CN118025699A - Packet distribution mechanism, system, device, computer readable storage medium and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a package-supplying and distributing mechanism, a system, a device, a computer-readable storage medium and a method, which relate to the technical field of logistics storage and are used for providing package-supplying reliability of a distributing wall. The package supplying method comprises the following steps: the detection component sends out a first detection signal after detecting that the object to be detected passes through the detection area; after receiving the first detection signal, the control component parks the multicast vehicle in the target area; the detection component sends out a second detection signal after detecting that the object to be detected leaves the detection area; the control component starts the stopped seed-sowing vehicle according to the received second detection signal. According to the technical scheme, the judgment of the position of the article is realized through the collection and judgment of the two actions, the detection is more accurate, and the packing operation is more reliable.

Description

Packet distribution mechanism, system, device, computer readable storage medium and method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of logistics storage, in particular to a package distribution mechanism, a system, a device, a computer readable storage medium and a method.

Background

An automatic distribution wall is a device for automatically storing articles at set positions, and the automatic distribution wall realizes the transportation of the articles by means of a distribution vehicle. The articles are put into the bag supply port, and after the article information is acquired, the position of the articles needing to be distributed is determined. The distributing vehicle is parked at the packing position, the packing platform is used for conveying the articles to the distributing vehicle, and then the distributing vehicle automatically conveys the articles to a destination and unloads the articles into the containers corresponding to the target positions.

The inventors found that at least the following problems exist in the prior art: in the related art, in the process of conveying the articles to the distribution vehicle by the bag supplying platform, the current detection mode detects whether the articles are packed by the sensor, but the sensor is difficult to detect ultrathin articles, so that the bag supplying operation is unreliable.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a packet distribution mechanism, a system, a device, a computer readable storage medium and a method, which are used for providing the reliability of packet distribution wall packet distribution.

The embodiment of the invention provides a package supplying method, which comprises the following steps:

The detection component sends out a first detection signal after detecting that the object to be detected passes through the detection area;

after receiving the first detection signal, the control component parks the multicast vehicle in the target area;

The detection component sends out a second detection signal after detecting that the object to be detected leaves the detection area;

And the control component starts the stopped seed distribution vehicle according to the received second detection signal.

In some embodiments, the determining whether to park the multicast vehicle according to the position of the multicast vehicle includes the following steps:

and if the separated vehicle is positioned at the upstream of the packet receiving area and the distance between the separated vehicle and the packet receiving area is within a set range, the control component sends a stopping instruction to stop the separated vehicle.

In some embodiments, the determining whether to park the multicast vehicle according to the position of the multicast vehicle includes the following steps:

And if the sub-sowing vehicle is positioned at the downstream of the packet receiving area, the control component controls the sub-sowing vehicle to continue to run.

In some embodiments, the method of providing a package further comprises the steps of:

acquiring bar code information of an article carried by an object to be detected;

calculating the moving path of the multicast vehicle according to the acquired bar code information;

And controlling the distribution truck to convey the articles to a designated position along the moving path.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a packet distribution mechanism, which comprises:

the support component is provided with a bag supplying port;

A distribution vehicle configured to be movably disposed in the packet receiving area;

the detection assembly is arranged near the packet receiving area; the detection assembly forming a detection zone, the detection assembly being configured to emit a detection signal upon detection of a detected object passing through the detection zone;

wherein, the seed-sorting vehicle is configured to control starting and stopping according to the detection signal of the detection component.

In some embodiments, the packet distribution mechanism further comprises:

And the control assembly is in communication connection with the detection assembly and is in communication connection with the unicast vehicle so as to control the movement of the unicast vehicle according to the detection signal transmitted by the detection assembly.

In some embodiments, the multicast vehicle includes a controller; the packet supplying and distributing mechanism further comprises:

The signal generator is arranged in the packet receiving area; the signal generator is in communication connection with the controller and the detection component of the unicast vehicle; the signal generator is configured to control the start and stop of the unicast vehicle through the controller of the unicast vehicle according to the signal sent by the detection component.

In some embodiments, the multicast vehicle further includes a signal receiver configured to transmit a signal received from the signal generator to a controller of the multicast vehicle to control start and stop of the multicast vehicle when a distance between the signal receiver and the signal generator is within a set distance.

In some embodiments, the signal generator is distributed in a plurality to control the jukeboxes at different locations.

In some embodiments, the detection assembly emits two detection signals for each item placed: a first detection signal and a second detection signal; wherein the first detection signal corresponds to a process in which the detected object places the article from the package supply area onto the distribution vehicle located in the package receiving area via the detection area, and the second detection signal corresponds to a process in which the detected object returns from the package receiving area to the package supply area via the detection area after the article is placed on the distribution vehicle.

In some embodiments, the detection assembly includes a correlation sensor comprising:

the transmitting end is arranged at one side of the bag receiving area; and

The receiving end is arranged at the other side of the packet receiving area; the emitting end and the receiving end are correspondingly arranged, and the receiving end is configured to receive light rays emitted by the emitting end.

In some embodiments, the emitting end is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

In some embodiments, the detection assembly includes a specular reflective sensor, the specular reflective sensor including:

The transmitting receiver comprises a transmitter and a receiver which are fixedly connected; the transmitter and the receiver are arranged on one side of the packet receiving area in the width direction or the height direction; and

The light reflecting component is arranged on the other side of the width direction or the height direction of the bag receiving area; the transmitting receiver and the light reflecting component are correspondingly arranged, and the light reflecting component is configured to transmit the light rays emitted by the transmitter to the receiver.

In some embodiments, the emitter is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a packet-supplying and distributing system which comprises the packet-supplying and distributing mechanism provided by any technical scheme of the invention.

In some embodiments, the packet distribution system further comprises:

the distributing wall body comprises at least one layer of track, and the distributing vehicle is movably arranged on the track.

In some embodiments, the packet distribution system further comprises:

a PDA configured to acquire information carried by an item to determine a delivery destination address for the item; and

And the WCS control system is in communication connection with the PDA so as to determine the moving path of the multicast distribution vehicle according to the delivery target address transmitted by the PDA.

The embodiment of the invention also provides a packet distribution device, which comprises:

a memory; and

A processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute the method for providing packets as provided in any of the claims of the present invention based on instructions stored in the memory.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when executed by a processor implements a method for providing packets as provided in any of the aspects of the present invention.

According to the package supplying method, the judgment of the position of the article is indirectly realized through the judgment of the object to be detected of the moving article, and the position of the article is not required to be judged directly. The object to be detected can be a manipulator, a human hand or the like carrying the object. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the wrapping is completed by: detecting the action of putting the article in, and the action of resetting the object to be detected (returning to the original position) after the article is placed. Alternatively, the object to be detected may also be the article itself conveyed by the conveyor belt. There are two actions detected: an operation of entering the detection area with the article, and an operation of leaving the detection area with the article. According to the technical scheme, the judgment of the position of the article is realized through the acquisition and judgment of the two actions, and the process that the article enters and leaves the detection area can be directly adopted; the position of the object can also be judged by detecting the process of the object to be detected entering the detection area and leaving the detection area. Above-mentioned technical scheme detects more accurately, also makes the operation of packing more reliable.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and do not constitute a limitation on the application. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a state of a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a track structure of a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a multicast vehicle for a packet multicast system queuing on a track according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of relative positions of a distribution truck, a detection assembly, and a track of a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a multicast vehicle for a packet multicast system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of signal transmission when a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention is used for packet loading.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of installation of a detection component of a packet distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a packet distribution system in a packet loading process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a packet supplying method according to still other embodiments of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

10. A packet-supplying and distributing mechanism; 20. a sub-sowing wall main body; 30. a PDA; 40. a WCS control system; 50. an object to be detected; 60. an article; 70. an operator;

1. a mounting frame; 2. a sowing vehicle; 3. detecting light; 4. a control assembly; 5. a signal generator;

11. A bag supply port;

21. A commodity shelf; 22. a track; 23. a container;

201. a vehicle body; 202. a guide wheel; 203. loading and unloading the belt; 204. a driving member.

Detailed Description

The technical scheme provided by the invention is described in more detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 10. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative, and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of parts and steps, the composition of materials, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments should be construed as exemplary only and not limiting unless otherwise specifically stated.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used in this disclosure, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises" and the like means that elements preceding the word encompass the elements recited after the word, and not exclude the possibility of also encompassing other elements.

In this disclosure, when a particular device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intervening device between the particular device and either the first device or the second device. When it is described that a particular device is connected to other devices, the particular device may be directly connected to the other devices without intervening devices, or may be directly connected to the other devices without intervening devices.

All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless specifically defined otherwise. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

The dimensions of the various elements shown in the figures are not drawn to actual scale. In the drawings, common components or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In the related art, an automatic distribution wall is a device for transporting articles to a set position and unloading by utilizing a distribution vehicle to move on a track. The automatic distributing wall comprises a track and a distributing vehicle which can move along the track. The articles (e.g., packages, merchandise) are transported to the distribution cart using a conveyor belt. The inventor has found through research that: when the articles are transported to the distributing vehicle from the conveyor belt, some conditions of abnormal package supply may occur, for example, light and thin articles are not detected, the rolling elements roll in the package supply process, and cannot be stably transported to the distributing vehicle from the conveyor belt. Therefore, the following technical schemes are proposed to improve the reliability of the package supplying operation.

In the description of the following specific embodiment, for convenience of explanation, referring to fig. 1, a direction in which an article 60 is conveyed from the outside of the packet distribution system to the distribution cart 2 is defined as an X direction, and a direction parallel to the X direction in a horizontal plane is defined as a Y direction; the Z-direction is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, i.e. the Z-axis is perpendicular to the X-direction and also perpendicular to the Y-direction.

The packet supplying and distributing system can be used for realizing the packet supplying method provided by the embodiment of the invention. The packet-supplying and distributing system can be an automatic distributing wall, which is a three-dimensional distributing device and is mainly used for distributing and rechecking small and medium-sized commodities.

The automatic distribution wall can be applied to the scenes of clothing, business supershops, small and medium-sized electronic business and the like. The automatic sub-sowing wall is adopted in the clothing bin, so that the integration of forward sub-sowing and reverse sub-sowing of clothing can be realized, the forward sub-sowing efficiency is improved by 100%, and the reverse sub-sowing efficiency is improved by 200%. Forward sub-broadcasting refers to delivering the clothing out of the warehouse, and reverse sub-broadcasting refers to returning the clothing into the warehouse. In addition, because the automatic separate sowing wall has finer separate sowing granularity, the walking path of the racking personnel is correspondingly shortened, the racking efficiency is also improved, and the in-bin operation management comprehensively realizes cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

The automatic sub-sowing wall can also be designed to prevent breakage and condensation aiming at super business scenes, so that commodity sub-sowing is more stable and more efficient. By adopting the automatic distribution wall in the supermarket, the peak single-quantity processing capacity and the overall productivity can be effectively improved, the picking efficiency in the peak period is improved by 50%, the overall performance duration of a single order is shortened by 5 minutes on average, and the distribution accuracy is up to more than 99.99%.

The packet-supplying and distributing system comprises a packet-supplying and distributing mechanism 10 and a distributing wall main body 20, wherein the packet-supplying and distributing mechanism 10 comprises a distributing vehicle 2, a detecting component and the like. The distribution vehicle 2 is configured to be movably arranged in the packet receiving area; the detection component is arranged near the packet receiving area; the detection assembly forms a detection zone, the detection assembly being configured to emit a detection signal upon detection of the passage of the detected object 50 through the detection zone. Wherein, the seed-sorting vehicle 2 is configured to control starting and stopping according to the detection signal of the detection component. Each part can adopt a modularized design and can be spliced according to the requirement. The seed-sorting vehicle 2 may be an AGV.

Referring to fig. 1, the sub-broadcasting wall body 20 includes a plurality of layered shelves 21 and a plurality of layered rails 22, and each layered shelf 21 includes a plurality of supports for placing containers 23. Each support corresponds to a position coordinate, and the position of the support can be determined through the position coordinates of the support. The container 23 is, for example, a transfer case or a bin. Each container 23 is removably placed at and supported by a support. The articles 60 are transported by the trolley 2 to the corresponding support and then unloaded for storage in the containers 23. One order of items 60 may be placed in each container 23, as well as multiple orders of items 60 of the same type.

The multicast wall main body 20 can flexibly configure the corresponding number of the supporting pieces and the sizes of the supporting pieces according to the individual requirements of different industries and different clients. The sub-sowing wall main body 20 has the advantages of three-dimension, flexibility, high efficiency, small occupied area and high cost performance, and can be arranged within about 10 days at maximum, so that the arrangement efficiency is greatly improved; each part of the sub-cast wall main body 20 adopts a modularized design, and products with different sizes are formed by random expansion and splicing according to the needs, so that the peak aging requirements of the industries with strong seasonality such as clothes and the like are better met.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the number of the seed-sowing vehicles 2 is two or more. The movement of the trolley 2 on the track 22 is performed cyclically, see fig. 3, in which the movement sequence receives, for example, the articles 60 from the area for the pack (this process is called the pack receiving) from a position M on the left side of the lowermost track 22, which can be regarded as a starting point, and then moves to the track 22 of the other layer sequentially via the vertically arranged track 22 to transport the articles 60 to different positions of different heights. In this process, it is necessary to implement selective entry of the seed-sowing carriage 2 into the corresponding track 22 by opening and closing of the track-changing knife plate: in the closed state of the knife board, the seed sowing vehicle 2 continues to run along the track 22 of the ascending section or the descending section; in the open blade position, the trolley 2 can be moved along the blade into the corresponding horizontal rail 22. The descending section and the ascending section move in the same way, and only the running direction changes.

Referring to fig. 2 to 3, a plurality of the sub-cast vehicles 2 are disposed in each sub-cast wall body 20, and a plurality of sub-cast vehicles 2 may be simultaneously operated in each layer of the track 22. In order to prevent collision during the running of the plurality of the sub-vehicles 2, the plurality of sub-vehicles 2 run in the same direction on each layer of the track 22, specifically, the sub-vehicles 2 all run in the clockwise direction along the track 22 or all run in the counterclockwise direction along the track 22. The running states of the respective sub-vehicles 2 are free as long as the distance between two adjacent sub-vehicles 2 is not less than the minimum safety distance, and the running speeds of the respective sub-vehicles 2 may be set independently as required, that is, the running speeds of the respective sub-vehicles 2 may be the same or different.

Referring to fig. 4, only one of the vehicles 2 stays in the packet receiving area at a time, and the other vehicles 2 wait in a queue upstream of the packet receiving area, and after the vehicles 2 in the packet receiving area receive packets and start, the next vehicle 2 is allowed to enter the packet receiving area.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, fig. 5 illustrates a state of the cart 2 on the track 22, and fig. 6 illustrates a structure of the cart 2. The seed-sorting vehicle 2 includes a vehicle body 201, a traveling mechanism (not shown) that performs traveling of the vehicle body 201, a loading/unloading belt 203 attached to the vehicle body 201, a driving member 204, and the like. In some embodiments, the cart 2 further includes a positioning sensor by which the location of the cart 2 is determined in real time. The travelling mechanism of the seed-sorting vehicle 2 is matched with the track 22, and particularly the travelling mechanism can travel along the track 22 in a gear-rack meshing mode. The driving piece 204 is in driving connection with the travelling mechanism and is used for driving the travelling mechanism of the seed-sowing vehicle 2 so as to realize the movement of the seed-sowing vehicle 2. A guide wheel 202 is mounted at each corner of the vehicle body 201, and the guide wheel 202 at each corner includes a plurality of wheel groups.

Each item 60 is moved from the infeed area to the inspection area and then from the inspection area to the pick-up area before being placed on the cart 2. According to the manner in which the items 60 are delivered to the trolley 2: the article 60 is transported directly by a human hand or a robot arm, as shown in fig. 7.

Referring to fig. 8, fig. 8 illustrates the detection light emitted by the detection assembly. The detection light can be visible light or invisible light, the intensity of the light can be selected and adjusted, and the detection component is used for detecting an object entering the detection area. The object may be an object to be detected (a human hand, a manipulator, etc.), or may be the object 60 (specifically, a package) itself.

When the article 60 is sent to the detection area, the detection assembly detects two processes that an object to be detected (a human hand or a mechanical arm) carrying the article 60 stretches into the detection area and the object to be detected having put down the article 60 leaves the detection area.

With continued reference to fig. 7 and 8, a detection assembly (not shown) is mounted to the mounting frame 1. The detection light emitted from the detection assembly covers the bag supply port 11 of the mounting frame 1. When the article 60 is put into the distribution vehicle 2 through the bag supplying port 11 (see fig. 2), the process of entering and exiting the bag supplying port 11 of the object 50 to be detected carrying the article 60 is detected by the detecting component.

The number of the detection components is determined according to the number and the positions of the packet supply ports 11, and one or more than two detection components are correspondingly arranged on each packet supply port 11. The detection assembly may be disposed at any location on track 22. The detection unit may be disposed at a position corresponding to the lowermost layer of the tracks 22, or may be disposed at a position corresponding to the intermediate layer or the uppermost layer of the tracks 22.

In some embodiments, the detection assembly employs a grating sensor, which is classified as a transmissive grating, a reflective grating. The transmissive grating may specifically be a correlation sensor and the reflective grating may specifically be a specular reflection sensor.

The correlation sensor comprises a transmitting end and a receiving end. The transmitting end is arranged at one side of the width direction of the bag supplying opening 11. The receiving end is arranged on the other side of the width direction of the bag supply port 11; the transmitting end and the receiving end are correspondingly arranged, and the receiving end is configured to receive light rays emitted by the transmitting end. The object 50 to be detected passes between the transmitting end and the receiving end, and the area between the transmitting end and the receiving end is a detection area. When the object 50 to be detected enters the detection area, the correlation sensor can output a detection signal, namely a first detection signal; after the object to be detected 50 has placed the article 60 on the seed carriage 2, the correlation sensor can output another detection signal, i.e., a second detection signal, when the object to be detected 50 returns to its original position. After the first detection signal and the second detection signal are both acquired, it is indicated that the packing operation is completed and that the article 60 has been placed on the cart 2.

The emitting end is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

The light emitted by the emitting end can be horizontal light, innumerable light rays parallel to the horizontal direction form a planar detection area, gaps among grids of the gratings are far smaller than 1 cm, the maximum height of the grids of the gratings is larger than that of the article 60, so that the whole height of the detection light emitted by the emitting end is larger than that of the article 60, and the detection area can completely cover the whole height of the article 60. In particular, when the article 60 is conveyed by a hand or a mechanical arm, the article 60 is delivered to the seed sowing vehicle 2 from the middle position of the detection area, so that signals of the hand entering the detection area and exiting the detection area can be accurately acquired by the correlation sensor. Most of the articles 60 have a certain size, and the light emitted by the emitting end is very dense, so that the articles 60 with any size can be detected by the light, even a thin object can accurately acquire the first detection signal and the second detection signal, the possibility of missed detection is almost avoided, and the detection reliability is greatly improved.

The light rays emitted by the emitting end can be light rays intersected with a horizontal plane (short for intersected light rays) or light rays intersected with each other (short for intersected light rays). The intersecting rays form a plane similar to a tassel. The intersecting light rays can form a detection grid. Compared with the horizontal ray, the intersecting ray and the intersecting ray can accurately detect the thin article.

The detection assembly may also employ a specular reflective sensor. The specular reflection type sensor comprises a transmitting receiver and a reflecting component. The area between the transceiver and the retroreflective elements is the detection area. The transmitting receiver comprises a transmitter and a receiver which are fixedly connected; the transmitter and the receiver are provided on one side of the packet supply port 11 in the width direction or the height direction. The reflecting component is arranged on the other side of the width direction or the height direction of the bag supplying opening 11; the transmitting receiver and the light reflecting component are correspondingly arranged, and the light reflecting component is configured to transmit the light rays emitted by the transmitter to the receiver. The object 50 to be detected passes between the transmitting receiver and the reflecting component, the light of the object 50 to be detected can be changed, the reflecting component can reflect the changed light to the receiver of the transmitting receiver, and the area between the transmitting end and the receiving end is a detection area. When the object 50 to be detected enters the detection area, the specular reflection sensor can output a detection signal, namely a first detection signal; after the object to be detected 50 has placed the article 60 on the seed vehicle 2, the specular reflection sensor can output another detection signal, i.e., a second detection signal, when the object to be detected 50 returns to its original position. After the first detection signal and the second detection signal are both acquired, it is indicated that the packing operation is completed and that the article 60 has been placed on the cart 2.

In some embodiments, the emitter is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

Similar to the emitting end, the light emitted by the emitter can be horizontal light, and the light emitted by the emitter is very dense, so that the object 60 with any size can be detected by the light, the possibility of missed detection is almost avoided, and the detection reliability is greatly improved.

Still similar to the emitting end, the rays emitted by the emitter may be rays intersecting a horizontal plane (referred to as intersecting rays for short) or rays intersecting each other (intersecting rays for short). The intersecting rays form a plane similar to a tassel. The intersecting light rays can form a detection grid. Compared with the horizontal ray, the intersecting ray and the intersecting ray can detect thin objects more accurately.

Referring to fig. 9, fig. 9 illustrates a schematic view of the process of placing an article 60 from a supply area to a receiving area via a detection area.

The control signals for starting and stopping the multicast vehicle 2 have the following two signal interaction modes: interaction through wireless networks, interaction through proximity switches, etc. independent of the network.

One of the modes is as follows: the packet-supplying and distributing mechanism further comprises a control component which is in communication connection with the detection component and is in communication connection with the distributing vehicle 2 so as to control the motion of the distributing vehicle 2 according to the detection signal transmitted by the detection component. The control component is used for controlling the operation parameters of the multicast vehicle 2, including starting, stopping, path planning, determining the position of the multicast vehicle 2, etc. The control component and the unicast vehicle 2 realize signal interaction in a mode of WIF I and the like. Alternatively, the control component and WCS system are integrated into one entity, which may be a remote backend server. The backend server may be a backend, in-house near-end server, or a localization server installed directly on the unicast wall body 20. The localization server is mainly used for scheduling control of the devices in the multicast wall, and coordinates and controls the whole packet-supplying multicast system according to the position feedback of the multicast vehicle 2 and the like according to the sensor signals. The control mode can be implemented in a scene with a network, and has strong practicability.

Another way is: the jukebox 2 includes a controller. The packet-supplying and distributing mechanism further comprises a signal generator 5, and the signal generator 5 is arranged in the packet-receiving area. The signal generator 5 is in communication with the controller and detection components of the multicast vehicle 2. The signal generator 5 is configured to control the start and stop of the multicast vehicle 2 by the controller of the multicast vehicle 2 according to the signal sent by the detection component. Specifically, the multicast vehicle 2 further includes a signal receiver configured to transmit the received signal from the signal generator 5 to the controller of the multicast vehicle 2 to control the start and stop of the multicast vehicle 2 when the distance between the signal receiver and the signal generator 5 is within a set distance. The signal generator 5 and the signal receiver can form a proximity trigger switch, the signal generator 5 can directly trigger the signal receiver without the help of the WIFI, and then the start and stop of the multicast vehicle 2 are controlled. The control mode does not need to depend on a network, is not influenced by unstable network signals, and is more stable and reliable in control.

Returning to fig. 4, a plurality of signal generators 5 are distributed, and a plurality of signal generators 5 are distributed and installed at different positions of the track 22 to control the seed-sowing vehicle 2 at different positions. All of the seed-sorting vehicles 2 in a section of the area can be controlled by means of a plurality of signal generators 5.

Referring to fig. 9, the one-time complete packet receiving process of the multicast vehicle 2 can be subdivided into the following five steps: a, a multicast vehicle 2 goes to a packet receiving area to wait; b, conveying the articles 60 to the distribution vehicle 2 in the package receiving area by a human hand through the detection area; c, the hand firmly places the article 60 on the seed sowing vehicle 2; d, extracting the detection area by a human hand; and E, the distribution truck 2 starts to transport and leaves the package receiving area. It should be noted that the article 60 may be delivered by a robot.

In the above process, the detection assembly sends out two detection signals each time an article 60 is placed: a first detection signal and a second detection signal; wherein the first detection signal corresponds to a process that the detected object places the article 60 from the package supplying area to the distribution vehicle 2 located in the package receiving area via the detection area, namely, the step B; the second detection signal corresponds to a process of returning the object to be detected from the pickup area to the package supply area via the detection area after the article 60 is placed in the cart 2, i.e., step D.

Referring to fig. 4 and 9, as long as the first detection signal is detected by the detection unit, the movement of the cart 2 located in the pickup area is prohibited. Only after the detection component detects the second detection signal, indicating that the packing operation is completed, the distribution truck 2 located in the packet receiving area can start, transport and distribute. The upstream of the packet receiving area is a waiting area, the downstream of the packet receiving area does not influence the packet loading operation, and the multicast vehicle 2 positioned downstream of the packet receiving area normally operates. Upstream and downstream are determined along the travel direction of the seed-sorting vehicle. According to the scheme, the packet distribution system can confirm the packet loading operation through the change of the first detection signal and the second detection signal. When the first detection signal appears, in addition to the multicast vehicle 2 in the packet receiving area being stopped, one or more multicast vehicles 2 that are located upstream of the packet receiving area and relatively close to the packet receiving area are also stopped, that is, the multicast vehicle 2 that is located in the target area is stopped. In fig. 4, the next-in-package operation, the next-in-package vehicle B upstream of the next-in-package area and closest to the next-in-package vehicle a, is also stopped. The method adopts a simpler mode to confirm that the package supplying operation is finished, and improves the production safety. Therefore, even if a part of the body of the person for packing does not enter the distribution wall by mistake, the distribution vehicle 2 is prevented from moving, and the production safety is ensured.

Returning to fig. 1 and 2, the packet distribution system also includes a PDA30 and WCS control system 40 for accurate acquisition of location information to be stored by the item 60. The PDA is fully called: persona L D I G I TA L ASS I STANT, i.e., personal digital assistants. PDA30 is configured to obtain information carried by item 60, and in particular by scanning a bar code, to determine the delivery destination address of item 60. During the process of package supply, a package supply person scans the bar code of the article 60 through the PDA30 to acquire the information of the article 60, wherein the information of the article 60 is the basis for determining the transportation destination of the distribution truck 2. After the packer sweeps the article 60, the packer holds the article 60 by hand and puts the article 60 on the distribution vehicle 2 through the detection area to complete the packing work. WCS (Warehouse Contro l System) is a warehouse control system for implementing control of automated equipment within a warehouse. The WCS control system 40 is communicatively connected with the PDA30, after the PDA30 acquires the information of the article 60, the PDA30 transmits the information of the article 60 to the WCS control system 40, and the WCS control system 40 determines the conveying destination address according to the information of the article transmitted by the PDA30, namely, determines the moving path of the dispensing cart 2, so as to control the dispensing cart 2 to accurately convey the article 60 into the container 23 at the corresponding position.

A plurality of distributing vehicles 2 are arranged in the distributing wall, each distributing vehicle 2 can move along the track 22 by itself, the distributing vehicle 2 is parked in a packet receiving area for packet, a person or a manipulator waits for conveying the articles 60 to the distributing vehicle 2 through a detection area, the distributing vehicle 2 automatically conveys the articles 60 to a destination, and the articles 60 are unloaded into containers 23 corresponding to the destination. Then, the distribution truck 2 returns to the packet receiving area to continue receiving packets, and a plurality of distribution trucks 2 run circularly. Each packet-receiving area can only stay one multicast vehicle 2 at a time, and if there are multiple multicast vehicles 2, the multicast vehicles 2 need to wait in line to enter the packet-receiving area.

In the above-mentioned technical solution, the operator 70 only needs to hold the PDA30 to scan the article 60, and the cart 2 will transport the article 60 into the container 23 corresponding to the destination. After one pass of the sub-sowing is completed, the operator 70 can take the container 23 off the rack 21 and send it to the packing station. The package distribution system can distribute 2500 packages in a single hour. Compared with a manual distribution mode, the package distribution system can improve the picking efficiency by 200%, the distribution granularity is finer, the distribution accuracy is up to 99.99%, and the warehouse-in and warehouse-out efficiency of the articles 60 is greatly improved.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a specific implementation of the packet distribution mechanism 10 is described below. The packet distribution mechanism 10 includes a distribution vehicle 2, a detection unit, and a control unit. The seed-sorting vehicle 2 is movably located in the packet receiving area. The detection component is arranged near the bag supply port 11; the detection assembly forms a detection zone, the detection assembly being configured to emit a detection signal upon detection of the passage of the detected object through the detection zone. The control component may be the WCS control system 40 described above. The control component is in communication connection with the detection component to control the movement of the seed-sowing vehicle 2 according to the detection signal transmitted by the detection component.

Referring to fig. 1,2, 5 and 7, the mounting frame 1 includes a plurality of bars fixedly connected, and the cross section of the bars may be circular or L-shaped. The installation frame is installed in an area of the sub-broadcasting wall body 20 where the supporting members are not provided, and the installation frame forms a bag supply port 11 penetrating therethrough so that the articles 60 can be put into the sub-broadcasting vehicle 2 located inside the sub-broadcasting wall body 20 from the outside of the sub-broadcasting wall body 20 through the bag supply port 11. The open area of the distributing wall main body 20 outside the bag supplying opening 11 is a bag supplying area, a belt is not required to be arranged in the bag supplying area, and the articles 60 are directly moved to the distributing vehicle 2 inside the bag supplying opening 11 by hands or mechanical hands. The area inside the sub-dividing wall body 20 where the sub-dividing vehicle 2 can receive the goods transported through the package supply port 11 is a package receiving area. The receiving area is also provided with the track 22 described above, along which track 22 the trolley 2 can move to the receiving area. Compared with the related art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention adopts a completely different packing mode, the articles 60 are not transported to the distribution vehicle 2 by adopting the transport belt, but the articles 60 are directly placed on the distribution vehicle 2 by hands or manipulators, so that the butt joint between the transport belt and the carrying belt of the distribution vehicle 2 is not needed, the unreliable and unstable phenomena caused by the butt joint of the two belts are avoided, and the reliability of packing operation is greatly improved.

There are two control parameters of the control assembly: firstly, determining the transport path of the multicast vehicle 2 according to the transport destination address transmitted by the PDA 30; secondly, the start and stop of the unicast vehicle 2 are controlled according to the signals detected by the detection component. During the packing operation, the distribution vehicle 2 located in the packet receiving area is stopped to improve the safety of the packing operation. After the packing is finished, the detection assembly detects two signals of the object to be detected entering the detection area and leaving the detection area, the packing operation is finished, and the distribution truck 2 is started at the moment. The control of the cart 2 by the control components includes various aspects of start, stop, path planning, etc. The control component and the WCS system are integrated, and the scheme which is independently arranged can realize the functions.

After receiving the articles 60, the dispensing vehicle 2 will transport the articles 60 to the support members at the target positions according to the set path, and then unload the articles 60 in the containers 23 at the corresponding positions to complete the dispensing. The distribution vehicle 2 after completing the distribution task will queue up and stop on the packet receiving area to wait for the articles 60 to be packed, after packing, the distribution vehicle 2 will transport the articles 60 to the destination according to the destination and unload the articles 60 to the corresponding containers 23, thereby completing the distribution of all the articles 60 in this cycle.

According to the technical scheme, the double judging mechanism is adopted, namely, the packing operation is judged to be completed after the first detection signal that the object 50 to be detected enters the detection area and the second detection signal that the object 50 to be detected leaves the detection area are detected, so that whether the packing operation is completed or not can be judged more accurately for articles 60 with various shapes and structures, particularly rolling parts and ultrathin superfine parts.

The control strategy is described below.

When a hand or other parts pass through the grating of the detection component, the grating sends a trigger signal (namely a first detection signal) to the control component through a communication mechanism of the detection component, and the control component can send out the control signal according to the position of the multicast vehicle 2 after receiving the first detection signal. According to the different positions of the distribution truck 2, the following situations are classified:

1, when the multicast vehicle 2 is located in the packet receiving area, the movement of the multicast vehicle 2 will bring danger to the operator at this time, so the integrated whole will send out a stop signal to stop the multicast vehicle 2 in an emergency, and the multicast vehicle 2 stops running.

2, When the sub-sowing vehicle 2 leaves the packet receiving area, the sub-sowing vehicle 2 is far away from the hands, and the sub-sowing vehicle 2 does not bring danger to operators, so that the integrated whole body does not need to do a parking instruction for the vehicle, and the sub-sowing vehicle 2 continues to normally operate according to the previous task instruction. According to the distance between the separated vehicle 2 and the front separated vehicle 2, the parking and running are automatically controlled.

3, If the seed-sorting vehicles 2 are located before the receiving area, i.e. upstream of the receiving area, and move towards the receiving area, then the movement of one or more seed-sorting vehicles 2 closest to the receiving area may also pose a hazard, and the seed-sorting vehicles 2 may also be parked.

A signal generator 5 is provided in a part of the packet receiving area and the waiting area shown in fig. 4, and the signal generator 5 includes a first signal receiver and a first signal transmitter; a second signal receiver is provided on the distribution vehicle 2. The first signal receiver is in communication connection with the detection assembly described above, and when the first signal receiver receives the detection signal of the detection assembly, the first signal transmitter sends a signal to the second signal receiver, and the multicast vehicle 2 which receives the signal stops. The first signal receiver, the first signal transmitter, the second signal receiver may employ magnetic induction switches or other types of sensors. The magnetic induction switch mode can be arranged in a certain area, so that the emergency stop control in the certain area can be realized by setting a small amount of switch modes, even setting one switch mode in the packet receiving area, and controlling the signal action range.

In order to prevent danger, when a hand or other part or article 60 passes through the grating of the detection assembly, a series of touch sensors can send a danger signal according to the first detection signal, and the touch sensors at a plurality of positions in the area covered by the danger signal send a parking signal to the corresponding split-planting vehicle 2, and the split-planting vehicle 2 immediately parks after receiving the parking signal.

According to the technical scheme, the detection and signal transmission are realized by adopting a pure electric circuit mode, so that the control of the multicast vehicle 2 can be better ensured, and the delay control caused by network jitter and unstable network signals is avoided.

Referring to fig. 10, a packet supplying method is described below, and the packet supplying method may be implemented by using the packet supplying and distributing mechanism 10 described in any of the above technical solutions. The packet distribution mechanism 10 includes the steps of:

in step S100, a first detection signal is sent out after the detection component detects that the object 50 to be detected passes through the detection area. The delivery manner of the object 50 to be detected is described above, and will not be described here.

In step S200, the control module parks the multicast service vehicle 2 in the target area after receiving the first detection signal. The first detection signal is a trigger signal.

There are three possibilities for the location of the jukebox 2: located in the splicing region, located upstream of the splicing region, and located downstream of the splicing region. All three are positions on track 22, which is also the position in which the cart 2 can move. The target area refers to a section of the area upstream of the first-stage splicing area of the splicing area and relatively close to the splicing area, and the section of the area may be an area where one or two of the distribution vehicles 2 are located.

The packet receiving area and the signal generator 5 arranged at the upstream of the packet receiving area are used for judging whether the multicast vehicle is positioned in the target area. The signal generator 5 may employ a photoelectric sensor, a magnetic induction switch, or the like.

If the multicast vehicle 2 is in the pickup area, the control unit issues a parking instruction to stop the multicast vehicle 2 located in the pickup area. This may increase the reliability of the operation of delivering the article 60. One or more of the sub-carts 2 located upstream of the pickup area and closest to the pickup area are also parked, i.e., the sub-carts 2 located within a set range upstream of the pickup area are also parked, to increase the reliability of the packing operation. The jukebox 2 downstream of the pickup area does not interfere with the packing operation and therefore does not need to be parked.

In step S300, a second detection signal is sent after the detection component detects that the object 50 to be detected leaves the detection area. When the object 50 to be detected exits the detection area, the detection component sends out a second detection signal.

In step S400, the control unit starts the stopped multicast service vehicle 2 according to the received second detection signal.

In the process of conveying the article 60 to the wrapping area, the PDA30 can acquire bar code information of the article 60 carried by the object 50 to be detected; calculating the moving path of the multicast vehicle 2 according to the obtained bar code information; after the completion of the packing, the automated guided vehicle 2 is controlled to convey the article 60 to a designated position along the determined travel path.

Still further embodiments of the present invention provide a packet distribution device, including a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to execute the packet supplying method provided in any one of the aspects of the present invention based on the instructions stored in the memory.

The memory may include, for example, system memory, fixed nonvolatile storage media, and the like. The system memory stores, for example, an operating system, application programs, boot Loader (Boot Loader), and other programs.

Still further embodiments of the present invention provide a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which when executed by a processor implements the method for providing packets provided by any of the aspects of the present invention.

The processors described herein may include general purpose processors, digital Signal Processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (AS ics), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a web site, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk (dsk) and disc (dsc) as used herein include Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks (dsk) tend to reproduce data magnetically, while discs (dsc) reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flowchart and/or block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flowcharts and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present invention and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the protection of the present invention. When the absolute position of the object to be described is changed, the relative positional relationship may be changed accordingly.

In the description of the present invention, each technical feature may be combined with other technical features as possible.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and are not limiting; although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced with others, which may not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (19)

1. A method of providing packets comprising the steps of:

the detection component sends out a first detection signal after detecting that an object (50) to be detected passes through the detection area;

After receiving the first detection signal, the control component parks the sub-sowing vehicle (2) in the target area;

The detection component sends out a second detection signal after detecting that an object (50) to be detected leaves the detection area;

The control component starts the stopped seed distribution vehicle (2) according to the received second detection signal.

2. The method for providing packets according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether to park said distribution vehicle (2) according to the location of said distribution vehicle (2) comprises the steps of:

If the separated vehicle (2) is located at the upstream of the packet receiving area, and the distance between the separated vehicle (2) and the packet receiving area is within a set range, the control component sends a stopping instruction to stop the separated vehicle (2).

3. The method for providing packets according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether to park said distribution vehicle (2) according to the location of said distribution vehicle (2) comprises the steps of:

if the sub-sowing vehicle (2) is positioned at the downstream of the packet receiving area, the sub-sowing vehicle (2) continues to run.

4. The method for supplying packets according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

Acquiring bar code information of an article (60) carried by an object (50) to be detected;

calculating the moving path of the distribution vehicle (2) according to the acquired bar code information;

-controlling the trolley (2) to transport the articles (60) to a given position along the movement path.

5. A packet distribution mechanism, comprising:

a distribution vehicle (2) configured to be movably disposed in the packet receiving area;

The detection assembly is arranged near the packet receiving area; the detection assembly forming a detection zone, the detection assembly being configured to emit a detection signal upon detection of a detected object (50) passing through the detection zone;

Wherein, the seed-sorting vehicle (2) is configured to control starting and stopping according to the detection signal of the detection component.

6. The packet distribution mechanism of claim 5, further comprising:

And the control assembly is in communication connection with the detection assembly and the distribution vehicle (2) so as to control the movement of the distribution vehicle (2) according to the detection signal transmitted by the detection assembly.

7. The packet distribution mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that the distribution vehicle (2) comprises a controller; the packet supplying and distributing mechanism further comprises:

a signal generator (5) arranged in the packet receiving area; the signal generator (5) is in communication connection with the controller of the unicast vehicle (2) and the detection component; the signal generator (5) is configured to control the start and stop of the distribution vehicle (2) through a controller of the distribution vehicle (2) according to the signal sent by the detection assembly.

8. The packet-serving and distribution mechanism of claim 7, wherein the distribution vehicle (2) further comprises a signal receiver configured to transmit a received signal from the signal generator (5) to a controller of the distribution vehicle (2) to control start and stop of the distribution vehicle (2) when a distance between the signal receiver and the signal generator (5) is within a set distance.

9. The packet distribution mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that the signal generator (5) is arranged in a plurality of dispersedly arranged to control the distribution vehicle (2) at different positions.

10. The packet-dispensing mechanism of any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein each time an item (60) is placed, the detection assembly emits two detection signals: a first detection signal and a second detection signal; wherein the first detection signal corresponds to a process in which the detected object places the article (60) from a package-receiving area via the detection area onto the distribution vehicle (2) located in the package-receiving area, and the second detection signal corresponds to a process in which the detected object returns from a package-receiving area to the package-receiving area via the detection area after the article (60) is placed on the distribution vehicle (2).

11. The packet distribution mechanism according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the detection assembly comprises an correlation sensor comprising:

the transmitting end is arranged at one side of the bag receiving area; and

The receiving end is arranged at the other side of the packet receiving area; the emitting end and the receiving end are correspondingly arranged, and the receiving end is configured to receive light rays emitted by the emitting end.

12. The packet distribution mechanism of claim 11, wherein the emitting end is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

13. The packet distribution mechanism according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the detection assembly comprises a specular reflection sensor comprising:

The transmitting receiver comprises a transmitter and a receiver which are fixedly connected; the transmitter and the receiver are arranged on one side of the packet receiving area in the width direction or the height direction; and

The light reflecting component is arranged on the other side of the width direction or the height direction of the bag receiving area; the transmitting receiver and the light reflecting component are correspondingly arranged, and the light reflecting component is configured to transmit the light rays emitted by the transmitter to the receiver.

14. The packet distribution mechanism of claim 13, wherein the emitter is configured to emit light in at least one of the following directions: rays parallel to the horizontal plane, rays intersecting each other.

15. A packet distribution system comprising a packet distribution mechanism (10) according to any one of claims 5 to 14.

16. The packet distribution system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a wall body (20) comprising at least one layer of tracks (22), said trolley (2) being movably arranged on said tracks (22).

17. The packet distribution system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a PDA (30) configured to acquire information carried by an item (60) to determine a delivery destination address for the item (60); and

And the WCS control system (40) is in communication connection with the PDA (30) so as to determine the moving path of the distribution vehicle (2) according to the delivery target address transmitted by the PDA (30).

18. A packet distribution device, comprising:

a memory; and

A processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the packet supply method of any of claims 1-4 based on instructions stored in the memory.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which program, when being executed by a processor, implements a method for supplying packets as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.