CN116331704A

CN116331704A - Transfer device and warehouse system

Info

Publication number: CN116331704A
Application number: CN202111579220.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈叶广
Original assignee: Hai Robotics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hai Robotics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-22
Filing date: 2021-12-22
Publication date: 2023-06-27

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a transfer device and a warehousing system, wherein the transfer device comprises a lifter and a conveying line, and the lifter is used for transferring cargoes on the conveying line and a robot; the elevator comprises a lifting mechanism and a buffer mechanism, wherein the buffer mechanism is provided with a preset number of buffer positions for storing goods; the buffer mechanism is configured to convey a preset length along the conveying direction every time the buffer mechanism descends or ascends to a preset height in the period from the first limit height to the second limit height or the period from the second limit height to the first limit height, wherein the first limit height is the height corresponding to the highest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, the second limit height is the height of the lowest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, and the preset length is the length of the buffer position of the buffer mechanism along the conveying direction, so that the buffer mechanism of the elevator can simultaneously convey a plurality of cargos in one lifting process, and the cargo conveying efficiency is improved.

Description

Transfer device and warehouse system

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of intelligent warehousing, in particular to a transfer device and a warehousing system.

Background

The warehousing system based on the robot adopts an intelligent operating system, realizes automatic taking out and storage of the material box through system instructions, can continuously run for 24 hours, replaces manual management and operation, improves the warehousing efficiency, and is widely applied and favored.

In the field of intelligent warehousing based on robots, goods are often transported through transfer devices such as robots and conveyor lines, so that the tasks of warehousing, sorting or ex-warehouse of the goods are completed.

Generally, the transfer device comprises a unloader, a loading machine, a lifting machine and a conveying line, wherein the unloading and loading of the robot are realized through the unloader and the loading machine, and the goods on each layer of the unloader are transferred to the conveying line through the lifting machine or the goods on the conveying line are transferred to each layer of the loading machine. The existing elevator can only transport one cargo when lifting at a time, and the cargo transport efficiency is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides a transfer device and warehouse system through the lifting machine that includes a plurality of buffer memory positions, has realized that can transfer a plurality of goods in once going up and down, has improved the efficiency of goods transportation.

In order to achieve the above object, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide the following technical solutions:

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a transfer device, including a lifter and a conveying line, where the lifter is disposed on one side of the conveying line, the lifter includes a lifting mechanism and a buffer mechanism, the lifting mechanism is used to drive the buffer mechanism to lift in a vertical direction, and a preset number of buffer positions are disposed on the buffer mechanism, and the buffer positions are used to store goods; the hoisting machine is used for transferring cargoes on the conveying line and the robot; the buffer mechanism is configured to transfer a preset length in a conveying direction every time the buffer mechanism descends or ascends to a preset height during a period from a first limit height to a second limit height or a period from the second limit height to the first limit height, so that the buffer mechanism conveys a plurality of cargoes, wherein the first limit height is a height corresponding to the highest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, the second limit height is a height corresponding to the lowest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, the preset height is a height corresponding to each layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, and the preset length is a length of the buffer position of the buffer mechanism in the conveying direction.

In some embodiments, the elevator comprises at least one first elevator and at least one second elevator, the first elevator and the second elevator being spaced apart along the conveying direction of the conveying line; the conveying directions of the first lifter and the second lifter are opposite; the conveying direction of the first lifting machine is from one end where the robot is located to one end where the conveying line is located, so that cargoes on the robot are conveyed to the conveying line; the conveying direction of the second lifting machine is from one end of the conveying line to one end of the robot, so that goods on the conveying line can be conveyed to the robot.

In some embodiments, when a first elevator is lowered to a second limit height, the first elevator is aligned with the conveyor line to transfer cargo stored at each cache location of the first elevator to the conveyor line; when the treatment of the cargoes corresponding to the first lifting machine transported by the conveying line is completed, controlling the idle second lifting machine to be at a second limiting height and aligning with the conveying line so as to transfer the cargoes corresponding to the processed first lifting machine from the conveying line to the second lifting machine; the conveying line of the second lifter butt joint is located at the downstream of the conveying line of the first lifter butt joint.

In some embodiments, the transfer device comprises a plurality of elevator groups, each elevator group comprises a first elevator and a second elevator, the interval between two elevators in the elevator group is at least the first interval, the plurality of elevator groups are in butt joint with the same conveyor line, and the first interval is the rotation diameter of the robot.

In some embodiments, the transfer device comprises two first lifts and one second lift, wherein one first lift is arranged between the other first lift and the second lift; the interval between the two first elevators is at least a second interval, and the buffer mechanism of the first elevator far away from the second elevator is at least a first length longer than the buffer mechanism of the first elevator close to the second elevator; the second interval is a difference value between the rotation diameter of the robot and the length of the first lifter along the conveying direction of the conveying line, and the first length is the rotation radius of the robot.

In some embodiments, the transfer device comprises a first elevator and two second elevators, wherein one of the second elevators is disposed between the other of the second elevators and the first elevator; the interval between the two second elevators is at least a second interval, and the buffer mechanism of the second elevator far away from the first elevator is at least a first length longer than the buffer mechanism of the second elevator close to the first elevator; the second interval is a difference value between the rotation diameter of the robot and the length of the second lifter along the conveying direction of the conveying line, and the first length is the rotation radius of the robot.

In some embodiments, the staging device further comprises at least one multi-deck handler; the multi-deck handler is configured to transfer cargo on a robot to the hoist and to transfer cargo on the hoist to the robot.

In some embodiments, the multi-layered handler includes a push-pull structure and a transport structure; the push-pull structure is configured to push or pull the cargo on the transport structure to the robot; the conveying structure is used for conveying goods along the conveying direction.

In some embodiments, the conveying structure includes a first conveying unit, a second conveying unit, and a third conveying unit; the third conveying unit is used for connecting the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit and conveying the goods from the first conveying unit to the second conveying unit; the first conveying unit is in butt joint with the first lifting machine and conveys cargoes on the first lifting machine to the multi-layer loader, the second conveying unit is in butt joint with the second lifting machine and conveys cargoes on the second lifting machine to the third conveying unit, the first lifting machine is used for conveying cargoes on the first conveying unit to the conveying line, and the second lifting machine is used for conveying cargoes on the conveying line to the second conveying unit.

In some embodiments, the transfer device further comprises at least one multi-layer unloader and at least one multi-layer loader; one end, far away from the butted conveying line, of the first lifting machine is butted with a goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer unloading machine, so that goods on the multi-layer unloading machine are conveyed to the first lifting machine through the goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer unloading machine; and one end, far away from the butted conveying line, of the second lifting machine is butted with a goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer feeding machine, so that goods on the second lifting machine are transmitted to the multi-layer feeding machine through the butt joint of the goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer feeding machine.

In some embodiments, the first elevator is specifically configured to: when a picking task is executed, a buffer mechanism of the first elevator is positioned at the first limiting height, and the buffer mechanism is controlled to descend from the first limiting height to the second limiting height; transferring cargo stored by a tier of the multi-tier tripper aligned with the buffer mechanism to the buffer mechanism while the buffer mechanism is aligned with each tier of the multi-tier tripper during the descent of the buffer mechanism from the first limit height to the second limit height; and controlling the buffer mechanism to transmit a preset length along the conveying direction when the buffer mechanism descends by a preset height; the second elevator is specifically configured to: when a put task is executed, controlling a buffer mechanism of the second elevator to be at the second limiting height, and controlling the buffer mechanism to rise from the second limiting height to the first limiting height; during the period that the buffer mechanism is lifted from the second limiting height to the first limiting height, when the buffer mechanism is aligned with each layer of the multi-layer feeding machine, goods which are stored on the buffer mechanism and are close to the multi-layer feeding machine are transported to a layer aligned with the buffer mechanism by the upper layer unloading machine; and controlling the buffer mechanism to transmit a preset length along the conveying direction every time the buffer mechanism rises by a preset height.

In some embodiments, the transfer device further comprises a first transfer mechanism disposed between the multi-layer tripper and the multi-layer loader; the first transfer mechanism is used for transferring cargoes of each layer of the multilayer feeding machine to each layer corresponding to the multilayer unloading machine.

In some embodiments, the transfer device further comprises a second transfer mechanism; the second transfer mechanism is arranged on the lifting machine and/or the conveying line, and the second transplanting mechanism is used for: transferring the cargoes stored in each buffer position of the hoister to the conveying line; or transferring the goods stored on the conveying line to a buffer memory position corresponding to the lifting machine; the conveying line is used for conveying cargoes to a corresponding operation table so as to carry out cargo treatment.

In some embodiments, the conveyor line comprises a first sub-conveyor line disposed adjacent to the buffer mechanism of the elevator along a conveying direction of the buffer mechanism of the elevator, the first sub-conveyor line having a length greater than or equal to a length of the buffer mechanism; the second transfer mechanism is further configured to: transferring the cargoes stored in each buffer position of the hoister to the first sub-conveying line; or transferring the cargoes on the first sub-conveying line to the corresponding buffer positions of the hoisting machine.

In some embodiments, the predetermined number is greater than or equal to the number of layers of the multi-layer handler.

In some embodiments, the transfer device further comprises a multi-deck handler disposed at the other end of the hoist that interfaces with the conveyor line, the multi-deck handler configured to transfer cargo on a robot to the hoist and to transfer cargo on the hoist to the robot.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a warehousing system, including a robot and a transfer device provided in any embodiment corresponding to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

The transfer device and the warehouse system provided by the embodiment of the disclosure comprise a conveying line and a lifter in butt joint with the conveying line, wherein the lifter comprises a lifting mechanism and a buffer mechanism, a plurality of buffer positions are arranged on the buffer mechanism, the lifting mechanism ascends or descends in a preset height every time during the lifting of the lifter, and the buffer mechanism transmits a certain length along the conveying direction of the buffer mechanism, so that the lifter can buffer a plurality of cargoes through a plurality of buffer positions of the buffer mechanism in the process of ascending or descending once, the round trip times of the lifter are reduced, the transfer efficiency of cargoes on the upstream equipment of the lifter to the lifter is improved, and the cargo transportation efficiency is further improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a multi-layered loader provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a conveying line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Reference numerals:

100-robot;

20-a transfer device;

200-lifting machine;

202-a lifting mechanism;

204-a caching mechanism;

210-a first hoist;

220-a second elevator;

300-conveying line;

310-a first sub-conveyor line;

320-a second sub-conveyor line;

400-a multi-layer handler;

410-a stand;

420-loading and unloading assembly;

430-push-pull configuration;

440-conveying structure;

442-a first conveying unit;

444-a second conveying unit;

446-a third conveying unit;

500-a multilayer unloader;

600-multilayer feeding machine.

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown by way of the above drawings and will be described in more detail below. These drawings and the written description are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts in any way, but rather to illustrate the disclosed concepts to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more apparent, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar components or components having the same or similar functions throughout. The described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are exemplary and intended for the purpose of explaining the present disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without inventive effort, based on the embodiments in this disclosure are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that, unless explicitly stated and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be fixedly connected, or indirectly connected through intermediaries, for example, or may be in communication with each other between two elements or in an interaction relationship between the two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this disclosure will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as the case may be.

In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship described in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present disclosure and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

The terms "first," "second," "third" (if any) in the description and claims of the present disclosure and in the above-described figures are used for distinguishing between similar objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used may be interchanged where appropriate such that the embodiments of the disclosure described herein may be capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein, for example.

Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, or display that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or display. The following describes the technical solutions of the present disclosure and how the technical solutions of the present disclosure solve the above technical problems in detail with specific embodiments. The following embodiments may be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described in detail in some embodiments. Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Intelligent warehousing is an important link in the logistics process. The intelligent warehouse application ensures the speed and accuracy of data input in each link of the warehouse management of the goods, ensures that enterprises timely and accurately master real data of the inventory, and reasonably maintains and controls the enterprise inventory. The robot can replace manual goods carrying and plays an important role in intelligent storage. When the received delivery orders are received, the robots carry the feed boxes corresponding to the delivery orders to the conveying lines from the storage shelves, the conveying lines carry the operation tables corresponding to the delivery orders of the feed boxes, so that operators sort cargoes in the feed boxes, and when the sorted feed boxes need to be returned to a warehouse, the feed boxes are stored on the storage shelves through the conveying lines and the robots in sequence. Adopt the robot to combine the goods transportation mode of transfer chain, because the robot quantity is limited and the transfer chain is crowded characteristic such as being crowded easily, lead to goods transportation inefficiency, can't satisfy the demand of big batch order processing.

Based on this, the present disclosure provides a transfer device to improve the efficiency of cargo transportation.

The present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings and specific examples.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 1, the transfer device 20 includes a lifter 200 and a transfer line 300, the lifter 200 is disposed at one side of the transfer line 300, and is in butt joint with the transfer line 300, and the lifter 200 is used for transferring goods on the transfer line 300 and the robot 100.

Specifically, the elevator 200 includes a lifting mechanism 202 and a buffer mechanism 204, where the lifting mechanism 202 is used to drive the buffer mechanism 204 to lift in a vertical direction, and a preset number of buffer positions for storing goods are disposed on the buffer mechanism 204. During the period from the first limit height to the second limit height, or during the period from the second limit height to the first limit height, the buffer mechanism 204 is configured to transfer a preset length along the conveying direction D1 for the buffer mechanism 204 to transport a plurality of cargoes or bins every time the buffer mechanism 204 descends or ascends by a preset height, wherein the first limit height is a height corresponding to a highest level of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, the second limit height is a height corresponding to a lowest level of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, the preset height is a height corresponding to each level of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, and the preset length is a length of the buffer position of the buffer mechanism 204 along the conveying direction.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, solid arrows in the figures represent the conveyance directions of the corresponding apparatuses.

In some embodiments, the direction of conveyance may be unidirectional, may be pointed by the robot toward the conveyance line, or may be pointed by the conveyance line toward the robot.

In some embodiments, the robot 100 includes a moving chassis, a column, a picking and placing device, and a temporary storage rack, where the column is disposed on the moving chassis, the picking and placing device and the temporary storage rack are disposed on two sides of the column, the picking and placing device can be lifted along the column, the picking and placing device is used for picking from a warehouse and then placed on the temporary storage rack or picking from the temporary storage rack and then placed on the warehouse, the temporary storage rack can be multiple layers, and the temporary storage rack is used for storing goods or bins extracted by the picking and placing device.

In some embodiments, the height of each layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 is an adjustable parameter, and can be adjusted based on actual requirements, so as to adjust the first limit height, the second limit height and the preset height.

In some embodiments, the first limit height, the second limit height, and the preset height are all fixed values.

In some embodiments, conveyor line 300 is used to transport goods or bins to an operator station for shipment-related operations such as sorting of goods within the bins, packing of the goods, and the like.

In some embodiments, the initial position of the lifting mechanism 202 is a position corresponding to the second limit height.

In some embodiments, the preset number may be greater than or equal to the number of layers of the temporary storage racks of the robot.

In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 202 may include a drive member, which may be an electric motor, and a support member.

In some embodiments, the buffer mechanism 204 may be a conveyor belt or a conveyor line.

In some embodiments, the elevator 200 may be fixedly docked with the conveyor line 300.

In some embodiments, the elevator 200 may be removably docked with the conveyor line 300.

In some embodiments, multiple lifts 200 may be provided, such as 2, 3, 4, or other numbers. The plurality of elevators comprise two elevators with different conveying directions so as to realize the cyclic transfer of cargoes.

In some embodiments, the spacing between the lifts may be the same, i.e., multiple lifts are evenly disposed on one side of the conveyor line 300.

In some embodiments, the robot 100 interfaces in a sideways manner when interfacing with the hoist 200, i.e., the robot 100 interfaces with the hoist 200 on the side of the hoist 200.

Specifically, after the robot 100 extracts the goods or the bins from the storage racks, it moves to the elevator 200 of the transfer device 20 and interfaces with the elevator 200 to transfer the goods or the bins.

In some embodiments, the buffer mechanism 204 of the hoist 200 may include a rolling conveyor assembly, such as a rotating roller or conveyor belt, that can rotate about its own axis of rotation in a conveying direction to transport the goods placed on the hoist 200 and transfer the goods on the hoist 200 to the docked conveyor line 300 or transfer the goods on the conveyor line 300 to the docked hoist 200.

Specifically, the goods stored in each layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot can be placed on the elevator 200 by the pick-and-place device of the robot 100.

Further, after each layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 is docked with the lifter 200, the goods stored on the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 can be carried to the lifter 200 by the pick-and-place device of the robot 100, such as a fork, so as to transfer the goods to the conveyor line 300 through the lifter 200, or the goods stored on the lifter 200 can be carried to the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 by the pick-and-place device of the robot 100, so as to avoid that the pick-and-place device of the robot 100 is lifted for multiple times during pick-and-place, and improve the transfer efficiency of the goods.

In some embodiments, the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 is provided with a roller mechanism that interfaces with the buffer mechanism 204, and can directly transfer the goods from the temporary storage shelf to the buffer mechanism 204 in the docking, or transfer the goods on the buffer mechanism 204 to the temporary storage shelf in the docking.

In some embodiments, the conveyor line 300 may be a single layer conveyor line, the height of which may be any height within the lifting range of the elevator, i.e., any height between the first limit height and the second limit height.

When the goods or the bins need to be transferred from the robot 100 to the conveyor line 300, the buffer mechanism 204 of the lifter 200 is located at an initial height, namely a second limit height, the buffer mechanism 204 can be lifted from the second limit height to the first limit height by the lifting mechanism 202, during the period that the height of the buffer mechanism 204 is lifted from the second limit height to the first limit height, the robot 100 can place the goods or the bins stored in each layer on the buffer mechanism 204 of the lifter 100 when the buffer mechanism 204 is docked with each layer of the temporary storage shelf, thereby realizing the transfer of the goods between the robot 100 and the lifter 200, and further adjusting the height of the buffer mechanism 204 to the height of the conveyor line 300 by the lifting mechanism 202, so that the goods or the bins on the buffer mechanism 204 are transferred to the conveyor line 300.

When the goods or the bin is required to be transferred from the robot 100 to the conveying line 300, after the buffer mechanism 204 is lifted to the first limit height by the lifting mechanism 202, the buffer mechanism 204 is in butt joint with the highest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100 so as to receive the goods stored in the highest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100; then, the lifting mechanism 202 drives the buffer mechanism 204 to descend from the first limit height to the second limit height, and during the descent of the buffer mechanism 204, the buffer mechanism 204 moves to the end where the conveying line 300 is located by a preset length every time when the buffer mechanism 204 descends by a preset height, so that when the buffer mechanism 204 is aligned with the rest layers of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, goods or bins can be stored on the temporary storage shelf layers of the robot 100 through the buffer mechanism 204, which are close to the end of the robot 100, at the idle buffer position, and the buffer mechanism 204 can receive the goods or bins stored on the various layers of the robot 100 during the descent from the first limit height to the second limit height.

When the cargos on the conveyor line 300 need to be transported to the robot 100, taking the number of cargos to be transported as a preset number as an example, a specific transportation process may be: the lifting mechanism 202 of the lifting machine 200 controls the buffer mechanism 204 of the lifting machine 200 to be at the corresponding height of the conveying line 300, and a preset number of cargoes or bins on the conveying line 300 are transferred to each buffer position of the buffer mechanism 204, so that the buffer mechanism 204 is driven to be at the second limit height or the first limit height by the lifting mechanism 202. The buffer mechanism 204 is driven by the lifting mechanism 202 to rise from the second limit height to the first limit height or fall from the first limit height to the second limit height, and during the period of rising or falling of the buffer mechanism 204, the buffer mechanism 200 moves to the end where the robot 100 is located by a preset length every time when rising or falling by a preset height, so that when the buffer mechanism 204 is aligned with the rest layers of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, the robot 100 can transfer the goods or the material boxes stored on the buffer position of the buffer mechanism 204 near the end of the robot 100 to the layers of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, and the buffer mechanism 204 can realize the transfer of a plurality of goods or material boxes during the period of rising from the second limit height to the first limit height or falling from the first limit height to the second limit height.

Specifically, when the pick-and-place device of the robot 100 transfers the goods or the bin stored on the buffer storage position of the buffer storage mechanism 204 near one end of the robot 100 to the layer of the temporary storage shelf butted with the buffer storage mechanism 204, the buffer storage position becomes an idle buffer storage position, so that the buffer storage mechanism 204 moves by a preset length (the length of one buffer storage position) along the direction of the robot, and when the buffer storage mechanism 204 is butted with the next layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot 100, the buffer storage position near one end of the robot 100 is the buffer storage position storing the goods or the bin.

In some embodiments, the transfer device 20 may include one conveyor line 300 and a plurality of lifts 200. The conveyor line 300 may include sub-conveyor lines interfacing with each of the lifts 200, and a main conveyor line interfacing with each of the sub-conveyor lines, the plurality of lifts 200 may be disposed on a same side of the conveyor line 300, and a side of the conveyor line 300 remote from the lifts 200 may be provided with one or more stations to process goods or material boxes on the conveyor line 300.

The transfer device 20 provided in this embodiment includes a conveying line 300 and a lifter 200 that is in butt joint with the conveying line 300, where the lifter 200 includes a lifting mechanism 202 and a buffer mechanism 204, where a plurality of buffer positions are provided on the buffer mechanism 204, and during the period of lifting or lowering of the lifter 200, every time the lifter is lifted or lowered by a preset height, the buffer mechanism 204 transmits a certain length along the conveying direction thereof, so that the lifter 200 can buffer a plurality of cargoes through the plurality of buffer positions of the buffer mechanism 204 during the lifting or lowering process, the number of times of the lifting 200 going back and forth is reduced, the efficiency of transferring cargoes to the lifting on the upstream equipment of the lifter 200 is improved, and the efficiency of transporting cargoes is further improved.

In some embodiments, the conveying direction of the lifter 200 may be unidirectional, the lifter 200 may be divided into a first lifter and a second lifter according to the conveying direction, the conveying direction of the second lifter is opposite to the conveying direction of the second lifter, the conveying direction of the first lifter may be directed by the robot 100 to the conveying line 300, and the conveying direction of the second lifter may be directed by the conveying line 300 to the robot 100.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and as can be seen from fig. 1 and fig. 2, a lifter 200 of the transfer device 20 according to the present embodiment includes a first lifter 210 and a second lifter 220.

The first lifter 210 and the second lifter 220 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction D2 of the conveying line 300; the conveying direction of the first lifter 210 is opposite to that of the second lifter 220; the conveying direction of the first lifter 210 is from one end of the robot 100 to one end of the conveying line 300 so as to convey the goods on the robot 100 to the conveying line 300; the conveying direction of the second lifter 220 is from the end of the conveying line 300 to the end of the robot 100, so as to convey the goods on the conveying line 300 to the robot 100. The conveying direction of the first lifter 210 and the second lifter 220 is unidirectional.

In some embodiments, the first elevator 210 and the second elevator 220 are elevators that only have different conveying directions, and the specific structures of the lifting mechanism 202 and the buffer mechanism 204 are the same.

In some embodiments, only one first hoist 210 and one second hoist 220 may be included.

In some embodiments, one first hoist 210 and a plurality of second hoists 220 may be included.

In some embodiments, a plurality of first lifts 210 and one second lift 220 may be included.

In some embodiments, only the plurality of first lifters 210 and the plurality of second lifters 220 may be included.

In some embodiments, the number of first lifts 210 and second lifts may be the same.

In some embodiments, a plurality of first lifts 210 may be disposed adjacent to one another and a plurality of second lifts may be disposed adjacent to one another.

In some embodiments, each first hoist 210 may be disposed adjacent to one second hoist 220 to form a set of hoists for bi-directional transfer of cargo between the robot 100 and the conveyor line 300.

In some embodiments, after the elevator 200 is docked with the conveyor line 300, the conveyor line 300 may be considered an extension of the buffer mechanism 204 of the elevator 200, and the elevator 200 may sequentially transport the goods stored in its respective buffer locations to the conveyor line along the conveying direction.

In some embodiments, the conveyor line 300 may include sub-conveyor lines disposed along and perpendicular to the conveying direction of the elevator 200, so that the elevator 200 can push or transfer the goods stored in its respective buffer locations to the conveyor line 300 at the same time, to further improve the efficiency of the goods transportation.

Specifically, when the first lift 210 (or the buffer mechanism 204 of the first lift 210) is lowered to the second limit height, the first lift 210 is aligned with the conveyor line 300 to transfer the cargo stored at each buffer location of the first lift 210 to the conveyor line 300; when the handling of the respective goods corresponding to the first lifter 210 transported by the conveyor line 300 is completed, controlling the idle second lifter 220 (or the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220) to be at the second limit height and aligned with the conveyor line 300 so as to transfer the respective goods corresponding to the processed first lifter 210 from the conveyor line 300 to the second lifter 300; wherein the conveyor line to which the second lifter 220 is docked is located downstream of the conveyor line to which the first lifter 210 is docked. The bidirectional transfer of the cargoes between the robot 100 and the conveying line 300 is realized through the first lifter 210 and the second lifter 220, the transfer path of the cargo transfer is reduced, the cargo delivery and return efficiency is improved, the occupied area of the cargo transfer related device is reduced, and the storage density of the storage system is further improved.

The transfer device that this embodiment provided, including transfer chain and with the lifting machine of transfer chain butt joint, this lifting machine includes elevating system and buffer gear, be provided with a plurality of buffer memory positions on this buffer gear, at the ascending or during decline of lifting machine, every ascends or descends and presets the height, this buffer gear transmits certain length along its direction of delivery, thereby make the lifting machine at a plurality of buffer memory position buffering a plurality of goods of in the in-process accessible buffer gear that once ascends or descends, the number of times that the lifting machine was come and go has been reduced, the efficiency that the goods was transferred to the lifting machine on the lifting machine upstream equipment has been improved, and then the efficiency of goods transportation has been improved.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the transfer device 20 includes a conveying line 300 and a plurality of elevator combinations, in fig. 3, 2 elevator combinations are taken as an example, each elevator combination includes a first elevator 210 and a second elevator 220, an interval between two elevators (the first elevator 210 and the second elevator 220) in the elevator combination is at least a first interval, an interval between the two elevator combinations shown in fig. 3 is greater than the first interval, and the plurality of elevator combinations dock the same conveying line 300, wherein the first interval is a rotation diameter of the robot 100, and the at least first interval enables the robot 100 to switch the elevators in the docked elevator combination in a straight manner along a direction of a dotted arrow after rotating 180 ° in place, thereby realizing pick-and-place cargo integration, reducing a travelling distance of the robot 100, improving cargo transportation efficiency, and reducing a occupied area of the transfer device 20.

In some embodiments, 3 or more elevator combinations may be provided based on actual demand.

In some embodiments, adjacently disposed elevator combinations may share one first elevator 210 or second elevator 220.

In some embodiments, the first lifter 210 in each lifter combination is located in front of the second lifter 220 in the conveying direction of the conveying line 300, i.e., the first lifter 210 and the second lifter 220 are sequentially disposed in the conveying direction of the conveying line 300, and the number of the first lifter 210 and the second lifter 220 is the same.

In some embodiments, the order of placement of the first hoist 210 and the second hoist 220 in adjacent hoist combinations may be the same or opposite.

In some embodiments, the spacing between adjacent elevator groups may be 0 or other set point, and the spacing between adjacent elevator groups may be determined based on the length of the conveyor line 300.

Illustratively, taking two elevator groups as an example, the two elevator groups may be disposed at both ends of one side of the conveyor line 300, respectively, to reduce the influence between the two elevator groups.

In some embodiments, the number of first lifts 210 may be greater than the number of second lifts 220 to increase the efficiency of shipment of the cargo. Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 2 and 4, in this embodiment, the transfer device 20 may be composed of two first lifters 210, one second lifter 220, and a conveying line 300. One of the first lifters 210 is disposed between the other of the first lifters 210 and the second lifter 220; the interval between the two first lifters 210 is at least a second interval, and the buffer mechanism 204 of the first lifter 210 far from the second lifter 220 is longer than the buffer mechanism 204 of the first lifter 210 near the second lifter 220 by at least a first length; the second interval is a difference between a rotation diameter of the robot 100 and a length of the first lifter 210 along the conveying direction of the conveying line 300, and the first length is a rotation radius of the robot 100, so that after one robot is docked with one of the first lifters 210, the other robot is docked with the other first lifter 210, and the two robots cannot collide during operation.

In some embodiments, the first hoist 210 is spaced from the second hoist 220 with the smallest spacing by at least the first spacing described above. The robot 100 can travel in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow in fig. 4 from the entrance I of the transfer device 20 to transfer the cargo by docking with the corresponding elevator. By the arrangement of the first interval, the second interval and the first length, it is ensured that the respective robots 100 do not collide when working at the transfer device 20.

In some embodiments, two first lifts 210 and one second lift 220 provided in fig. 4 may be grouped together, and a plurality of the lifts of fig. 4 may be disposed along a conveying direction of the conveying line, so as to process the transportation of the bulk goods in parallel, and improve the goods transportation efficiency.

In some embodiments, the number of second lifts 220 may be plural, such as two or other values, and the plural second lifts 220 may be disposed immediately adjacent to each other, i.e., the transfer device 20 may be composed of two immediately adjacent first lifts 210, plural separate second lifts 220, and the conveyor line 300, and the second lifts 220 may be spaced apart from the first lifts 210 with the smallest spacing by at least the first spacing. The spacing between the two first lifts 210 is at least a second spacing and the buffer gear 204 of the first lift 210 that is farther from the second lift 220 is longer than the buffer gear 204 of the first lift 210 that is closer to the second lift 220 by at least a first length.

By providing a plurality of first lifts 210 and second lifts 220, the number of parallel transfer of goods by the transfer device 20 is increased, and the transfer or transportation efficiency of the goods is improved.

In some embodiments, the number of second lifts 220 may be greater than the number of first lifts 210 to increase the efficiency of the warehousing of the goods. Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 2 and 5, in this embodiment, the transfer device 20 may be composed of one first lifter 210, two second lifters 220, and a conveying line 300. One of the second lifts 220 is disposed between the other second lift 200 and the first lift 210; the spacing between the two second lifts 220 is at least a second spacing, the buffer gear 204 of the second lift 220 that is further from the first lift 210 being longer than the length of the buffer gear 204 of said second lift 220 that is closer to the first lift 210 by at least a first length. So that two robots do not collide during the operation when one robot is docked with one of the second lifts 220 and the other robot is docked with the other second lift 220.

In some embodiments, the second elevator 220 is spaced at least the first interval from the first elevator 210 having the smallest interval. The robot 100 can travel in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow in fig. 5 from the entrance I of the transfer device 20 to transfer the cargo by docking with the corresponding elevator. By the arrangement of the first interval, the second interval and the first length, it is ensured that the respective robots 100 do not collide when working at the transfer device 20.

In some embodiments, one first elevator 210 and two second elevators 220 provided in fig. 5 may be grouped together, and a plurality of the elevators in fig. 5 may be disposed along the conveying direction of the conveying line, so as to process the transportation of the bulk goods in parallel, thereby improving the goods transportation efficiency.

In some embodiments, the number of first lifts 210 may be multiple, such as two or other values, and the multiple first lifts 210 may be disposed immediately adjacent, i.e., the transfer device 20 may be comprised of multiple immediately adjacent first lifts 210, two separate second lifts 220, and a conveyor line 300, with the first lifts 210 being spaced at least a first interval from the least-spaced second lifts 220. The spacing between the two second lifts 220 is at least a second spacing, and the buffer gear 204 of the second lift 220 that is farther from the first lift 210 is longer than the buffer gear 204 of the second lift 220 that is closer to the first lift 210 by at least a first length.

In some embodiments, the transfer device 20 further comprises a second transfer mechanism; the second transfer mechanism is disposed on the lifter (such as the lifter 200, the first lifter 210, and the second lifter 220) and/or the conveyor line 300, and the second transplanting mechanism is configured to: transferring the goods stored in each buffer memory position of the elevator to the conveying line 300; or, transferring the goods stored on the conveying line 300 to a buffer memory position corresponding to the elevator; the conveyor line 300 is used for conveying cargoes to a corresponding operation table for cargo handling.

In some embodiments, the side of the conveyor line 300 remote from the elevator may be provided with a plurality of stations for sorting, packing, etc. of the goods for shipment.

Fig. 6 is a transfer device provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 1 to 6, in this embodiment, the transfer device 20 further includes: a multi-deck handler 400.

The multi-deck handler 400 is configured to transfer cargo on the robot 100 to the hoist 200 and to transfer cargo on the hoist 200 to the robot 100. The multi-deck handler 400 is disposed at the other end of the elevator 200 where it interfaces with the conveyor line 300.

In this embodiment, the hoist 200 transfers the goods with the robot 100 through the multi-deck loader 400, so that the robot 100 can quickly unload or load the goods, and further improves the efficiency of transporting the goods.

In some embodiments, the number of layers of the multi-layer tripper 400 may be equal to the number of layers of the temporary storage shelves of the robot 100.

In some embodiments, the multi-deck loader 400 includes a riser 410 and a plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420, the riser 410 extending in a vertical direction. The plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420 are provided at intervals in the vertical direction to the vertical frame 410, and the plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420 can respectively transport the goods to the robot 100 or discharge the goods on the robot 100 at different heights.

In some embodiments, the spacing between the plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420 corresponds to the spacing between layers of temporary storage shelves on the robot 100.

As an achievable manner, the plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420 are disposed on the vertical frame 410 at equal intervals along the vertical direction, and the plurality of loading and unloading assemblies 420 can respectively convey cargos to the robot 100 or unload cargos on the robot 100 at different heights, so that the waiting time of the robot 100 in the loading and unloading process is greatly shortened, and further the loading and unloading efficiency of the robot 100 is obviously improved. Meanwhile, the multi-layer loader 400 can load and unload cargoes at specified heights or load and unload all cargoes at all heights at one time, so that the flexibility is high, and the overall conveying efficiency of loading and unloading is finally improved.

It will be appreciated that the present disclosure contemplates that the goods may also be empty bins or bins carrying material, or cartons or other goods that may be provided to the user, etc. It should be noted that the robot 100 includes various mechanical devices that can realize the transfer of the goods, such as a device that conveys the goods between two positions, a device having a sorting function, a stacker having a stacking function, and the like.

In some embodiments, each loading and unloading assembly 420 can be individually actuated to effect delivery of cargo to or unloading of cargo on the robot.

In some embodiments, each loading and unloading assembly 420 includes a bracket 420, a loading and unloading structure, and a first driving structure, where the plurality of brackets are disposed on the vertical frame 410 at intervals along the vertical direction, the first driving structure and the loading and unloading structure are respectively disposed on the corresponding brackets, the loading and unloading structure is in transmission connection with the first driving structure, and the loading and unloading structure is used for conveying goods to the robot 100 or unloading goods on the robot 100. The separate first drive arrangements in each loading and unloading assembly 420 can allow each loading and unloading assembly 420 to individually perform the delivery of the cargo to the robot 100 or the unloading of the cargo on the robot 100.

In some embodiments, the loading and unloading structure comprises a chain and a lug, the chain is rotatably arranged on the bracket along the loading and unloading direction, and the lug is fixedly arranged on the chain. The first driving structure comprises a driving motor which is in transmission connection with the chain; the chain can bear goods, when the driving motor drives the chain to rotate, the bump pushes the bottom of the goods to push the goods to the robot 100, or the bump pulls the bottom of the goods to pull the goods from the robot 100 to the chain, or the bump blocks the bottom of the goods, and the goods are transferred to the chain in the multi-layer loader 400 when the robot 100 is far away from the multi-layer loader 400. Specifically, the chain sets up on two sprockets that set up along loading and unloading goods direction interval, and driving motor's output shaft is connected with one of them sprocket transmission, and driving motor drives the chain operation when rotating, and then the lug promotes the goods bottom in order to push away the goods to robot 100, or the lug pulls the goods bottom in order to pull the goods to the chain from robot 100.

In some embodiments, the loading and unloading assembly 420 further includes a synchronizing rod, and the two chains are respectively connected with the synchronizing rod in a transmission manner, and the driving motor is connected with one chain in a transmission manner. Specifically, the synchronizing rod is connected with two chain wheels arranged at intervals along the horizontal direction perpendicular to the loading and unloading direction, so that the synchronous rotation of the two chains is ensured.

In some embodiments, belts, timing belts, etc. are used in place of the chains.

In some embodiments, the multi-deck handler 400 further includes a second driving structure that moves the stand 410 toward or away from the robot 100 in the loading and unloading direction, and when the second driving structure moves the stand 410 toward or away from the robot 100, the multi-deck handler 400 delivers cargo to the robot 100 or unloads cargo on the robot 100.

In some embodiments, each loading and unloading assembly 420 includes a loading and unloading bridge and a push-pull structure, wherein one end of the loading and unloading bridge is disposed on the vertical frame 410 at intervals, and the push-pull structure is rotatably disposed on the other end of the corresponding loading and unloading bridge. When the loading and unloading arm approaches or departs from the robot 100 in the loading and unloading direction, the push-pull structure pushes and pulls the goods to convey the goods to the robot 100 or to unload the goods on the robot 100. The push-pull structure has a push-pull position and a second avoidance position when rotated, and the push-pull structure conveys goods to the robot 100 or pulls down the goods on the robot 100 when rotated to the push-pull position. When the push-pull structure rotates to the second avoiding position, the push-pull structure avoids the goods.

It will be appreciated that the push-pull structure may be a top, middle or bottom portion of the push-pull cargo when pushing or pulling the cargo.

In some embodiments, the multi-deck handler 400 further includes at least one cache shelf to which the stand 410 is movably disposed in a horizontal direction, and the second driving structure drives the stand 410 to move in the horizontal direction relative to the cache shelf. The buffer storage shelves include multi-tier shelves in a vertical direction, and the loading and unloading assembly 420 pulls the goods of different heights on the robot 100 to the corresponding tier shelves on the buffer storage shelves, or the loading and unloading assembly 420 pushes the goods on the tiers of the buffer storage shelves to the robot 100. The cache shelf can temporarily store the load unloaded from the robot 100 or temporarily store the load transferred to the robot 100.

As one possible way, the buffer shelf comprises multiple levels of rollers arranged in a vertical direction, each level of rollers being capable of transporting goods individually in a loading and unloading direction.

In some embodiments, each tier of register rollers is capable of carrying multiple loads simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the multi-deck handler 400 further includes a handling bridge having one end disposed vertically on the upright 410 and a push-pull structure rotatably disposed at the other end of the corresponding handling bridge. When the loading and unloading arm approaches or departs from the robot 100 in the loading and unloading direction, the push-pull structure pushes and pulls the goods to convey the goods to the robot 100 or to unload the goods on the robot 100.

In some embodiments, the multi-layered handler 400 includes a push-pull structure and a transport structure; the push-pull structure is configured to push the cargo on the transport structure to the robot 100 or to pull the cargo on the robot 100 to the transport structure; the conveying structure is used for conveying goods along the conveying direction.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural view of a multi-layered loader provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 2 to 7, the multi-layered loader 400 includes a push-pull structure 430 and a conveying structure 440, and the conveying structure 440 includes a first conveying unit 442, a second conveying unit 444, and a third conveying unit 446. The third conveying unit 406 is used for connecting the first conveying unit 442 and the second conveying unit 444, and conveying the cargo from the first conveying unit 442 to the second conveying unit 444; the first conveying unit 442 is in butt joint with the first lifter 210 and conveys the goods on the first lifter 210 to the multi-deck loader 400, the second conveying unit 444 is in butt joint with the second lifter 220 and conveys the goods on the second lifter 220 to the third conveying unit 446, the first lifter 210 transfers the goods on the first conveying unit 442 to the conveying line 300, and the second lifter 220 is used for transferring the goods on the conveying line 300 to the second conveying unit 444.

In some embodiments, the first, second, and third conveying

units

442, 444, 446 may include rolling conveyor components, such as rotating rollers, conveyor belts, and the like.

Through the arrangement of the first conveying unit 442, the second conveying unit 444 and the third conveying unit 446, bidirectional conveying of cargoes based on one multi-layer unloader is achieved, and cargo transfer efficiency is improved.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 2 to 8, in this embodiment, the transfer device 20 further includes: a multi-layer unloader 500 and a multi-layer loader 600. One end of the first lifter 210, which is far from the docked conveyor line 300, is docked with the goods entrance of the multi-layered unloader 500 so that the goods on the multi-layered unloader 500 are transferred to the first lifter 210 through the goods entrance of the multi-layered unloader 500; the end of the second lifter 220 remote from the docked conveyor line 300 is docked with the goods entrance of the multi-deck loader 600 such that the goods on the second lifter 220 are transferred to the multi-deck loader 600 through the goods entrance docking of the multi-deck loader 600.

In some embodiments, the multi-layer unloader 500 and the multi-layer loader 600 may have the same structure as the multi-layer loader 400, and only the loading and unloading directions are different, the multi-layer unloader 500 and the multi-layer loader 600 are opposite, the multi-layer unloader 500 is used for unloading the goods from the robot 100, and the multi-layer loader 600 is used for conveying the goods to the robot 100.

In some embodiments, the multi-layer loader 600 may be a multi-layer loader 400 that removes the push-pull structure.

In some embodiments, each first elevator 210 may interface with one multi-tier unloader 500 and each second elevator 220 may interface with one multi-tier unloader 600.

The first elevator 210, which interfaces with the multi-deck unloader 500, is specifically configured to: when the picking task is executed, the buffer mechanism 204 of the first lifter 210 is located at the first limit height, and the buffer mechanism 204 of the first lifter 210 is controlled to descend from the first limit height to the second limit height; during the lowering of the buffer gear 204 of the first elevator 210 from the first limit height to the second limit height, transferring the goods stored in the tier in which the multiple tier tripper 500 is aligned with the buffer gear 204 of the first elevator 210 to the buffer gear 204 of the first elevator 210 while the buffer gear 204 of the first elevator 210 is aligned with each tier of the multiple tier tripper 500; and controls the buffer mechanism 204 of the first elevator 210 to transfer a preset length in the conveying direction every time the preset height is lowered. The second lifter in butt joint with the multi-layer feeding machine 600 is specifically used for: when a put task is executed, controlling the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220 to be at a second limit height, and controlling the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220 to rise from the second limit height to the first limit height; during the time that the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220 is rising from the second limit height to the first limit height, when the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220 is aligned with each tier of the multi-tier loader 600, transferring the goods stored on the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220 near the multi-tier loader 600 to the tier where the upper-tier unloader 600 is aligned with the buffer mechanism 204 of the second lifter 220; and controls the buffer mechanism 204 of the second elevator 220 to transfer a preset length in the conveying direction every time a preset height is raised.

In some embodiments, the number of cache bits of the elevator 200, i.e., the preset number is greater than or equal to the number of layers of the multi-deck handler 400, the multi-deck unloader 500, or the multi-deck loader 600.

The robot 100, the multi-layer unloader 500, the first lifter 210 and the conveying line 300 form a warehouse-out conveying route of cargoes, and the conveying line 300, the second lifter 220, the multi-layer loader 600 and the robot 100 form a warehouse-in conveying route of cargoes, so that bidirectional cargo transportation is realized, and cargo transportation efficiency is improved.

In some embodiments, the multi-deck unloader 500 is also used to transport cargo to the robot 100, i.e., the multi-deck unloader 500 can be converted to the multi-deck unloader 400 described above, and the loading and unloading direction can be bi-directional, either loading onto the robot 100 or unloading from the robot 100. The multi-layer loader 600 may be connected to the multi-layer unloader 500 to transfer the cargoes of each layer of the multi-layer loader 600 to each layer corresponding to the multi-layer unloader 500, so that the cargoes are transferred to the robot 100 through the multi-layer unloader 500, and when more cargoes to be put in storage exist, the multi-layer unloader 500 can be used as a multi-layer loader by changing the loading and unloading direction of the multi-layer unloader 500, so that the flexibility of the transfer device 20 is improved, and the efficiency of putting in storage of cargoes is improved.

In some embodiments, the transfer device 20 further comprises a first transfer mechanism disposed between the multi-layer unloader 500 and the multi-layer loader 600; the first transfer mechanism is used for transferring cargoes of each layer of the multi-layer loader 600 to each layer corresponding to the multi-layer unloader 500. The arrangement of the first transfer mechanism should not affect the loading and unloading of the goods by the multi-layer unloader 500 and the multi-layer loader 600, and the arrangement position and specific structure of the first transfer mechanism are not limited in this disclosure.

In some embodiments, the first transfer mechanism is disposed on opposite sides of the multi-layer unloader 500 and the multi-layer loader 600.

Illustratively, the first transfer mechanism may interface with the loading and unloading assemblies or buffer shelves of the multi-tier unloader 500 and multi-tier loader 600.

In an embodiment, the number of layers of the first transplanting mechanism may be identical to the number of layers of the multi-layer unloader 500 or the multi-layer loader 600.

In some embodiments, the first transfer mechanism may be a single layer.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a conveying line provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and referring to fig. 1 to 9, in this embodiment, the conveying line 300 includes a first sub-conveying line 310 and a second sub-conveying line 320, the first sub-conveying line 310 is disposed adjacent to the buffer mechanism 204 of the elevator 200 along a conveying direction D1 of the buffer mechanism 204 of the elevator 200, and a length of the first sub-conveying line 310 is greater than or equal to a length of the buffer mechanism 204 of the immediately adjacent elevator 200; the second sub-transfer line 320 is connected to the first sub-transfer line 310 to form a path for cargo transportation. In fig. 9, the conveyor line 300 includes two first sub-conveyor lines 310, and in some embodiments, the conveyor line 300 may include one, three or other number of first sub-conveyor lines 310, which may be set according to actual requirements.

In some embodiments, the first sub-conveying line 310 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the second sub-conveying line 320, or is at another set angle, and may be adjusted based on actual conditions.

In some embodiments, each elevator (e.g., elevator 200, first elevator 210, or second elevator 220) may correspond to a first sub-conveyor line 310. The second sub-feeding lines 320 are used to connect the respective first sub-feeding lines 310 to form a path.

The second transfer mechanism is further configured to: transferring the goods stored in each buffer position of the elevator 200 to the first sub-conveyor line 310; or, the goods on the first sub-conveying line 310 are transferred to the corresponding buffer position of the lifter 200.

In some embodiments, the direction of conveyance of the second sub-conveyor line 320 is perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the buffer mechanism 204 of the elevator 200.

Each buffer position of the elevator can be transferred to the transfer line 300 simultaneously or in parallel through the first sub-transfer line 310, so that the elevator can transfer the goods of the next wave fast, and the efficiency of goods transfer is improved.

The embodiment of the disclosure also provides a warehousing system, which comprises: above-mentioned transfer device and robot.

In some embodiments, the warehousing system further includes a storage rack. The storage shelf is used for storing goods, the robot is used for extracting the goods from the storage shelf and transporting the goods to the transfer device so as to process the goods, and the robot is used for transporting the goods at the processed transfer device to the storage shelf for storage.

In this specification, each embodiment is mainly described and is different from other embodiments, and the same similar parts between the embodiments are mutually referred to.

In the description of the present specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present disclosure, and not for limiting the same; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. The transfer device is characterized by comprising a lifting machine and a conveying line, wherein the lifting machine is arranged on one side of the conveying line and comprises a lifting mechanism and a buffer mechanism, the lifting mechanism is used for driving the buffer mechanism to lift in the vertical direction, a preset number of buffer positions are arranged on the buffer mechanism, and the buffer positions are used for storing goods;

the hoisting machine is used for transferring cargoes on the conveying line and the robot;

the buffer mechanism is configured to transfer a preset length in a conveying direction every time the buffer mechanism descends or ascends to a preset height during a period from a first limit height to a second limit height or a period from the second limit height to the first limit height, so that the buffer mechanism conveys a plurality of cargoes, wherein the first limit height is a height corresponding to the highest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, the second limit height is a height corresponding to the lowest layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, the preset height is a height corresponding to each layer of the temporary storage shelf of the robot, and the preset length is a length of the buffer position of the buffer mechanism in the conveying direction.

2. The transfer device of claim 1, wherein the elevator comprises at least one first elevator and at least one second elevator, the first elevator and the second elevator being spaced apart along a conveying direction of the conveyor line;

the conveying directions of the first lifter and the second lifter are opposite; the conveying direction of the first lifting machine is from one end where the robot is located to one end where the conveying line is located, so that cargoes on the robot are conveyed to the conveying line; the conveying direction of the second lifting machine is from one end of the conveying line to one end of the robot, so that goods on the conveying line can be conveyed to the robot.

3. The transfer device of claim 2, wherein the transfer device comprises a plurality of sensors,

when the first elevator descends to a second limiting height, the first elevator is aligned with the conveying line so as to transfer cargoes stored in each buffer position of the first elevator to the conveying line;

when the treatment of the cargoes corresponding to the first lifting machine transported by the conveying line is completed, controlling the idle second lifting machine to be at a second limiting height and aligning with the conveying line so as to transfer the cargoes corresponding to the processed first lifting machine from the conveying line to the second lifting machine;

The conveying line of the second lifter butt joint is located at the downstream of the conveying line of the first lifter butt joint.

4. The transfer device of claim 2, comprising a plurality of elevator groups, each elevator group comprising a first elevator and a second elevator, wherein the interval between two elevators in the elevator group is at least the first interval, the plurality of elevator groups are abutted to the same conveyor line, wherein the first interval is a rotational diameter of the robot.

5. The transfer device of claim 2, comprising two first lifts and one second lift, wherein one of the first lifts is disposed between the other of the first lifts and the second lifts;

the interval between the two first elevators is at least a second interval, and the buffer mechanism of the first elevator far away from the second elevator is at least a first length longer than the buffer mechanism of the first elevator close to the second elevator;

the second interval is a difference value between the rotation diameter of the robot and the length of the first lifter along the conveying direction of the conveying line, and the first length is the rotation radius of the robot.

6. The transfer device of claim 2, comprising a first hoist and two second hoists, wherein one of the second hoists is disposed between the other of the second hoists and the first hoist;

the interval between the two second elevators is at least a second interval, and the buffer mechanism of the second elevator far away from the first elevator is at least a first length longer than the buffer mechanism of the second elevator close to the first elevator;

the second interval is a difference value between the rotation diameter of the robot and the length of the second lifter along the conveying direction of the conveying line, and the first length is the rotation radius of the robot.

7. The transfer device of any one of claims 2-6, further comprising at least one multi-deck handler; the multi-deck handler is configured to transfer cargo on a robot to the hoist and to transfer cargo on the hoist to the robot.

8. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the multi-layered handler comprises a push-pull structure and a transport structure;

The push-pull structure is configured to push or pull the cargo on the transport structure to the robot;

the conveying structure is used for conveying goods along the conveying direction.

9. The transfer device of claim 8, wherein the conveying structure comprises a first conveying unit, a second conveying unit, and a third conveying unit;

the third conveying unit is used for connecting the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit and conveying the goods from the first conveying unit to the second conveying unit;

the first conveying unit is in butt joint with the first lifting machine and conveys cargoes on the first lifting machine to the multi-layer loader, the second conveying unit is in butt joint with the second lifting machine and conveys cargoes on the second lifting machine to the third conveying unit, the first lifting machine is used for conveying cargoes on the first conveying unit to the conveying line, and the second lifting machine is used for conveying cargoes on the conveying line to the second conveying unit.

10. The transfer device of claim 7, wherein the predetermined number is greater than or equal to the number of layers of the multi-layer loader.

11. The transfer device of any one of claims 2-6, further comprising at least one multi-layer unloader and at least one multi-layer loader;

one end, far away from the butted conveying line, of the first lifting machine is butted with a goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer unloading machine, so that goods on the multi-layer unloading machine are conveyed to the first lifting machine through the goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer unloading machine; and one end, far away from the butted conveying line, of the second lifting machine is butted with a goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer feeding machine, so that goods on the second lifting machine are transmitted to the multi-layer feeding machine through the butt joint of the goods inlet and outlet of the multi-layer feeding machine.

12. The transfer device of claim 11, wherein the first hoist is specifically configured to:

when a picking task is executed, a buffer mechanism of the first elevator is positioned at the first limiting height, and the buffer mechanism is controlled to descend from the first limiting height to the second limiting height;

transferring cargo stored by a tier of the multi-tier tripper aligned with the buffer mechanism to the buffer mechanism while the buffer mechanism is aligned with each tier of the multi-tier tripper during the descent of the buffer mechanism from the first limit height to the second limit height; and controlling the buffer mechanism to transmit a preset length along the conveying direction when the buffer mechanism descends by a preset height;

The second elevator is specifically configured to:

when a put task is executed, controlling a buffer mechanism of the second elevator to be at the second limiting height, and controlling the buffer mechanism to rise from the second limiting height to the first limiting height;

during the period that the buffer mechanism is lifted from the second limiting height to the first limiting height, when the buffer mechanism is aligned with each layer of the multi-layer feeding machine, goods which are stored on the buffer mechanism and are close to the multi-layer feeding machine are transported to a layer aligned with the buffer mechanism by the upper layer unloading machine; and controlling the buffer mechanism to transmit a preset length along the conveying direction every time the buffer mechanism rises by a preset height.

13. The transfer device of claim 11, further comprising a first transfer mechanism disposed between the multi-layer tripper and the multi-layer loader;

the first transfer mechanism is used for transferring cargoes of each layer of the multilayer feeding machine to each layer corresponding to the multilayer unloading machine.

14. The transfer device of any one of claims 1-6, further comprising a second transfer mechanism;

the second transfer mechanism is arranged on the lifting machine and/or the conveying line, and the second transplanting mechanism is used for:

Transferring the cargoes stored in each buffer position of the hoister to the conveying line; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

transferring the goods stored on the conveying line to a buffer memory position corresponding to the hoister;

the conveying line is used for conveying cargoes to a corresponding operation table so as to carry out cargo treatment.

15. The transfer device of claim 14, wherein the conveyor line comprises a first sub-conveyor line disposed adjacent to the buffer mechanism of the elevator along a conveying direction of the buffer mechanism of the elevator, the first sub-conveyor line having a length greater than or equal to a length of the buffer mechanism;

the second transfer mechanism is further configured to:

transferring the cargoes stored in each buffer position of the hoister to the first sub-conveying line; or alternatively, the first and second heat exchangers may be,

and transferring the cargoes on the first sub-conveying line to a buffer position corresponding to the lifting machine.

16. The transfer device of claim 1, further comprising a multi-deck handler disposed at the other end of the elevator that interfaces with the conveyor line, the multi-deck handler configured to transfer cargo on a robot to the elevator and to transfer cargo on the elevator to the robot.

17. A warehousing system comprising a robot and a transfer device of any one of claims 1-16.