. a chopping board; 216. a detection mechanism; 217. a feeding mechanism; 218. putting a pipeline; 219. a switch; 220. vibrating a knife; 221. a locking member; 222. a spring; 223. a net spoon;

301. a cabinet body; 302. a first container; 303. a support frame; 304. a limiting protrusion; 305. a robot arm; 306. a first locking portion; 307. a second locking part; 308. an auxiliary moving mechanism; 309. a first case; 310. a second container; 311. a main bar member; 312. a locking block; 313. a carrier; 314. a washing machine; 315. a washing machine main body; 316. a washing machine door; 317. a fixed mount; 318. a second container; 319. a third box body; 320. a fourth cartridge body; 321. and (4) mounting the groove.

Detailed Description

The directional terms upper, lower, left, right, front, rear, inner, outer, top, bottom and the like that are or may be referred to in this specification are defined relative to the configurations shown in the drawings, and are relative concepts that may be changed accordingly depending on the position and use state of the vehicle. Therefore, these and other directional terms should not be construed as limiting terms.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or to implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted" and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly, e.g., as being either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in a specific case to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Example one

Referring to fig. 1-7, an exemplary embodiment of a material handling system according to the present invention is shown. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the material handling system includes a material storage subsystem and a material processing subsystem.

The material storage subsystem comprises a cabinet body 101, and a storage space is formed in the cabinet body 101. At least two receptacles 102 which can be placed one above the other are arranged in the storage space. Each receptacle 102 may store the same or different materials, such as food materials, processed foods, intermediate foods, etc., as desired. In this embodiment, the storage space can accommodate a plurality of container stacks formed by stacking a plurality of containers 102, and the storage space is further provided with a supporting device corresponding to the number of the container stacks, and the supporting device supports the container stacks.

In particular, the support device comprises two support frames 103 arranged opposite to each other, and the support frames 103 form a guide groove arranged vertically. The peripheral wall of the receptacle 102 is provided with oppositely arranged limiting protrusions 104, and the limiting protrusions 104 can enter and leave the guide grooves from the upper opening of the guide grooves and the lower horizontal opening of the guide grooves; and, the stopper protrusion 104 of the lowermost container 102 of the container stack can be overlapped on the bottom of the guide groove.

In an alternative embodiment, the support device comprises two oppositely arranged rotatable or telescopic supports which, when in a supporting position (i.e. in a horizontal position, or in an extended state), are located below the lowermost container 102 in the stack and whose upper surfaces abut the bottom surface of the lowermost container 102, the supports supporting the stack. When the support members are in the stowed position (i.e., in the upright position, or collapsed state), the support members are clear of the lowermost container 102 and can be moved away from the stack of containers 102. Of course, the support device may also adopt other suitable structures, which are not listed here.

The material storage subsystem further includes a first transport mechanism for moving the container 102 within a predetermined area. In this embodiment, the first conveyor mechanism includes a robotic arm 105, the robotic arm 105 being capable of moving the receptacles 102 out of the receptacle stack and transporting them to the processing station of the materials handling subsystem or to the transfer station of the materials handling subsystem, and removing and stacking the receptacles 102 from the processing station or transfer station of the materials handling subsystem into the receptacle stack. Specifically, the mechanical arm 105 is provided with a second locking portion 107 capable of being locked and matched with the first locking portion 106 on the container 102, and when the mechanical arm 105 is locked and matched with the container 102, corresponding actions of the mechanical arm 105 can drive the locked container 102 to move and rotate.

The first conveying mechanism further comprises an auxiliary moving mechanism 108, wherein the auxiliary moving mechanism 108 is used for driving the mechanical arm 105 to move in the horizontal and/or vertical direction. Since the stack is relatively high in order to fully utilize the floor space in this embodiment, the auxiliary moving mechanism 108 employs an electric push rod, and a movable rod thereof is fixedly connected to the robot arm 105 to drive the robot arm 105 to move in the stacking direction of the containers 102, i.e. in the vertical direction. It should be understood that the auxiliary moving mechanism 108 may also be a combination of a motor or a cylinder and a corresponding transmission mechanism to drive the robot arm 105 to move in the horizontal and/or vertical directions, or other suitable structures.

Referring now to fig. 3, one configuration of the receiver 102 is shown. The receptacle 102 includes a first box 109 and a second box 110 that can be separated. Specifically, the lower edge of the first box 109 can be fastened with the upper edge of the second box 110, the peripheral wall and the top of the first box 109 are provided with first locking portions 106, and the peripheral wall and the bottom of the second box 110 are provided with first locking portions 106. The second locking portions 107 of two or more of the robot arms 105 are capable of locking with a corresponding number of first locking portions 106 of the same container 102 at the same time, and in a first aspect, two or more of the robot arms 105 can cooperate with each other to transfer the container 102; in a second aspect, when the weight of the container 102 is large, two or more robot arms 105 can move and rotate the locked container 102 together; in a third aspect, two or more robots 105 can separate the first box 109 from the second box 110, or cover the first box 109 and the second box 110 together. Of course, the locked receptacle 102 may also be moved and rotated by one of the robotic arms 105. The peripheral wall of the first box 109 and the peripheral wall of the second box 110 are provided with two oppositely arranged limiting protrusions 104.

Referring now to fig. 4, another configuration of the holder 102 is shown. The receptacle 102 includes a first box 109 and a second box 110 that can be separated. Specifically, an external thread is formed on the outer peripheral wall of the lower edge of the first container 109, and an internal thread matched with the external thread is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the lower edge of the second container 110. The periphery wall and the top of the first box body 109 are provided with first locking parts 106, and the periphery wall and the bottom of the second box body 110 are provided with first locking parts 106. The second locking portions 107 of two or more of the robot arms 105 are capable of locking with a corresponding number of first locking portions 106 of the same container 102 at the same time, and in a first aspect, two or more of the robot arms 105 can cooperate with each other to transfer the container 102; in the second aspect, when the weight of the container 102 is large, two or more robot arms 105 can move and rotate the locked container 102 together; in a third aspect, two or more robots 105 can separate the first box 109 from the second box 110, or cover the first box 109 and the second box 110 together. Of course, the locked receptacle 102 may also be moved and rotated by one of the robotic arms 105. The peripheral wall of the first box 109 and the peripheral wall of the second box 110 are provided with two oppositely arranged limiting protrusions 104. It should be understood that the receiver 102 may take other suitable configurations, not listed herein.

Referring now to fig. 5, one configuration of the second locking portion 107 is shown. The second locking portion 107 includes a main rod 111, and an oval locking block 112 is fixed to a free end of the main rod 111. The locking block 112 can be inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 106, when the locking block 112 is inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 106, the robot arm 105 is locked with the corresponding receptacle 102, and the robot arm 105 can drive the locked receptacle 102 to move and rotate. It should be understood that other suitable configurations for the first and second locking portions 106, 107 may be used.

In order to facilitate the robotic arm 105 to identify the containers 102 and the materials they store, the containers 102 are provided with identification marks, and the material storage subsystem further comprises reading means (not shown) for reading the identification marks and erasing means (not shown) for erasing the data of the identification marks.

Returning now to fig. 1 and 2, the material processing subsystem comprises a carrier 113, on which carrier 113 processing devices are arranged for processing the material stored in the containers 102 conveyed by the first conveyor mechanism; the carriage 113 is also provided with a temporary storage platform 114 for temporarily storing the containers 102. Specifically, the processing device includes a cooking device 115, a cutter (not shown), and other processing tools, and the material stored in the container 102 can be directly put into the cooking device 115 for cooking without preliminary processing, i.e., cleaning, slicing, dicing, and the like. If the material stored in the container 102 needs to be washed and sliced, the material is put into a washing tray 116 for washing, then transferred to a cutting board 117 for slicing, and finally put into a cooking device 115 for cooking. Of course, for raw fish, fruit, etc., cooking is not required, but only slicing or dicing is required, and cooking is not required.

The processing device further comprises a mechanical arm 105, the cooking device 115, the cutter and other processing tools are provided with a first locking part 106, and the mechanical arm 105 is provided with a second locking part 107 capable of being matched with the first locking part 106 in a locking mode. When the second locking portion 107 of the robot arm 105 is locked and engaged with the first locking portion 106 of the processing tool, the robot arm 105 can control the locked processing tool to process the material. For example, one of the cooking devices 115 is a pan, the pan includes a pan main body 118 and a pan cover 119, and a first locking portion 106 is disposed on a handle portion of the pan main body 118, as shown in fig. 6; the handle portion of the lid 119 is provided with a first locking portion 106, as shown in fig. 7. After the material is placed in the pan, the locked pan is held by the robot arm 105 to cook the material, and after cooking the material, the material is poured into the container 102. In an alternative embodiment, to increase the range of motion of the robot arm of the processing device, the carriage is further arranged with a rail mechanism for driving the robot arm in a vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the structure of the first locking portion 106 of the processing tool is completely the same as the structure of the first locking portion 106 of the container 102, and the structure of the second locking portion 107 of the robot arm 105 of the processing apparatus is completely the same as the structure of the second locking portion 107 of the robot arm 105 of the first transport mechanism. Thus, the second locking portion 107 of the robot 105 of the processing apparatus can also be locked with the first locking portion 106 of the container 102, so as to move the material in the carrier 113 and receive the container 102 conveyed by the first conveying mechanism at the transfer station. It should be understood that the first locking portion 106 of the processing tool and the second locking portion 107 of the robot 105 of the processing device may also adopt other suitable structures.

The material processing subsystem further comprises a second conveying mechanism (not shown), and the container 102 containing the material processed by the processing device can be sent back to the storage space by the first conveying mechanism for storage, and then transferred to a supply position, such as a meal dispatching window, from the storage space when needed, and can also be conveyed to the supply position by the second conveying mechanism. In one embodiment, the second conveying mechanism comprises a conveyor belt, and the material is processed by the processing device, poured into the container 102, transferred to a receiving end of the conveyor belt by a robot arm 105 of the processing device, and conveyed to a supply position by the conveyor belt. It should be understood that the second conveying mechanism may also be of other suitable configurations, such as a robot arm, or its function may be performed directly by the robot arm 105 of the processing device.

Because part of the processed material is sent back to the storage space for storage, the material processing system further comprises an environment adjusting device (not shown in the figure) for preserving the nutrition and the taste. In one embodiment, the environmental conditioning device includes a temperature conditioning subassembly for conditioning the temperature inside the receptacle 102. For example, when processed raw fish is stored in a container 102 of the storage space, the temperature regulator device will lower the temperature in the container 102, for example, to-5 ℃ to preserve the nutrition and taste thereof.

Example two

Referring to fig. 8-15, another exemplary embodiment of a material handling system according to the present invention is shown. As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the material handling system includes a material storage subsystem and a material processing subsystem.

The material storage subsystem comprises a cabinet body 201, and a storage space is formed in the cabinet body 201. At least two receptacles 202 which can be placed one above the other are arranged in the storage space. Each container 202 can store the same or different materials, such as food materials, crops, fish, shrimp, aquatic products, cultured animal and plant cells, etc., as required. In this embodiment, the storage space can accommodate a plurality of container stacks formed by stacking a plurality of containers 202, and the storage space is further provided with a supporting device corresponding to the number of the container stacks, and the supporting device supports the container stacks.

In particular, the support means comprises two oppositely arranged support brackets 203, the support brackets 203 forming a guide slot arranged upright. The peripheral wall of the container 202 is provided with oppositely arranged limiting protrusions 204, and the limiting protrusions 204 can enter the guide groove and leave the guide groove from an upper opening of the guide groove and a lower horizontal opening of the guide groove; and, the stopper protrusion 204 of the lowermost container 202 of the container stack can be overlapped on the bottom of the guide groove.

The material storage subsystem further includes a first transport mechanism for moving the container 202 within a predetermined area. In this embodiment, the first transport mechanism includes a robotic arm 205, and the robotic arm 205 is capable of removing the receptacle 202 from the stack and transporting it to a processing station of the material handling subsystem, or to a transfer station of the material handling subsystem. And removing the receptacles 202 from the processing or transfer station of the materials handling subsystem and stacking them in a stack of receptacles. Specifically, the mechanical arm 205 is provided with a second locking portion 207 capable of being locked and matched with the first locking portion 206 on the container 202, and when the mechanical arm 205 is locked and matched with the container 202, corresponding actions of the mechanical arm 205 can drive the locked container 202 to move and rotate.

The first conveying mechanism further includes an auxiliary moving mechanism 208, and the auxiliary moving mechanism 208 is configured to drive the robot arm 205 to move in a horizontal and/or vertical direction. In this embodiment, to fully utilize the floor space, the stack of containers is relatively high, so that the auxiliary moving mechanism 208 employs an electric push rod, and a movable rod thereof is fixedly connected to the robot arm 205 to drive the robot arm 205 to move along the stacking direction of the containers 202, i.e. the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the structure of the container 202 is the same as that of the container used in the first embodiment, and specific reference may be made to the corresponding description of the first embodiment.

Referring now to fig. 10, one configuration of the second locking portion 207 is shown. The second locking portion 207 includes a main rod 209, and an oval locking block 210 is fixed to a free end of the main rod 209. The locking block 210 can be inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 206 of the receptacle 202, and when the locking block 210 is inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 206 of the receptacle 202, the robot arm 205 is locked with the corresponding receptacle 202, and the robot arm 205 can drive the locked receptacle 202 to move and rotate.

Returning now to fig. 8 and 9, the material processing subsystem comprises a carrier 211, on which carrier 211 processing means are arranged for processing the material stored in the container 202 conveyed by the first conveyor mechanism; the carrier 211 is further provided with a temporary storage platform 212 for temporarily storing the containers 202. Specifically, the processing device includes a cooking device 213, a cutter, and other processing tools, and the material stored in the container 202 can be directly put into the cooking device 213 for cooking without preliminary processing, i.e., cleaning, slicing, dicing, and the like. If the materials stored in the container 202 need to be washed and sliced, the materials are put into a washing tray 214 for washing, then transferred to a cutting board 215 for slicing, and finally put into a cooker 213 for cooking. Of course, for raw fish, fruit, etc., cooking is not required, but only slicing or dicing is required, and cooking is not required.

The processing device further comprises a mechanical arm 205, the cooking device 213, the cutter and other processing tools are provided with a first locking part 206, and the mechanical arm 205 is provided with a second locking part 207 capable of being in locking fit with the first locking part 206. When the second locking portion 207 of the robot 205 is in locking engagement with the first locking portion 206 of the processing tool, the robot 205 can control the locked processing tool to process the material.

Referring now to fig. 11, in this embodiment, the material handling system further comprises a detection mechanism 216, such as a camera, a composition detector, which is disposed on the carriage 211. When the container 202 is conveyed to a processing station, the detection mechanism 216 detects material state information and sends the material state information to a processing device, and the processing device processes the material according to the detection information and preset information fed back by the detection mechanism 216. For example, the detection mechanism 216 detects the size of the material to be processed, and the processing device performs slicing or dicing on the material according to the size information fed back by the detection mechanism 216 and according to preset size information.

The material handling system further comprises a feeding mechanism 217 disposed on the carrier 211, wherein when the container 202 is transported to the processing station, the feeding mechanism 217 delivers nutrients to the container 202 according to the material state information detected by the detecting mechanism 216 to maintain the material state or promote the material state change. For example, the container 202 of the material storage subsystem stores the material as crops or fish and shrimp aquatic products, the detection mechanism 216 detects the growth state of the crops or fish and shrimp aquatic products, and the feeding mechanism 217 delivers the nutrient substances into the container 202 according to the growth state information fed back by the detection mechanism 216 to promote the growth or maintenance state of the container 202. For another example, the container 202 of the material storage subsystem stores the material as cultured animal cells, the detection mechanism 216 detects the culture state of the animal cells, the processing device processes the animal cells according to the information fed back by the detection mechanism 216, or the delivery mechanism 217 provides nutrient substances into the container 202 according to the information fed back by the detection mechanism 216 to promote cell division.

Specifically, the releasing mechanism 217 includes a releasing pipeline 218, and a switch 219 disposed on the releasing pipeline 218, the switch 219 is adapted to the second locking portion 207 of the robot 205 of the processing apparatus, and the robot 205 can open and close the switch 219 through the second locking portion 207, and drive the releasing pipeline 218 to move in a set area.

When the crops planted in the container 202 conveyed to the processing station can be harvested, the mechanical arm 205 of the processing device holds the vibrating knife 220 to harvest, and the harvested agricultural products are placed in the container 202, can be processed by the processing device for the next step, and can also be sent back to the storage space by the first conveying mechanism to be stored. As shown in fig. 12 and 13, the handle portion of the vibrating blade 220 is designed with a first locking portion 206, the first locking portion 206 is provided with a stepped locking hole, and the second locking portion 207 of the robot arm 205 of the processing device can be fitted into the stepped locking hole. The first locking portion 206 is further provided with a locking member 221 and a spring 222 for urging the locking member 221 to move toward the opening of the first locking portion 206, and the addition of the locking member 221 and the spring 222 can make the locking between the vibrating blade 220 and the robot 205 more stable.

When the aquatic products of fish and shrimp planted in the container 202 transported to the processing station can be collected, the mechanical arm 205 of the processing device holds the control net spoon 223 to scoop up, as shown in fig. 14, the collected aquatic products are placed in the container 202, can be processed by the processing device for the next step, and can also be sent back to the storage space by the first conveying mechanism to be stored. As shown in fig. 15, the handle portion of the mesh spoon 223 is designed with a first locking portion 206, the first locking portion 206 is provided with a stepped locking hole, and the second locking portion 207 of the robot 205 of the processing device can be inserted into the stepped locking hole.

The material handling system further comprises an environmental conditioning device (not shown) capable of adjusting the environment inside the container, such as light, temperature, humidity, pressure, etc., so that the materials in the container 202 can be preserved or grown in a suitable environment.

The material processing subsystem further includes a second transport mechanism (not shown) that transports the containers 202 containing the material processed by the processing device from the first transport mechanism back to the storage space for storage or from the second transport mechanism to a delivery location. In one embodiment, the second conveying mechanism includes a conveyor belt, and the material is processed by the processing device, poured into the container 202, transferred to the receiving end of the conveyor belt by the robot 205 of the processing device, and then conveyed to the supply position.

Referring back to fig. 8 and 9, in this embodiment, the number of the material storage subsystems is three, the number of the material processing subsystems is two, and the material processing system further includes a moving device (not shown in the drawings), and the moving device can adjust the relative positions between the two material storage subsystems, or between the two material processing subsystems, or between the material storage subsystems and the material processing subsystems, so that the subsystems are more conveniently matched with each other.

EXAMPLE III

Referring to fig. 16-22, an exemplary embodiment of a material handling system according to the present invention is shown. As shown in fig. 16, the material handling system includes a material storage subsystem and a material processing subsystem.

The material storage subsystem comprises a cabinet body 301, and a storage space is formed in the cabinet body 301. At least two first receptacles 302 that can be stacked on top of one another are arranged in the storage space. Each first container 302 may store the same or different materials, such as clothes, towels, etc., as desired. In this embodiment, the storage space can accommodate a plurality of container stacks formed by stacking a plurality of first containers 302, and the storage space is further provided with a supporting device corresponding to the number of the container stacks, and the supporting device supports the container stacks.

In particular, the support means comprises two oppositely arranged support brackets 303, the support brackets 303 forming a vertically arranged guide channel. The peripheral wall of the first container 302 is provided with oppositely arranged limiting protrusions 304, and the limiting protrusions 304 can enter and leave the guide grooves from the upper opening of the guide grooves and the lower horizontal opening of the guide grooves; and, the stopper protrusion 304 of the first accommodator 302 of the accommodator stack located at the lowermost position can overlap the bottom of the guide groove.

The material storage subsystem further includes a first transport mechanism for moving the first container 302 within a predetermined area. In this embodiment, the first transport mechanism includes a robotic arm 305, and the robotic arm 305 is capable of removing and transporting the first receptacle 302 from the receptacle stack to the processing station of the material handling subsystem, and removing and stacking the first receptacle 302 from the processing station of the material handling subsystem into the receptacle stack. Specifically, the mechanical arm 305 is provided with a second locking portion 307 capable of being locked and matched with a first locking portion 306 on the first container 302, and when the mechanical arm 305 is locked and matched with the first container 302, corresponding actions of the mechanical arm 305 can drive the locked first container 302 to move and rotate.

The first conveying mechanism further includes an auxiliary moving mechanism 308, and the auxiliary moving mechanism 308 is used for driving the robot arm 305 to move in the horizontal and/or vertical direction. Since the stack height is high in order to fully utilize the floor space in this embodiment, the auxiliary moving mechanism 308 employs an electric push rod, and a movable rod of the electric push rod is fixedly connected to the robot arm 305 to drive the robot arm 305 to move along the stacking direction of the first container 302, i.e. the vertical direction.

Referring now to fig. 17, one configuration of the first receiver 302 is shown. The first container 302 includes a first case 309 and a second case 310 which can be separated. Specifically, the lower edge of the first box 309 can be fastened with the upper edge of the second box 310, the peripheral wall and the top of the first box 309 are both provided with a first locking portion 306, and the peripheral wall and the bottom of the second box 310 are both provided with a first locking portion 306. The second locking portions 307 of two or more of the robot arms 305 can be simultaneously locked with a corresponding number of first locking portions 306 of the same first container 302, and in a first aspect, the two or more robot arms 305 can cooperate with each other to transfer the first container 302; in the second aspect, when the weight of the first container 302 is large, two or more robot arms 305 can move and rotate the locked first container 302 together; in a third aspect, two or more robots 305 can separate the first box 309 from the second box 310 or cover the first box 309 from the second box 310. It should be understood that the first container 302 may also have other suitable configurations, which are not listed here.

Referring now to fig. 18, one configuration of the second locking portion 307 is shown. The second locking portion 307 includes a main rod 311, and an elliptical locking block 312 is fixed to a free end of the main rod 311. The locking block 312 can be inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 306, and when the locking block 312 is inserted into the stepped locking hole of the first locking portion 306, the robot arm 305 is locked with the corresponding first container 302, and the robot arm 305 can drive the locked first container 302 to move and rotate. It should be understood that the first and second locking portions 306 and 307 may also have other suitable structures.

Returning now to fig. 16, the material processing subsystem comprises a carrier 313, and a processing device is arranged on the carrier 313 for processing the material stored in the first container 302 conveyed by the first conveying mechanism. In this embodiment, the processing device is a washing machine 314, and the material may be placed in the washing machine 314 for washing, dewatering, drying, and the like.

The processing device further comprises a robot arm 305, the washing machine 314 comprises a washing machine main body 315 and a washing machine door 316, as shown in fig. 19, a first locking portion 306 is arranged outside the washing machine door 316, and the robot arm 305 is provided with a second locking portion 307 capable of being locked and matched with the first locking portion 306. When the second locking portion 307 of the robot arm 305 is in locking engagement with the first locking portion 306 of the washing machine door 316, the robot arm 305 can open and close the washing machine door 316.

Specifically, a fixing frame 317 is disposed in the washing machine main body 315, and the fixing frame 317 can rotate along an axis thereof. As shown in fig. 20, the fixing frame 317 may be provided with a plurality of second containers 318, and the second containers 318 are used for containing materials to be placed in the washing machine 314 for washing, dehydrating, drying, and the like.

Referring now to fig. 21 and 22, one configuration of the second receptacle 318 is shown. The second container 318 includes a third pack 319, a fourth pack 320 which are separable; specifically, the lower edge of the third container 319 may be fastened to the upper edge of the fourth container 320, the first locking portion 306 is disposed on the peripheral wall and/or the top of the third container 319, and the first locking portion 306 is disposed on the peripheral wall and/or the bottom of the fourth container 320. The peripheral wall of the third box 319 and/or the peripheral wall of the fourth box 320 are provided with a limit protrusion 304, and the limit protrusion 304 can be clamped in the mounting groove 321 of the fixing frame 317. The third and fourth cases 319 and 320 are further provided with through holes through which water may be introduced into the second container 318 or discharged therefrom. The second locking portions 307 of two or more robot arms 305 of the processing apparatus can be simultaneously locked with a corresponding number of first locking portions 306 of the same second container 318 to separate or cover the third casing 319 and the fourth casing 320 together.

After the first container 302 conveyed by the first conveying mechanism reaches the carrier 313, the robot 305 of the processing device opens the container and puts the materials contained in the container into the second container 318, and then the corresponding second container 318 is put into the washing machine 314 for washing, dewatering, drying, etc., after the materials are washed clean, the second container 318 is taken out of the washing machine 314, opened and put back into the first container 302, and returned to the storage space by the first conveying mechanism, or directly conveyed to the extraction position by the second conveying mechanism (not shown in the figure) of the material processing subsystem.

In an alternative embodiment, the first container 302 and the second container 318 are identical in structure, and both adopt the structure shown in fig. 21 and 22. After the first container 302 conveyed by the first conveying mechanism reaches the bearing frame 313, the mechanical arm 305 of the processing device is directly put into the washing machine 314 for washing, dewatering, drying and the like, and after the materials are washed clean, the materials are taken out of the washing machine 314 and then are sent back to the storage space by the first conveying mechanism, or are directly conveyed to the extraction position by the second conveying mechanism of the material processing subsystem.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express some embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is specific and detailed, but not to be understood as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. A material handling system, comprising

The material storage subsystem comprises a container for storing materials and a first conveying mechanism for moving the container in a preset area;

a material processing subsystem including a processing device for processing the material stored by the receptacle, and a second conveying mechanism for conveying the receptacle containing the processed material to a preset position.

2. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the containers can be stacked on top of each other; the material storage subsystem further comprises a support means for supporting the lowermost container in a stack of containers consisting of containers stacked on top of each other.

3. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the container is provided with a first locking part; the first conveying mechanism is provided with a second locking part which can be matched with the first locking part in a locking mode.

4. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the processing device comprises a processing tool and a mechanical arm capable of controlling the processing tool to process materials; the machining tool is provided with a first locking part, and the mechanical arm is provided with a second locking part which can be matched with the first locking part in a locking mode.

5. The material handling system of claim 4, wherein: the processing device comprises a plurality of processing stations arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the mechanical arm of the processing device can also move along the rail to send materials to the corresponding stations.

6. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the device also comprises a detection mechanism for detecting the state of the material; and the processing device processes the material according to the detection information and the preset information fed back by the detection mechanism.

7. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the environment adjusting device is used for adjusting the environment of the materials in the container.

8. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: a dispensing mechanism for providing nutrients to the material stored in the container to maintain or promote a change in the state of the material is also included.

9. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: the processing device can clean and dry the materials stored in the container.

10. The material handling system of claim 1, wherein: also comprises

And the moving device is used for adjusting the relative position between the two material storage subsystems, or between the two material processing subsystems, or between the material storage subsystem and the material processing subsystem.

11. The material handling system of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: the processing subsystem is also configured to retrieve at least a portion of the material from the receptacle.

Images