RU2806637C1 - Warehouse system and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: warehouse system.

SUBSTANCE: warehouse system contains at least one temporary storage shelf, racks, aisles for robots, robots, and a loading and unloading area. Each of the racks contains at least one storage shelf and racks spaced horizontally apart from each other. At least one storage shelf is positioned vertically between the racks. The first robot is used in the first aisle to access cargo on at least one temporary storage shelf. A second robot is used in the second aisle to move cargo between the at least one temporary storage shelf and the at least one storage shelf. The passage for the first robot includes first and second passages between at least one temporary storage shelf. In the passage for the first robot, a fifth passage is provided between the platform and the racks. The first, second and fifth passages form a circuit of passages for the robot. The platform contains a main part and an inclined platform with a concave and convex inclined surface. The upper edge of the concave surface is smoothly connected to the lower edge of the convex surface. The inclined surface smoothly transitions into the upper surface of the main part.

EFFECT: increase in the efficiency of receipt of goods into the warehouse and their shipment from the warehouse.

19 cl, 23 dwg

Description

Cross reference to related applications

[1] This application claims priority to People's Republic of China Patent Application No. 202010231552.9, filed with the Patent Office of the People's Republic of China on March 27, 2020, entitled “SHELF AND STORAGE DEVICE,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application claims priority under the Patent Application of the People's Republic of China No. 202021892576.0, filed with the Patent Office of the People's Republic of China on September 2, 2020, with the utility model title "SHELF AND STORAGE DEVICE", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application claims priority to People's Republic of China Patent Application No. 202010231545.9 filed with the Patent Office of the People's Republic of China on March 27, 2020, entitled "STORAGE DEVICE, CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application claims priority under the Patent Application of the People's Republic of China No. 202010232310.1, filed with the Patent Office of the People's Republic of China on March 27, 2020, entitled "WAREHOUSE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT METHODS AND DEVICES, DEVICE AND MACHINE READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM", the contents of which are in full included in this document by reference. In addition, this application claims priority under the patent application of the People's Republic of China No. 202022292766.5, filed with the Patent Office of the People's Republic of China on October 15, 2020, with the title of utility model "LOADING AND UNLOADING AREA AND WORKING STATION", the contents of which are fully incorporated herein document by reference.

Field of technology to which the present invention relates

[2] The present invention relates to the field of warehouse technology and, in particular, to a warehouse device, system and control method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[3] In the current warehouse industry, robots with automatic lifting and moving functions are typically used to access and move cargo. However, due to the fact that robots have to perform too many tasks related to cargo storage, this leads to low efficiency of cargo warehouse operations.

Brief Disclosure of the Present Invention

[4] Embodiments of the present invention provide a storage device, system and control method for solving or alleviating one or more technical problems in the related art.

[5] To achieve the above goal, the following technical solutions are adopted in the present invention:

[6] According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides a storage device comprising:

[7] a number of racks, where each of the racks provides at least one temporary storage shelf, at least one storage shelf and a number of racks located at a distance from each other horizontally, and the storage shelf is located at a certain distance vertically from temporary storage shelves, wherein the temporary storage shelf is used to provide a number of temporary storage locations, and the storage shelf is used to provide a number of storage locations;

[8] a first robot passage for moving a first robot, the first robot being used to access cargo on a temporary storage shelf; And

[9] A second robot aisle for moving a second robot, wherein the second robot is used to move cargo between a temporary storage shelf and a storage shelf.

[10] According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for managing warehouse receipts, the method comprising:

[11] determining a given temporary storage location according to a given storage location of a given cargo;

[12] commanding the first robot to move a given load to a given temporary storage location; And

[13] in case of receiving a signal from the first robot about the completion of the movement, a command to the second robot to move a given load from a given temporary storage location to a given storage location.

[14] According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for managing shipment from a warehouse, the method comprising:

[15] command the second robot to move a given load from the current storage location;

[16] determining a predetermined temporary storage location according to the location of the second robot;

[17] commanding the second robot to move a given load to a given temporary storage location; And

[18] in case of receiving a signal from the second robot about the completion of the movement, a command to the first robot to move the specified load from the specified temporary storage location.

[19] According to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention provides a warehouse system comprising:

[20] a storage device according to any of the above embodiments;

[21] a control device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions, and when the instruction is loaded and executed by the processor, performing the method according to any of the above embodiments;

[22] the first robot, which moves along the first robot aisle; And

[23] a second robot that moves along the second robot aisle.

[24] One of the above-mentioned technical solutions has the following advantages or beneficial effects: the first robot has direct access to goods on a temporary storage shelf, which eliminates the need to extend the robot arm to the shelf of the rack and increases the efficiency of access to goods; In addition, the temporary storage shelf can store goods temporarily, and the storage location provided by the storage shelf can store goods for a long time, which is convenient for jointly using the temporary storage shelf and the storage shelf to improve the efficiency of cargo warehouse operations; In addition, the first robot aisle and the second robot aisle are respectively formed, which avoids the first and second robot moving along the same aisle, increasing the efficiency of the first robot and the second robot, and thereby increasing the efficiency of warehouse operations.

Brief description of the figures

[25] To more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following is a brief description of the accompanying figures, which are necessary to describe the embodiments or the prior art. It will be appreciated that in the following description, the accompanying figures represent some of the embodiments described among the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art may convert these accompanying figures to others.

[26] In FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structure of a storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[27] In FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a structure of a storage device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[28] In FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[29] In FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rack according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[30] In FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rack according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[31] In FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first robot according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[32] In FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the interaction between the bifurcated arm of the first robot and the double slot in the rack according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[33] In FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second robot according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[34] In FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[35] In FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a warehouse operation management method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[36] In FIG. 11 is a flowchart of operation in step S1001 shown in FIG. 10.

[37] In FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse operations management scenario according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[38] In FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse shipping method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[39] In FIG. 14 is a flowchart of operation in step S1302 shown in FIG. 13;

[40] In FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[41] In FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a control device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[42] In FIG. 17 shows a diagram of the arrangement of the rotary wheels and drive wheels of the first robot.

[43] In FIG. 18 shows a diagram of the arrangement of the chassis relative to the inclined plane in the case when the first robot is climbing the inclined plane.

[44] In FIG. 19A is a first schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[45] In FIG. 19B is a top view of a first schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[46] In FIG. 19C is a side view of a first schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[47] In FIG. 20A is a first schematic view of the state of the first robot moving along the inclined platform to the main part of the platform according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[48] In FIG. 20B is a second schematic view of the state of the first robot moving along the inclined platform to the main part of the platform according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[49] In FIG. 20C is a third schematic view of the state of the first robot moving along the inclined platform to the main part of the platform according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[50] In FIG. 20D is a fourth schematic view of the state of the first robot moving along the inclined platform to the main part of the platform according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[51] In FIG. 20E is a fifth schematic view of the state of the first robot moving along the inclined platform to the main part of the platform according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[52] In FIG. 21 is a second schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[53] In FIG. 22 is a third schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[54] In FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a workstation according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

Detailed Disclosure of the Present Invention

[55] Some examples of the invention are briefly described below. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are illustrative in nature and do not impose restrictions.

[56] Embodiment 1

[57] In FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the structure of a storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[58] As can be seen from FIG. 1 to 4, the storage device 1000 may include at least one temporary storage shelf 120, wherein the temporary storage shelf 120 is used to provide at least one temporary storage location; a number of racks 100, where each of the racks 100 may include at least one storage shelf 130 and a number of racks 110 spaced horizontally apart, and the storage shelf 130 is used to provide at least one storage location. The temporary storage shelf 120 is provided with double slits 121, and each of the double slits 121 is used to interact with a bifurcated arm 210 of the first robot 200; and the storage shelf 130 is located between the software racks at a certain vertical distance from the temporary storage shelf 120 along the racks 110.

[59] According to one example, a number of racks 100 may be single-row racks, double-row racks, or multi-row racks; some number of racks 100 may be two or more; and a number of racks 100 may be arranged in columns (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), in rows (see FIG. 3), or in a matrix. The number of rows of racks, the number of racks, and the layout of a number of racks 100 can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, while in the embodiment of the present invention, neither the number nor the layout of a number of racks 100 is limited.

[60] According to one example, a number of software racks may define a rectangular area within which a temporary storage shelf 120 and a storage shelf 130 are installed, wherein the temporary storage shelf 120 and a storage shelf 130 are spaced vertically apart along the racks BY. However, according to this embodiment, the locations of the software racks in the design are not limited, provided that the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelf 130 can be located at some vertical distance from each other. Thus, the posts 110 may also extend vertically through the middle of the temporary storage shelf 120 and storage shelf 130 rather than along their edges.

[61] For ease of description, in the following embodiment, the long side of the temporary storage shelf 120 is set as a side of the temporary storage shelf 120, and the short side of the temporary storage shelf 120 is installed as the end of the temporary storage shelf 120.

[62] According to one example, the number of temporary storage locations provided on the temporary storage shelf 120 provides two or more temporary storage locations; double slots 121 are located below each temporary storage location, and the double slot 121 may be U-shaped, C-shaped, I-shaped, V-shaped, or the like. The shape of the double slot 121 can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs as long as it can cooperate with the bifurcated arm 210 of the first robot 200, and in the present specification, the shape of the double slot 121 is not limited.

[63] The temporary storage shelf 120 may be located at any level of the rack 100, and the location of the temporary storage shelf 120 is not limited herein. If the temporary storage shelf 120 is located at the middle level of the rack 100, the storage shelves 130 are located above and below the temporary storage shelf 120, this can shorten the distances between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelves 130 and improve the efficiency of moving goods between the temporary storage shelf 120 and 130 storage shelves. Loads can be boxes of materials, products, etc. The boxes may be cardboard boxes or boxes of other materials, and the type of boxes and the items contained therein are not limited herein.

[64] According to one example, the width of the temporary storage shelf 120 is less than half the width of the storage shelf 130. Thus, the rack 100 may be a two-row rack, the storage shelf 120 may be one row of a two-row rack, the horizontal storage shelf 130 may have a width equal to two rows of a two-row rack, and the width of the temporary storage shelf 120 is set to be less than half the width of the shelf. 130 storage. Because the width of the cargo aisle is greater than the width of the first robot 200, the width of the temporary storage shelf 120 is set to be less than half the width of the storage shelf 130, the width of the first aisle 141 may be greater than the width of the storage shelf 130 to provide a passage sufficient to move cargo. the first robot 200; and since the width of the storage shelf 130 is twice the width of the temporary storage shelf 120, the storage shelf 130 can store a load slightly larger in size than the dimensions of the temporary storage location.

[65] The storage device 1000 may include: a first robot passage for moving the first robot 200, the first robot 200 being used to interact with the dual slot 121 through its bifurcated arm 210 to access loads on the temporary storage shelf 120; and a second robot passage for moving the second robot 300, the second robot 300 being used to move loads between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelf 130.

[66] According to one example, the first robot aisle may be dependent on the design of the rack 100 or may be located outside the rack 100. The second robot aisle may be located on another side outside the rack 100 so as to separate the first robot aisle from the second robot aisle. robot to avoid the passage being occupied by another robot.

[67] As can be seen from FIG. 6 and fig. 7, the first robot 200 may be an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) with a bifurcated arm 210, and the bifurcated arm 210 may be located at the top of the first robot 200 and may also be located at the bottom of the first robot 200. In an embodiment In the present invention, the method of arranging the bifurcated arm 210 of the first robot 200 is not limited.

[68] As can be seen from FIG. 8, the second robot 300 may be an automatically controlled cart with a lifting mechanism 320 and an access mechanism 330, or may also be a stacking machine or the like. In the embodiment of the present invention, the type of the second robot 300 is not limited as long as it has the functions of accessing and moving loads. According to the storage device 1000 of the embodiment of the present invention, since the temporary storage shelf 120 is provided with a double slot 121 for cooperation with the bifurcated arm 210 of the first robot 200, the bifurcated arm 210 of the first robot 200 can be directly inserted into the double slot 121 of the temporary storage shelf 120, so that the first the robot 200 can have direct access to the goods on the temporary storage shelf 120, which avoids the action of extending the robot arm to the rack 100 and improves the efficiency of accessing the goods; In addition, in the temporary storage shelf 120, goods can be stored temporarily, and in the storage location provided by the storage shelf 130, goods can be stored for a long time, which is convenient for using the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelf 130 together to improve the efficiency of warehouse operations. with loads; in addition, the first robot aisle and the second robot aisle are respectively formed, which further avoids the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 from moving along the same aisle, increasing the efficiency of the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, and thereby increasing the efficiency of warehouse operations .

[69] According to one embodiment, the first robot passage may include a cargo access passage 140, and the cargo access passage 140 is located below the temporary storage shelf 120. When the first robot 200 is in the cargo access passage 140, the dual slot 121 cooperates with the dual arm 210 of the first robot 200 to access the cargo.

[70] For example, as shown in FIG. 4 and fig. 7, in the case of cargo storage, the first robot 200 aligns the bifurcated arm 210 with the double slot 121 on the double slot side of the temporary storage shelf 120 and moves along the cargo access aisle 140, so that the bifurcated arm 210 fits directly into the dual slot 121 and the loads. placed on the temporary storage shelf 120, and then the bifurcated manipulator 210 is lowered down so that the cargo box remains on the temporary storage shelf 120; and in the case where the goods are picked up, the first robot 200 moves at the bottom of the goods access aisle 140, aligns the bifurcated arm 210 with the double slot 121 under the temporary storage shelf 120 and lifts the forked arm 210 to lift the cargo box, and then moves towards from the double slot on the temporary storage shelf 120 in order to leave the cargo access passage 140 and pick up the cargo box. In this way, the first robot 200 can directly pick up loads without stopping movement or stopping movement for a short time, while eliminating the actions of controlling the extension of the robot arm to the shelf, which can improve the efficiency of accessing the cargo box, while access and collection are carried out under the shelf 120 temporary storage, which allows efficient use of rack space 100.

[71] According to one embodiment, the cargo access passage can additionally be used for movement of the first robot in the event that the first robot is not loaded.

[72] According to one example, in the case where the first robot 200 is not loaded (namely, the first robot 200 is not loaded with loads), the first robot 200 can move directly in the load access channel 140, which can improve the efficiency of moving loads.

[73] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, posts 110 are positioned on the outer edge of the storage shelf 130, the first robot passage includes a first driveway 141, and the first driveway 141 is positioned between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the posts 110 lateral to the double slot of the storage shelf 120.

[74] According to one example, in the case where the temporary storage shelf 120 is located at the bottom level of the racks, the temporary storage shelf 120, the racks located at the side of the double slot of the temporary storage shelf 120 and the floor can form a first passage 141 for the movement of the first robot. 200.

[75] According to one example, in the case where the temporary storage shelf 120 is not located at the bottom level of the storage racks, but at other levels, the temporary storage shelf 120, the storage racks located at the side of the double slot of the temporary storage shelf 120, and the storage shelf 130, located at a level below the level of the temporary storage shelf 120, can form a first passage 141 for the movement of the first robot 200.

[76] According to this embodiment, the first passage 141 for the movement of the first robot 200 is formed between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the racks 110 located at the side of the double slot of the temporary storage shelf 120, so that the first robot 200 can move at any level of the rack 100, which convenient for the interaction of the first robot 200 with the temporary storage shelf 120 and avoids occupying the aisle outside the rack 100.

[77] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the rack 100 may further include: crossbars 150, with each of the crossbars 150 positioned horizontally and used to secure the short sides of the temporary storage shelf 120 and storage shelf 130 to the racks 110.

[78] In FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the design of a rack 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the rack 100 is similar to the structure of the rack 100 shown in FIG. 1, the difference is that as shown in FIG. 5, a second passage 142 for moving the first robot 200 is formed between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the software racks located at one end of the temporary storage shelf 120. Thus, the first robot 200 can move along the rack 100 along the second aisle 142, thereby reducing the travel distance of the first robot 200 and increasing the efficiency of moving the cargo boxes.

[79] According to one example, the rack 100 may further include: a support post 160 located for support at the front end of the temporary storage shelf 120.

[80] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 to 4, the temporary storage shelf 120 provides a number of temporary storage shelves, each of the temporary storage shelves is provided with a double slot 121, and a third passage is formed between at least two temporary storage shelves for the movement of the first robot 200 (see item 143 on Fig. 9). Thus, the first robot 200 can move along the rack 100 between any two temporary storage locations of the temporary storage shelf 120, thereby the moving distance of the first robot 200 can be shortened and the efficiency of moving cargo boxes can be improved.

[81] According to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a second robot aisle 310 is formed between adjacent racks 100 so that a second robot 300 can move in the second robot aisle 310 to move loads between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelf 130. Cargoes that are temporarily stored on the temporary storage shelf 120 are moved to the storage shelf 130 for the purpose of storage in the warehouse after receipt, or cargo that is stored on the storage shelf 130 are moved to the temporary storage shelf 120 for the purpose of temporary storage before shipping from the warehouse, which can improve access efficiency and efficiency of warehouse operations; In addition, the second passage 310 for the robot does not coincide with the passage for movement of the first robot 200, which avoids sharing the same passage between the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, increasing the efficiency of interaction between the first robot 200 and the second robot 300, and thereby , increase the efficiency of warehouse operations.

[82] It should be noted that the storage device 1000 typically uses a second robot 300 with a lifting mechanism 320 and an access mechanism 330 to move and access loads. However, because the cost of the second robot 300 is relatively high, and the distances between the cargo loading dock 400 and each temporary storage location and each storage location on the rack 100 are relatively large, the cost of cargo warehousing operations per unit time is relatively high. and the efficiency is relatively low. By forming a second aisle 310 between adjacent racks 100, the storage device 1000 according to this embodiment of the present invention may provide a second robot 300 for moving loads between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the shelf 130, and may provide a first robot 200 to interact with and move the loads. on the temporary storage shelf 120, while the first robot 200 may not have a lifting mechanism, and its cost is significantly lower than the cost of the second robot 300. Thus, per one second robot 300, a number of the first robots 200 can be used for access interaction to cargo, this can reduce the cost of cargo warehousing operations per unit of time and can increase the efficiency of cargo warehousing operations.

[83] In one application scenario, the first robot 200 may be a robot that accesses and moves one cargo box at a time, and the second robot 300 may be a robot that accesses and moves a number of boxes at a time. with the load and moves them. The second robot 300 is designed to move cargo between the temporary storage shelf 120 and the storage shelf 130, and the first robot 200 is designed to move and access cargo on the temporary storage shelf 120, this can reduce the cost of warehousing cargo handling per unit time and can improve efficiency warehouse operations with cargo.

[84] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the temporary storage shelf provides a number of temporary storage shelves, and a double slot is provided in each of the temporary storage shelves. The passage for the first robot includes a third passage 143, and the third passage 143 is located between at least two temporary storage shelves. The width of the third aisle 143 may be one, two, three or more times greater than the width of the temporary storage shelf, which is not limited in the present invention. Thus, to form the third passage 143, some temporary storage shelves may be removed. Thus, to improve efficiency, the first robot 200 may travel along the rack in the third aisle 143.

[85] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the first robot aisle includes a fourth aisle 144, wherein the fourth aisle 144 is located between two adjacent racks 100 and connects two third aisles 143 or two second aisles 142. Thus, the second robot 200 can move along the rack 100 along the third aisle 143 and then move along the fourth aisle 144 to the adjacent rack 100, thereby reducing the movement distance of the first robot 200 and increasing the efficiency of moving goods.

[86] According to one embodiment, the storage device 1000 further includes a loading dock 400 (the loading dock 400 may also be referred to as a loading dock). A second passage 142 for moving the first robot 200 is formed between the temporary storage shelf 120 and software racks located at one end of the temporary storage shelf 120, and a fifth passage 145 for moving the first robot 200 is formed between the loading and unloading platform 400 and the rack 100. Thus, the fifth a passage 145 for the movement of the first robot 200 is formed between the loading and unloading platform 400 and the racks 110 located at the other end of the temporary storage shelf 120. Thus, the first robot 200 can directly move from the loading and unloading area 400 to the first aisle 141 for the first robot 200 in the rack 100 along the fifth aisle 145, and can quickly reach the temporary storage shelf 120, thereby increasing the efficiency of interaction.

[87] According to one example, the fifth aisle 145, the first aisle 141, the second aisle 142, the third aisle 143, and the fourth aisle 144 may together form a first path path for the first robot 200 to travel (the dotted path with arrows in FIG. 9).

[88] According to one example, the cargo access passage 140 under the temporary storage shelf 120 may form a second circuit of passages (dash-dotted line with arrows in FIG. 9) for the movement of the first robot 200, along which the first robot 200 moves when not loaded

[89] According to one example, a second robot passage 310 for a second robot 300 may form a path (dotted line with arrows in FIG. 9) for the movement of the second robot 300.

[90] In the above examples, by organizing the first aisle loop, the second aisle loop, and the walking loop of the second robot 300, the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 can prevent the situation where the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 occupy each other's walking aisles, and thereby increase the efficiency of interaction between these robots. Thus, a number of first robots 200 and a number of second robots 300 can be organized to carry out warehouse operations with goods and thereby increase the efficiency of warehouse operations.

[91] Other components of the storage device 1000 of the above exemplary embodiment may currently and in the future adopt various technical solutions known to those skilled in the art that are not described in detail herein.

[92] Embodiment 2

[93] In FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a warehouse operation management method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The warehouse operation management method is suitable for the warehouse apparatus that is used in the above-mentioned Embodiment 1. As can be seen from Fig. 10, the method of managing warehouse operations may include:

[94] step S1001: determining a predetermined temporary storage location according to a predetermined storage location of a predetermined cargo;

[95] step S1002: commanding the first robot to move a predetermined load to a predetermined location for temporary storage; And

[96] step S1003: in case of receiving a signal from the first robot to complete the movement, command the second robot to move a predetermined load from a predetermined temporary storage location to a predetermined storage location, wherein the predetermined storage location and the predetermined temporary storage location are at different shelves.

[97] As can be seen from FIG. 4, the temporary storage location may be arranged on the temporary storage shelf 120 of the rack 100, the temporary storage location may be arranged on the storage shelf 130 of the rack, the temporary storage location and the storage location may be arranged at different levels of the same rack 100, or may also be arranged. at different levels of adjacent racks. The temporary storage location and the storage location can be adjusted and selected according to actual needs, and in embodiments of the present invention, the arrangement method of the temporary storage location and the storage location is not limited.

[98] The predetermined storage location of the predetermined cargo may be determined according to the type of the predetermined cargo. Thus, in the case where the type of a given cargo is the type of cargo in greatest demand, the storage location with the shortest travel time may be selected as the target storage location for that given cargo. Thus, in the case where the temporary storage location is arranged at the bottom level of the rack, the storage location with the shortest travel time is the storage location closest to the loading and unloading area, at a level located above the level on which the temporary storage location is located. Thus, the corresponding storage location with the shortest access time can be determined as a predetermined storage location according to the degree of demand for a given cargo.

[99] According to one example, since a given temporary storage location may temporarily store a given cargo, a second robot may immediately be commanded to move the given cargo from a given temporary storage location to a given storage location in the event that a signal is received from the first robot that that the movement is complete, or the second robot may be commanded to move a given load from a given temporary storage location to a given storage location after the second robot has completed other actions. Thus, the first robot and the second robot can use the temporary storage location to independently move a given load, and the first robot and the second robot can move highly efficiently without the need for direct interaction to move a given load, which improves the efficiency of goods entering the warehouse.

[100] In one example, according to a method for managing warehouse operations, predetermined storage locations may be respectively determined for predetermined storage locations of a number of predetermined loads, and a number of first robots are commanded to accordingly move the number of predetermined items to corresponding predetermined storage locations. Upon receipt of movement completion signals sent by a number of the first robots, the second robot is commanded to move a number of predetermined loads from respective predetermined temporary storage locations, respectively, to predetermined respective storage locations.

[101] According to the warehouse operation control method of an embodiment of the present invention, a predetermined temporary storage location is determined based on a predetermined storage location of a given cargo, and the first robot is commanded to move the predetermined cargo for temporary storage to the predetermined temporary storage location, and the second robot is commanded to move a given load from a temporary storage location, respectively, to a given storage location, so as to divide the ground movement of the given load between the temporary storage location and the storage location, so that the first robot can independently carry out the ground movement of the given load, and the second robot can independently carry out the movement of the given load between the temporary storage location and the storage location. The first robot and the second robot do not need to directly load and unload a given cargo, which avoids the situation where the first robot and the second robot wait for each other, and this helps to improve the efficiency of warehouse cargo handling operations.

[102] In one application scenario, the first robot may be a robot that accesses and moves one box of cargo at a time, moves faster and is less expensive, and the second robot may be a robot that gains access to a certain number of boxes with cargo and moves them, while moving more slowly and its cost is higher. If the first robot is directly commanded to move a given load from a loading yard to a given storage location and/or the second robot is commanded to move a given load from a loading yard to a given storage location, then the first robot and the second robot may have a lower moving efficiency and higher moving costs due to long distance travel. However, according to the warehouse operation management method of an embodiment of the present invention, the first robot can move goods between a loading dock and a temporary storage location, and the second robot can move goods between a temporary storage location and a storage location, which is advantageous for reducing the moving distance of the first robot and a second robot in order to increase the efficiency of warehouse operations due to the highly efficient interaction of the first robot and the second robot.

[103] For example, as shown in FIG. 11, operation in step S1001: determining a predetermined temporary storage location according to the predetermined storage location may include:

[104] step S1101: determining the first free location closest to the predetermined storage location;

[105] step S1102: commanding the first robot to move to the first free temporary storage location;

[106] step S1103: updating the occupancy status of each temporary storage location during the movement of the first robot based on a predetermined time interval;

[107] step S1104: in the case where the travel time of the first robot to the first free temporary storage location is longer than the first predetermined time threshold, determining the availability of a second free temporary storage location closest to the specified storage location according to the updated occupancy status of each temporary storage location ; And

[108] step S1105: if there is a second free temporary storage location, determining the second free temporary storage location as a predetermined second free temporary storage location.

[109] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case where the temporary storage location provided by the temporary storage shelf 122 in the predetermined storage location provided by the shelf 131 is occupied, it may be determined that the temporary storage location provided by the temporary storage shelf 123 or the temporary storage location provided by the temporary storage shelf 124 in an adjacent rack of a given shelf 131, represents a first free temporary storage location, and the first robot is commanded to move to the first temporary storage location; If the temporary storage location provided by the temporary storage shelf 122 is updated to a free state during the movement of the first robot, and the time required for the first robot to move to the first free temporary storage location is greater than a first predetermined time threshold, it is determined that the temporary storage location The storage provided by the temporary storage location 122 is the second free temporary storage location and is set as the predetermined temporary storage location. In this manner, the predetermined temporary storage location can be dynamically adjusted during the movement of the first robot, so that the moving distance between the predetermined temporary storage location and the predetermined storage location is less than the moving distance between the first free temporary storage location and the predetermined temporary storage location, which can shorten the moving distance specified cargo and increase the efficiency of cargo arrival at the warehouse.

[110] It should be noted that storage locations on either side of an aisle between adjacent racks may be shared among a number of temporary storage locations, that is, a given storage location and a given temporary storage location may be respectively located on two adjacent racks. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the case where a predetermined storage location is located above or below a fifth temporary storage location 415 on the first rack 410, the first free temporary storage location may be a fifth temporary storage location 415 on the first rack 410, and may also be a fifth temporary storage location 425. storage on the second rack 420. Thus, storage locations located on either side of the second robot aisle 440 can share a temporary storage location on the first rack 410.

[111] Updating the state of a temporary storage location below a given storage location as free may be caused by the second robot removing cargo that was temporarily stored at that temporary storage location.

[112] According to one embodiment, if there is no second free temporary storage location, the first free temporary storage location is determined as a predetermined temporary storage location. Thus, the predetermined temporary storage location can be determined directly according to the predetermined storage location.

[113] According to one embodiment, the command to the first robot to move a given load to a given temporary storage location includes:

[114] determining a first travel route along a predetermined first robot aisle according to location information between the first robot and a predetermined temporary storage location, where the first robot aisle includes a first passage located lateral to the temporary storage level on which the predetermined temporary storage location is located, and the first passage is located in the vertical projection area of the storage shelf on which the predetermined storage location is located; And

[115] commanding the first robot to move to the bottom of the predetermined temporary storage location along the first movement route.

[116] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, fig. 12 contains a schematic diagram of a scenario for methods for managing warehouse operations according to embodiments of the present invention, wherein a line segment with an arrow designates a first aisle 430 located to the side of a temporary storage shelf on which a predetermined temporary storage location is located (see first aisle 141 in FIG. 4). . In the case where the predetermined temporary storage location is a fifth temporary storage location 415 on the first shelf 410, a first travel path 431 is determined in the first passage 430, and the first robot 200 is commanded to move to the bottom of the fifth temporary storage location 415 along the first travel path 431 . Thus, the first robot 200 can move in a given first aisle 430 so that the first robot 200 does not occupy the aisle of the second robot 300, this increases the efficiency of movement of the first robot 200 and the second robot 300 relative to each other, thereby increasing the efficiency of warehouse operations.

[117] According to one embodiment, a command to the second robot to move a given load from a given temporary temporary storage location to a given temporary storage location includes:

[118] determining a second path of movement along a given second passage for the robot according to information about the location of the second robot relative to a given temporary storage location, where the second passage for the robots is located outside the vertical projection region; And

[119] commanding the second robot to move to the side of a predetermined temporary storage location along a second travel route.

[120] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the second robot passage 440 (dotted line with arrows) can be located outside the vertical projection of the rack. In the case where the second robot 300 is located at the side of the second temporary storage location 412 on the first rack 410, the second moving path 441 between the side of the second temporary storage location 412 and the side of the fifth temporary storage location 415 is determined according to the location information of the second robot 300 relative to the predetermined temporary storage location. storage (namely, the fifth temporary storage location 415), and the second robot 300 is commanded to move along the second travel path 441 to the side of the fifth temporary storage location 415 so as to pick up a given load from the fifth temporary storage location 415.

[121] According to one embodiment, a second passage is formed at one end of the temporary storage shelf. The temporary storage shelf provides a number of temporary storage shelves to provide temporary storage locations, a third aisle is formed between at least two temporary storage shelves, and a first robot aisle includes a second aisle and a third aisle.

[122] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, one end of the first shelf 410, remote from the loading area 400, is formed by a second aisle 142. There is a third aisle (not marked in the figure) between the fifth temporary storage location 415 and the sixth temporary storage location 416 on the first rack 410, as well as between an eighth temporary storage location 418 and a ninth temporary storage location 419 on the first rack 410, and then the first robot 200 can determine a travel route along the third aisle and plan a shorter travel route for the first robot 200, increasing the movement efficiency of the first robot 200.

[123] According to one embodiment, the passage for the first robot includes a cargo access passage located below the temporary storage shelf, and the method further comprises:

[124] in the case when the first robot is not loaded, determining the unoccupied passage along the aisle for the first robot; And

[125] command the first robot to move along an unoccupied driveway.

[126] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the passage for the first robot includes a cargo access passage 450 located below the temporary storage shelf (see cargo access passage 140 on the rack 100 in FIG. 4), namely, the dashed line with the arrow in FIG. 4. In the case where the first robot 430 is not loaded (namely, the first robot is not moving loads), the first robot can move along the first aisle 430, the second aisle and the aisle 450 to access the loads.

[127] Embodiment 3

[128] In FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a warehouse shipping method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The warehouse shipping operation management method is suitable for the warehouse apparatus that is used in the above-mentioned Embodiment 1. As can be seen from Fig. 13, the method of managing warehouse shipping operations may include:

[129] step S1301: commanding the second robot to move a predetermined load from the current storage location;

[130] step S1302: determining a predetermined temporary storage location according to the location of the second robot, wherein the current storage location and the predetermined temporary storage location are located at different levels;

[131] step S1303: commanding the second robot to move a predetermined load to a predetermined location for temporary storage; And

[132] step S1304: in case of receiving a signal from the second robot to complete the movement, command the first robot to move a predetermined load from a predetermined temporary storage location.

[133] The method for specifying the temporary storage location and the storage location in the warehouse shipping control method may be the same as the method for specifying similar locations in the warehouse receipt control method, and the method for specifying the temporary storage location and the storage location is not repeated herein.

[134] The current storage location of a given cargo may be determined according to the identification data of the given cargo in the warehouse shipping list. For example, a table of mutual correspondence between the current storage location of a given cargo and the identification data of the given cargo can be stored in advance. In the case where the identification of a given cargo is obtained from a warehouse shipment list, the current storage location of the given cargo may be queried from the cross-match table. The current storage location of a given cargo may also be determined by other methods, and in this embodiment of the present invention, the method for determining the current storage location of a given cargo is not limited.

[135] According to one example, since a predetermined temporary storage location may temporarily store a predetermined load, in the event that a signal is received from the second robot to complete the move, the first robot may be immediately commanded to move the specified load from the predetermined storage location, or the first the robot may also be commanded to move a given load from a given temporary storage location after the first robot has completed other operations. In this way, the first robot and the second robot can use the temporary storage location to independently move a given load, and the first robot and the second robot can move with high efficiency without the need for direct interaction to move a given load, which can improve the efficiency of shipping goods from the warehouse.

[136] In one example, according to a method for controlling shipment from a warehouse, a second robot may be commanded to move a number of predetermined loads, respectively, from current storage locations of a number of predetermined loads, and according to the location of the second robot, corresponding predetermined temporary storage locations are correspondingly determined and the second robot is given a command to move a specified load to a corresponding specified temporary storage location. In this manner, a number of predetermined loads may be moved to appropriate predetermined temporary storage locations.

[137] According to the warehouse shipping control method of an embodiment of the present invention, a predetermined temporary storage location is determined based on the location of the second robot, and the second robot is commanded to move a predetermined load to a predetermined temporary storage location, and the first robot is correspondingly commanded to move a predetermined cargo from a given temporary storage location to separate movement of a given cargo between a temporary storage location and a storage location from ground movement of a given cargo, so that the second robot can independently complete the movement of a given cargo between the storage location and the temporary storage location, and the first robot can independently complete the movement specified cargo from the temporary storage location. The first robot and the second robot do not need to directly load and unload a given cargo, which avoids the situation where the first robot and the second robot are waiting for each other, and this helps to improve the efficiency of loading cargo from the warehouse.

[138] It should be noted that a robot with a lifting mechanism and access mechanism is typically used in methods of managing warehouse operations for the purpose of moving goods and accessing goods; however, due to the high cost of such a robot and the relatively large distances between the cargo loading area and each temporary storage location and each rack storage location, the cost of cargo warehousing operations per unit time is relatively high and the efficiency is relatively low.

[139] According to methods for managing warehouse operations according to embodiments of the present invention, the ground movement of given loads is separated from the movement of given loads between a temporary storage location and a storage location so that the first robot can focus on completing the ground movement of given loads and the second robot can focus on completing moving specified loads between a temporary storage location and a storage location, while the first robot may not have a lifting mechanism and its cost is significantly lower than the cost of the second robot. Thus, one second robot can be used to directly interact with a number of first robots to manage warehouse operations for given loads, this can reduce the cost of warehouse operations for given loads per unit of time and can increase the efficiency of warehouse operations and the capacity of warehouses for shipping and cargo receipts.

[140] According to one embodiment, the speed of movement of the first robot is higher than the speed of movement of the second robot.

[141] Because, when managing a shipment from a warehouse, the first robot typically moves a given load from a given temporary storage location on a rack to a loading and unloading area, and the second robot typically moves a given load from a current storage location to a given temporary storage location on one side of the rack, and the distance between the loading and unloading platform and the rack is significantly greater than the length of the rack, then by providing the speed of movement of the first robot, which is greater than the speed of movement of the second robot, the number of specified loads moved by the second robot to a given temporary storage location can be coordinated with the number of specified loads moved by the first robot from a predetermined temporary storage location, thereby matching the moving efficiency of the second robot with the moving efficiency of the second robot, thereby increasing the efficiency of shipping specified goods from the warehouse.

[142] In one example, a method for managing the arrival of a warehouse may allow a number of first robots to interact with a second robot to coordinate the shipment flow of specified temporary storage goods with the storage flow.

[143] For example, as shown in FIG. 14, operation in step S1302: determining a predetermined temporary storage location according to the location of the second robot, may include:

[144] step S1401: determining the first free location closest to the location of the second robot;

[145] step S1402: commanding the second robot to move to the first free temporary storage location;

[146] step S1403: updating the occupancy status of each temporary storage location based on a predetermined time interval while the second robot is moving;

[147] step S1404: in the case where the travel time of the second robot to the first free temporary storage location is longer than the second predetermined time threshold, determining whether there is a second free temporary storage location closest to the second robot according to the updated occupancy status of each temporary storage location; And

[148] step S1405: if there is a second free temporary storage location, determining the second free temporary storage location as a predetermined second free temporary storage location.

[149] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the case where the second robot 300 is located on one side of the second temporary storage location 412 on the first rack 410, the fifth temporary storage location 415 on the first rack 410 may be defined as the first free temporary storage location for the second robot 300; if the occupied state of the fourth temporary storage location 414 on the first rack 410 is updated to the free state during the movement of the second robot 300 to the first free temporary storage location, in the case where the travel time of the second robot 300 to the fifth temporary storage location 415 is greater than the second predetermined threshold time, the fourth temporary storage location 414 is defined as the second free temporary storage location closest to the second robot 300, and is defined as a predetermined temporary storage location. Thus, while specified cargo is moved by the second robot 300, the storage location may be dynamically adjusted to shorten the moving distance of the second robot 300 and improve the efficiency of shipping cargo from the warehouse.

[150] Updating the state of a temporary storage location below a given storage location as free may be caused by the first robot picking up items that were temporarily stored at that temporary storage location.

[151] According to one embodiment, if there is no second free temporary storage location, the first free temporary storage location is determined as a given temporary storage location for the purpose of directly determining the given temporary storage location.

[152] According to one embodiment, the command to the first robot to move a given load from a given temporary storage location includes:

[153] determining a retrieval route along a predetermined first robot aisle according to location information between the first robot and a predetermined temporary storage location, where the first robot aisle includes a first aisle located lateral to the temporary storage level on which the predetermined temporary storage location is located, and the first passage is located in the vertical projection area of the storage shelf on which the predetermined storage location is located; And

[154] command the first robot to move to the bottom of a predetermined temporary storage location along a retrieval route.

[155] For example, as shown in FIG. 12, in the case where the first robot 200 is at a location adjacent to the eighth temporary storage location 428 in the first aisle of the second rack 420, and the temporary storage location is a fifth temporary storage location 425 on the second rack 420, a retrieval path 432 between the first robot 200 and the fifth temporary storage location 425 on the second rack 420 is determined according to the location information between the first robot 200 and the predetermined temporary storage location (namely, the fifth temporary storage location 425 on the second rack), and the first robot 200 is commanded to move along the retrieval path 432 to the bottom side of the temporary storage location (namely, the fifth temporary storage location 425 on the second rack) for the purpose of moving a given load from a given temporary storage location.

[156] Embodiment 4

[157] In FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a warehouse system according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. As can be seen from Fig. 15 and fig. 16, the storage system 1500 includes: a storage device 1000 according to any of the above embodiments; a control device 1510 including a processor 1512 and a memory 1511, wherein the memory 1511 stores instructions, and when the instructions are loaded and executed by the processor 1512, the method according to any of the above-mentioned embodiments is carried out; a first robot 200 moving along the first robot aisle and having a bifurcated arm interacting with the dual slot; and a second robot 300 moving along the second robot aisle.

[158] According to one embodiment, the speed of movement of the first robot 200 is higher than the speed of movement of the second robot 300.

[159] In FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a control device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. As can be seen from Fig. 16, the control device 1510 includes a storage device 1511 and a processor 1512, wherein a computer program 1512 executed on the processor is stored in the storage device 1511. When executing the computer program, the processor 1512 executes a warehouse receipt control method and a warehouse shipping control method according to the above-mentioned embodiments. . One or more memories 1511 and processors 1512 may be provided.

[160] The control device further includes: a communication interface 1513, which is used to exchange information with an external device and perform interactive data transfer.

[161] If the storage device 1511, the processor 1512 and the communication interface 1513 are implemented independently, the storage device 1511, the processor 1512 and the communication interface 1513 can be connected to each other and they can exchange information with each other via a bus. The bus may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may include an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of presentation of the bus, FIG. 16 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that only one tire or only one type of tire is provided.

[162] Optionally, if memory 1511, processor 1512, and communications interface 1513 are integrated on a single chip, memory 1511, processor 1512, and communications interface 1513 can communicate with each other via an internal interface.

[163] The above processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), and other general purpose processors, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices may also be provided. with discrete component circuit or transistor logic circuits, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. It should be noted that the processor may be a processor that supports an advanced reduced instruction set computer (ARM) architecture.

[164] Optionally, the above storage device may be provided with a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system and an application program that is required for at least one function; and in the data storage area can store data created in accordance with the use of a control device or the like. In addition, the storage may include high speed random access memory and may further include non-volatile storage, such as at least one disk storage, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices. In some embodiments, the storage device may optionally include a storage device located remotely to the processor, and the remote storage devices may be connected to the control device via a network. Examples of the network mentioned above may include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile phone network, and combinations thereof.

[165] Embodiment 5

[166] Embodiment 5 of the present invention further provides a loading and unloading area applicable to the storage device of any of the above-described embodiments. The loading and unloading area is discussed in detail below, with reference to the attached figures.

[167] As can be seen from FIG. 17, the chassis 910 of the first robot (the first robot may be called a transfer robot) is generally equipped with a front guide wheel 911, a rear guide wheel 912, and drive wheels 913, wherein the front guide wheel 911 and the rear guide wheel 912 are respectively located at the front and rear portions of the chassis 910. to change the direction of movement of the first robot; and drive wheels 913 are provided on both sides of the chassis 910 and are connected to the chassis 910 by a suspension mechanism (not shown in the drawing) to provide drive force to the first robot. In the case where the first robot moves towards the recess, the drive wheels 913 can stretch the suspension mechanism; and in the case where the first robot moves toward a hill, the drive wheels 913 may compress the suspension mechanism to soften the impact on the body of the first robot caused by an uneven floor. It should be noted that, to simplify the drawings, in the embodiment of the present invention, the front guide wheel 911, the rear guide wheel 912, the drive wheels 913 and the chassis 910 of the first robot are used to illustrate the movement of the first robot.

[168] As can be seen from FIG. 18, since the inclined surface 1121 of the ramp 1120 of the loading and unloading platform 1100 is a plane, and the drive wheels 913 of the first robot have a relatively small range of expansion or compression relative to the chassis 910, the drive wheels 913 are located substantially in the same plane with the front guide wheel 911 and the rear guide wheel 912. When the first robot begins to climb the ramp, the front guide wheel 911 of the first robot moves toward the ramp 1121, and the rear guide wheel 912 moves along the floor 1130. If the ramp 1120 has a relatively steep slope, the rear portion of the chassis 910 rises higher relative to the floor, this easily results in the drive wheels 913 being suspended in the air and unable to provide traction on the inclined surface 1121, or the drive wheels 913 may contact the inclined surface 1121 but cannot provide sufficient traction on the inclined surface 1121 due to insufficient pressure. This causes the drive wheels 913 of the first robot to slip so that the first robot cannot move along the ramp 1120 toward the main portion of the pad 1110. To ensure sufficient adhesion of the drive wheels 913 of the first robot to the ramp surface 1121 of the ramp 1120, the steepness of the ramp 1120 is typically reduced. By increasing the length of the ramp, it may require more manufacturing materials and more placement space, so problems arise in that the loading dock 1100 has a high manufacturing cost and occupies a lot of space.

[169] Based on this, Embodiment 2 of the present invention provides a loading and unloading area. The inclined surface of the inclined surface in the direction from the base of the inclined surface to the upper edge of the inclined surface is set in the form of a concave inclined surface and a convex inclined surface, which are smoothly connected to each other, which has the advantage of shortening the length of the inclined surface, and can reduce the manufacturing cost and the occupied space. place.

[170] In FIG. 19A is a first schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention; FIG. 19B is a top view of a first schematic diagram of a loading dock according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention, and FIG. 19C is a side view of a first schematic diagram of a loading and unloading area according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[171] As can be seen from FIG. from 15A to fig. 15C, the loading and unloading platform 1200 may include a landing body body 1210 and a ramp 1220. The ramp surface 1220A of the ramp 1220 includes a concave ramp surface 1221 and a convex ramp surface 1222 located in a direction from the base of the ramp to an upper edge thereof. The upper edge of the concave inclined surface 1221 is smoothly connected to the lower edge of the convex inclined surface 1222; and the ramp 1220 is positioned on one side of the pad body 1210 so that the ramp 1220A blends smoothly into the top surface 1211 of the pad body 1210.

[172] For example, the pad body 1210 may have some three-dimensional shape, such as a parallelogram or a cube. The upper surface 1211 of the main platform 1210 may form a passage for the first robot, for example, the passage may be provided along a long side of the main platform 1210. Since the platform body 1210 has a certain height, in the case where the first robot moves to the upper surface 1211, it is convenient for the user to carry out the operation of moving the goods being carried. The height of the landing body 1210 can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[173] According to one example, the ramp surface 1220A of the ramp 1220 includes a concave ramp 1221 and a convex ramp 1222 located one behind the other in a direction from the base of the ramp to its top edge. To provide a smooth connection, the top edge of the concave ramp 1221 is tangent to the bottom edge of the convex ramp 1222.

[174] If necessary, as can be seen from FIG. 20A, the lower edge of the inclined surface 1221 may be tangent to the floor, so that the steepness of the concave inclined surface 1221 may be gradually increased starting from 0°; and the upper edge of the convex inclined surface 1222 may be tangent to the upper surface 1211 of the main platform portion 1210, so that the steepness of the convex inclined surface 1222 is gradually reduced to 0°.

[175] Specifically, the concave ramp surface 1221 is positioned at the bottom side of the ramp surface 1220, and it is concave toward the bottom surface 1220B of the ramp 1220. The steepness of the concave ramp surface 1221 is gradually increased from 0° in the direction away from the base of the ramp surface. to its upper edge and is increased to a predetermined slope value at the top of the concave ramp surface 1221. In other words, the amount of slope of the concave ramp surface 1221 is gradually increased in an upward direction along the concave ramp surface 1221. Thus, the steepness of the ramp 1220 at the base of the ramp surface can be gradually increased , this has the advantage of reducing the length of the ramp 1220 on the base side of the ramp and reducing manufacturing cost.

[176] A convex ramp 1222 is positioned at the upper side of the ramp 1220 and is convex in a direction from the bottom surface 1220B of the ramp 1220. The steepness of the convex ramp 1222 is gradually reduced from a predetermined slope value along a direction from the base of the ramp to the top thereof. edge, and it smoothly transitions into the upper surface 1211 of the ramp 1220 at the upper edge of the convex ramp 1222. In other words, the amount of inclination of the convex ramp 1222 is gradually reduced in an upward direction along the convex ramp 1222. Thus, a smooth transition from the concave ramp can be achieved. the inclined surface 1221 to the convex inclined surface 1222 and to the platform body 1210, so that the first robot can smoothly move on the inclined platform 1220 and the platform body 1210; and may also reduce the length of the ramp 1220 at the top edge of the ramp to reduce manufacturing cost.

[177] As can be seen from FIG. 19C and FIG. 20A, in the process of moving the first robot along the ramp 1220 toward the pad body 1210, in the case where the front guide wheel 911 of the first robot moves on the concave ramp 1221 and the rear guide wheel 912 is still moving on the floor 410, the concave ramp 1221 may reduce the lifting height of the front portion of the chassis 910 relative to the floor 410 so as to prevent the drive wheels 913 from being raised excessively, so that the drive wheels 913 can apply a driving force to the concave inclined surface 1221, and thus prevent the drive wheels 913 from slipping.

[178] As can be seen from FIG. 19C and FIG. 20B, in the case that the front guide wheel 911 and the rear guide wheel 912 of the first robot move on the concave inclined surface 1221, the drive wheels 913 slightly stretch the suspension mechanism so that the centers of the drive wheels 913 are slightly offset downward relative to the chassis 910, and the drive wheels 913 may provide a driving force on the concave ramp 1221, which force is sufficient to drive the first robot toward the convex ramp 1222.

[179] As can be seen from FIG. 19C, fig. 20C and fig. 20D, in the case where the drive wheels 913 of the first robot drive the front guide wheel 911 to move on the convex ramp 1222 and drive the rear guide wheel 912 to move from the concave ramp 1221 to the convex ramp 1222, the centers of the drive wheels 913 gradually move in a direction close to the chassis 910 and begin to compress the suspension mechanism; In the case where both the front guide wheel 911 and the rear guide wheel 912 of the first robot move on the convex ramp surface 1222, the drive wheels 913 somewhat compress the suspension mechanism so that the drive wheels 913 can provide a driving force on the convex ramp surface 1222 that is sufficient to to drive the first robot toward the main pad portion 1210.

[180] As can be seen from FIG. 19C and FIG. 20E, in the case where the drive wheels 913 of the first robot drive the front guide wheel 911 to move around the platform body 1210 and drive the rear guide wheel 912 to move from the convex inclined surface 1222 onto the platform body 1210, the centers of the drive wheels 913 gradually move in a direction close to the chassis 910 under the action of the elastic force of the suspension mechanism. Since the convex ramp 1222 smoothly merges into the upper surface 1211 of the landing body 1210, a situation where the drive wheels 913 cannot provide sufficient driving force on the convex ramp 1222 due to the suspension mechanism being compressed too much can be avoided.

[181] According to one embodiment, FIG. 19C, the projection of the concave inclined surface 1221 onto a vertical plane is a first arc (related to the concave inclined surface 1221 in FIG. 19C), and the projection of the convex inclined surface 1222 onto a vertical plane is a second arc (related to the convex inclined surface 1222 in FIG. 19C ); and the radius of the first arc is greater than or equal to the radius of the second arc. For example, the radius of the first arc may be in the range from 8000 mm to 10700 mm, the radius of the second arc may be in the range from 500 mm to 2832 mm, and the radii of the first and second arc can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment. implementation of the present invention.

[182] According to this embodiment, by setting the radius of the first arc to be greater than or equal to the radius of the second arc, the steepness of the concave ramp 1221 may be the same as the steepness of the convex ramp 1222, or the steepness of the concave ramp 1221 is slightly less than the steepness of the convex ramp surface 1222, which is favorable for smooth movement of the first robot on the concave inclined surface 1221 and the convex inclined surface 1222.

[183] In one embodiment, the length of the first arc is equal to or greater than the length of the second arc. The length of the first arc and the length of the second arc can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[184] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19A and FIG. 19C, the loading dock 1200 may further include a number of support legs 1230, and a number of support legs 1230 are spaced below the ramp 1220 along a long side of the ramp 1220.

[185] According to one example, the ramp 1220 and a number of support legs 1230 may be a single unit or separate parts; If the ramp 1220 and the number of support legs 1230 are separate parts, the ramp 1220 and the number of support legs 1230 may be combined into a single unit.

[186] According to one example, there may be three support legs 1230, and the three support legs 1230 are respectively located at the front portion, the middle portion, and the rear portion of the base of the ramp 1220.

[187] According to this embodiment, a number of support supports 1230 are located at the base of the ramp 1220 in the longitudinal direction of the ramp 1220 at a certain distance from each other, so that the ramp 1220 can be raised, and between adjacent support supports 1230 can be formed arched span. Thus, the base of the support legs 1230 can contact the floor so as to reduce the contact area of the base of the ramp 1220 and the floor, prevent the ramp 1220 from swaying due to the unevenness of the floor, so that the ramp 1220 can be installed stably on the floor.

[188] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. from 19A to fig. 19C, the loading and unloading deck 1200 may further include a bumper 1240. The bumper 1240 is mounted on top of the main deck portion 1210 and is located on the side of the body 1210 farthest from the ramp 1220. For example, the bumper 1240 may be mounted laterally on the top surface 1211 of the main deck portion 1210 on the side of the main body 1210 farthest from the ramp 1220. The bumper 1240 and the main body of the platform 1210 may be a single unit or separate parts. A bump stop 1240 may be installed to protect the first robot and prevent the first robot from falling on the side of the main body 1210 farthest from the ramp 1220.

[189] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, a clamping groove 1410 is provided on the side wall of the landing body 1210 opposite the ramp 1220, and a clamping bar (not shown in the figure) is provided on the side wall of the ramp 1220 opposite the landing body 1210, and the clamping bar is fixed in the clamping groove 1410, such that Thus, the inclined platform 1220 is attached to the main platform part 1210.

[190] According to this embodiment, the clamping groove 1410 is provided on the platform body 1210 and the clamping bar is provided on the inclined platform 1220, so that the platform main part 1210 and the inclined platform 1220 can be integrated into one unit, which is convenient for assembly, disassembly, transportation , storage, etc. It is understood that the platform main part 1210 and the inclined platform 1220 can also be installed as a unit according to actual needs, and in this embodiment of the present invention, the construction form of the platform main part 1210 and the inclined platform 1220 is not limited.

[191] According to one embodiment, a clamping groove 1410 is placed along the long side of the main deck portion 1210, and a clamping bar is placed at the end of the ramp 1220; at least two ramps 1220 are provided, and the clamping bars of the two ramps 1220 are movable in a direction along the clamping groove 1410 so as to adjust the distance between them.

[192] According to one example, the clamping groove 1410 is positioned along the long side of the main landing portion 1210 and is positioned on the side wall opposite the ramp 1220; a clamping bar is placed along the end of the ramp 1220 and is positioned on the side wall opposite the main pad portion 1210; The clamp bar is movable in a direction along the clamp groove 1410 and thus the location of the ramp 1220 at the pad body 1210 can be adjusted for greater convenience in selecting where to attach the ramp 1220.

[193] According to one example, for the movement of the first robot, a track mark may be set on the floor, and in the case where there are at least two ramps 1220, the clamping bars of the ramp 1220 slide along the clamping groove 1410 of the pad body 1210 to adjust the distance between the ramps 1220 so as to align the ramps 1220 with the track marks and so that the first robot can move towards the ramp 1220 along the track mark. In addition, the distance between the ramps 1220 can also be adjusted according to the size of the load that the robot is moving, so that the distance between the ramps 1220 is adjusted according to the size of the load. It should be noted that the number of ramps 1220 can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, and in the present invention, the number of ramps 1220 is not limited.

[194] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19B and FIG. 19C, the upper surface 1211 of the landing body 1210 defines a passage, and the inclined surfaces 1220A of the two inclined platforms 1220 respectively form an entry path and an exit path; the upper parts of the entry path and exit path are respectively connected to the passages (lines with arrows in the drawing indicate the directions of movement along the entry path, passage and exit path). Thus, the first robot can travel along the entry path to the driveway of the main site portion 1210, and travel along the driveway to the exit path and then travel along the exit path, which can improve the efficiency of cargo moving.

[195] According to one example, there are three ramps 1220, the ramps 1220A of two ramps 1220 may be set as the two entry paths, and the ramp surface 1220A of the other ramp 1220 as the exit path. The upper parts of the entry and exit routes are respectively connected to the passage. The number of entry and exit paths can be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[196] According to one embodiment, the width of the landing body 1210 is greater than the width of the ramp 1220 such that the first robot moves a larger load onto the landing body 1210.

[197] According to one embodiment, as shown in FIG. from 19A to fig. 19C and FIG. 22, a platform bracket 1511 adapted to the shape of the platform body 1210 is positioned inside the platform body 1210, and a ramp bracket 1521 adapted to the shape of the ramp 1220 is positioned inside the ramp 1220.

[198] In one example, for the platform bracket 1511, a base plate 1512 is provided for forming the platform body 1210, and for the platform bracket 1521, the ramp 1220 is provided with a platform base plate 1522 for forming the ramp 1220.

[199] In FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of a workstation according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. As can be seen from Fig. 23, the work station 1600 may include: a number of loading and unloading platforms 1200 according to any of the above embodiments, and a number of loading and unloading platforms 1200 located along a long side of the main platform part 1210 so as to engage the top surfaces 1211 of a number of main parts 1210 platforms. Thus, it is convenient for the first robot to move on the upper surfaces 1211 of a number of main pad portions 1210, and it is possible to easily configure an entry path and an exit path.

[200] Other components of the loading dock 1200 and work station 1600 of the above-mentioned embodiments may currently and in the future adopt various technical solutions known to those skilled in the art that are not described in detail herein.

[201] According to the loading and unloading platform 1200 and the work station 1600 according to the present invention, the inclined surface 1220A of the inclined surface 1220 is defined as a concave inclined surface 1221 and a convex inclined surface 1222 along the direction from the base of the inclined surface to the top thereof, and a concave inclined surface the surface 1221 is smoothly connected to the upper surface 1222, and the inclined surface 1220A is smoothly connected to the upper surface 1211 of the platform body 1210, this has the advantage of reducing the length of the inclined platform 1220 and can reduce manufacturing cost and reduce space occupancy.

[202] As used herein, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "anterior", "rear" "", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", “radial”, “ring”, etc. indicate orientations or relative positions, based on the orientations and relative positions shown in the figures, which are intended only for ease of description of the present invention and to simplify the description, these terms do not indicate or imply that the specified device or element must have a particular orientation, must be configured and required to operate in a particular orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[203] Furthermore, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply the relative importance or indirectly indicate the number of technical features specified. Thus, features described as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly contain one or more features. As used herein, “a quantity” means two or more, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[204] As used herein, unless otherwise specifically defined or limited, the terms “installed,” “connected,” “connected,” “attached,” and the like are to be considered in a broad sense, e.g., possibly fixed connection, removable connection or whole; possibly a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or a communication means; direct communication or indirect communication through an intermediary is possible, and internal connection between two elements or interaction between two elements is possible. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms as used herein depending on the particular circumstances.

[205] In the present specification, unless otherwise specifically defined or limited, an indication that a first element is “above” or “below” a second element may include direct contact of the first element and the second element, and may also include indirect contact contact, but indirect contact of the first element and the second element through some other elements between them. Additionally, if the first element is stated to be "above", "above" or "at the top" of the second element, this means that the first element is directly above and diagonally above the second element, or simply means that the first element's height from the horizontal is greater, than the height of the second element. Additionally, if the first element is stated to be "below", "beneath" or "bottom" of the second element, this means that the first element is immediately below and below diagonally from the second element, or simply means that the height of the first element relative to the horizontal is less, than the height of the second element.

[206] The above description of the invention provides many different embodiments or examples of implementation of various structures of the present invention. To simplify the description of the present invention, the components and parameters of specific examples have been described above. They are of course examples only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Additionally, throughout the present specification, repeated reference numbers and/or lettering may appear throughout the various examples in the figures, and this repetition is for simplicity and clarity and is not intended to indicate relationships between the various embodiments and/or parameters discussed.

[207] The description above represents only specific embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to this description. Any person skilled in the art can easily come up with variations or substitutions within the scope of the disclosed technology of the present invention, which falls within the scope of protection of the present invention. Thus, the scope of protection of the present invention should be governed by the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims (60)

1. Storage device, providing: at least one temporary storage shelf (120), wherein the at least one temporary storage shelf (120) is used to provide a temporary storage location; a number of racks (100), each of the racks (100) may include at least one storage shelf (130) and a number of racks (110) spaced horizontally apart from each other, at least one storage shelf (130) used to provide a storage location, and at least one storage shelf (130) is positioned between posts (110) vertically above or below at least one temporary storage shelf (120); a first robot passage for moving the first robot (200), wherein the first robot (200) is used to access cargo on at least one temporary storage shelf (120); And a second robot passage for moving a second robot (300), wherein the second robot (300) is used to move cargo between at least one temporary storage shelf (120) and at least one storage shelf (130), characterized in that the racks (110) are located on the edge of at least one storage shelf (130), a first passage is provided in the passage for the first robot, and the first passage is located between at least one temporary storage shelf (120) and the racks (110) ; wherein a second passage is provided in the passage for the first robot, and the second passage is located between at least one temporary storage shelf (120) and racks (110) located at one end of the at least one temporary storage shelf (120); and which further provides a loading and unloading platform (400), wherein a fifth passage is provided in the aisle for the first robot, and the fifth passage is located between the loading and unloading platform (400) and the racks (100); And wherein the first passage, the second passage and the fifth passage form a circuit of passages for the movement of the first robot (200). 2. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the passage for the first robot includes a passage for accessing goods and the passage for accessing goods is located below at least one temporary storage shelf (120). 3. The warehouse device according to claim 2, in which the passage for accessing cargo is additionally used to move the first robot (200) if the first robot (200) is not loaded. 4. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the at least one temporary storage shelf (120) provides a number of temporary storage shelves to provide temporary storage locations, the first robot aisle comprises a third aisle, the third aisle being located between at least two temporary storage shelves. 5. The warehouse device according to claim 4, in which the first passage for robots includes a fourth passage; wherein the fourth passage is located between two adjacent racks (100) and it connects the third passage of two adjacent racks and/or the second passage of two adjacent racks. 6. Storage device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, in which the second passage for the robot is located at the edge of the racks (100) and it provides a passage between adjacent racks (100). 7. Storage device according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, in which at least one temporary storage shelf (120) is placed on racks (100). 8. Warehouse device according to claim 1, in which the loading and unloading platform (400) provides: the main part (1210) of the site; And an inclined surface (1220), wherein the inclined surface (1220A) of the inclined surface (1220) of the platform comprises a concave inclined surface (1221) and a convex inclined surface (1222), which are located in a direction from the base of the inclined surface to the upper part thereof, and an upper edge the concave inclined surface (1221) is smoothly connected to the lower edge of the convex inclined surface (1222); wherein the ramp (1220) is positioned on one side of the main pad (1210) such that the ramp (1220A) blends smoothly into the top surface of the main pad (1210). 9. The storage device according to claim 8, wherein the projection of the concave inclined surface (1221) onto the vertical plane is a first arc and the projection of the convex inclined surface (1222) onto the vertical plane is a second arc, and the radius of the first arc is greater than or equal to the radius of the second arcs. 10. The storage device according to claim 8 or 9, in which a clamping groove is provided on the side wall of the main part (1210) of the platform opposite the inclined platform (1220), and platforms are provided on the side wall of the inclined platform (1220) of the platform opposite the main part (1210). a clamping bar, and the clamping bar is snapped into the clamping groove so that the inclined pad (1220) is attached to the pad body (1210); a clamping groove is positioned on the long side of the main portion (1210) of the platform, and a clamping bar is positioned along the end of the inclined platform (1220); at least two ramps (1220) are provided, and the clamping bars of the two ramps (1220) are movable in a direction along the clamping groove to adjust the distance between them. 11. A method of managing warehouse operations, providing: determining (S1001) a predetermined temporary storage location according to a predetermined storage location of the predetermined cargo; command (S1002) to the first robot to move a predetermined load to a predetermined location for temporary storage; And upon receiving a signal from the first robot to complete the movement, command (S1003) the second robot to move the specified load from the specified temporary storage location to the specified storage location. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein determining (S1001) a predetermined temporary storage location according to the predetermined storage location includes: determining (S1101) a first free location closest to the location of the predetermined storage location; instructing (S1102) the first robot to move to the first free temporary storage location; updating the occupancy status of each temporary storage location based on a predetermined time interval in the process (S1103) of moving the first robot; in a case where the travel time of the first robot to the first free temporary storage location is longer than the first predetermined time threshold, determining (S1104) a second free temporary storage location closest to the predetermined storage location according to the updated occupancy status of each temporary storage location; And if there is a second free temporary storage location, determining (S1105) the second free temporary storage location as a predetermined second free temporary storage location. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the command (S1002) to the first robot to move a given load to a given temporary storage location includes: determining a first travel route along the first aisle for the robot according to information about the location of the first robot relative to a predetermined temporary storage location; And instructing the first robot to move to the bottom of the predetermined temporary storage location along the first movement path. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the passage for the first robot includes a passage for accessing the cargo located below the temporary storage shelf, and the method further comprises: in the case when the first robot is not loaded, determining an unoccupied passage along the aisle for the first robot; And command the first robot to move along an unoccupied driveway. 15. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 11-14, in which the command (S1003) to the second robot to move a given load from a given temporary temporary storage location to a given temporary storage location includes: determining a second travel route along the second aisle for the robot according to information about the location of the second robot relative to the predetermined temporary storage location; And command the second robot to move to the side of the specified temporary storage location along the second movement route. 16. A method of managing shipment from a warehouse, providing: command (S1301) to the second robot to move the specified load from the current storage location; determining (S1302) a predetermined temporary storage location according to the location of the second robot; command (S1303) to the second robot to move a predetermined load to a predetermined temporary storage location; And in case of receiving a signal from the second robot about the completion of the movement, command (S1304) to the first robot to move the specified load from the specified temporary storage location. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein determining (S1302) a predetermined temporary storage location according to the location of the second robot includes: determining (S1401) a first free location closest to the second robot's location; instructing (S1402) the second robot to move to the first free temporary storage location; updating (S1403) the occupancy status of each temporary storage location during the movement of the second robot based on a predetermined time interval; in the case where the travel time of the second robot to the first free temporary storage location is longer than the second predetermined time threshold, determining (S1404) the second free temporary storage location closest to the second robot according to the updated occupancy status of each temporary storage location; And if there is a second free temporary storage location, determining (S1405) the second free temporary storage location as a predetermined second free temporary storage location. 18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the command (S1304) to the first robot to move a given load from a given temporary storage location includes: determining a first travel route along the first aisle for the robot according to information about the location of the first robot relative to a predetermined temporary storage location; And instructing the first robot to move to the bottom of the predetermined temporary storage location along the first movement path. 19. Warehouse system, which provides: storage device (1000) according to any one of paragraphs. 1-10; a control device (1510) including a processor (1512) and a storage device (1511), wherein the storage device stores instructions, and when the instruction is loaded and executed by the processor (1512), the device implements the method according to any one of claims. 11-18; a first robot (200) that moves along the first robot aisle; And a second robot (300) that moves along the second robot aisle.