CN113753456A - Container storage and taking vehicle, container storage and taking system and container storage and taking method - Google Patents

Abstract

Translated fromChinese

本发明涉及一种货箱存取车、货箱存取系统及货箱存取方法。其中，货箱存取车包括：车体，包括取货位和存货位；升降机构，包括拾取组件，拾取组件可上下移动地设于取货位；以及平移机构，包括平移板，可水平移动地设于车体，且可选择地平移至取货位或存货位；其中，拾取组件被配置为向下移动以拾取货架上包括目标货箱在内的至少一个货箱，目标货箱位于至少一个货箱的最下层；拾取组件被配置为携带至少一个货箱向上移动，且在平移板移动至取货位后，将目标货箱放置在平移板上；拾取组件还被配置为在平移板携带目标货箱水平移动至存货位后，向下移动，以将其他货箱送回至货架。本发明可一次拾取至少一个货箱，可灵活调整存取策略，提高了存取效率。

The invention relates to a cargo box access vehicle, a cargo box access system and a cargo box access method. Wherein, the container access vehicle includes: a car body, including a pickup position and a storage position; a lifting mechanism, including a pick-up assembly, and the pickup assembly can be moved up and down in the pickup position; and a translation mechanism, including a translation plate, which can move horizontally The pickup assembly is configured to move downward to pick up at least one cargo box including a target cargo box on the shelf, and the target cargo box is located at least the lowermost level of a case; the pick-up assembly is configured to carry the at least one case to move upward, and after the translation plate moves to the pickup position, place the target case on the translation plate; the pickup assembly is further configured to move on the translation plate After carrying the target case horizontally to the storage slot, move down to return the other cases to the rack. The invention can pick up at least one cargo box at a time, can flexibly adjust the access strategy, and improve the access efficiency.

Description

Container storage and taking vehicle, container storage and taking system and container storage and taking method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of logistics storage, in particular to a container storage and taking vehicle, a container storage and taking system and a container storage and taking method.

Background

When the trolley is used for storing and taking the containers, the uppermost container can be stored and taken at one time, and if the target containers stacked on the lower layer are to be picked, the containers can be carried by the trolley only through multiple times of walking, namely, the containers above the target containers are all moved to other areas one by one and then the target containers exposed above the containers are picked, so that the comprehensive storage and taking efficiency is low.

Disclosure of Invention

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a container storage and retrieval vehicle, a container storage and retrieval system, and a container storage and retrieval method, which are used for alleviating the problem of low container storage and retrieval efficiency.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a container access cart comprising:

the vehicle body comprises a goods taking position and a goods storage position;

the lifting mechanism comprises a picking assembly, and the picking assembly can be arranged in the goods taking position in a vertically movable mode; and

the translation mechanism comprises a translation plate, the translation plate is arranged on the vehicle body in a horizontally movable mode and can be selectively translated to the goods taking position or the goods storing position;

wherein the picking assembly is configured to move downwardly to pick at least one container on the pallet including the target container, and the target container is located at a lowermost level of the at least one container;

the pick assembly is configured to move upwardly with the at least one container and place a target container on the translating deck after the translating deck is moved to the pick location;

the pick assembly is further configured to move downwardly after the translating plate has moved horizontally to the storage location with a target container to return other containers to the rack.

In some embodiments, the translation mechanism further comprises:

the first transmission piece is arranged on two sides of the horizontal moving direction of the translation plate and connected with the translation plate; and

and the first power assembly is in driving connection with the first transmission piece.

In some embodiments, the first transmission comprises a timing belt, a V-belt, a chain, a rack bar, or a lead screw.

In some embodiments, the first power assembly comprises:

the first shaft is provided with a first axial line,

the first motor is in driving connection with the first shaft; and

the driving wheel is arranged on the first shaft and matched with the first transmission piece so as to transmit the power provided by the first motor to the translation plate.

In some embodiments, the first power assembly is disposed on the vehicle body and located at an end of the vehicle body near the storage space.

In some embodiments, the container storage and retrieval vehicle further includes an electric control mechanism, the electric control mechanism is disposed at the storage space and located below the translation plate, and the electric control mechanism is electrically connected to the first power assembly.

In some embodiments, the lift mechanism further comprises:

the bracket is arranged above the goods taking position in a spanning mode;

a second transmission member connected to the picking assembly; and

and the second power assembly is arranged at the top of the support and is in driving connection with the second transmission piece so that the second transmission piece drives the picking assembly to lift.

In some embodiments, the second transmission comprises:

the picking assembly is arranged on the lifting plate; and

a lifting belt connecting the second power assembly and the lifting plate, the lifting belt being configured to wind, shorten or release an extension under the drive of the second power assembly to lift or lower the lifting plate.

In some embodiments, the second power assembly comprises:

a second shaft;

the second motor is in driving connection with the second shaft; and

the wheel disc is arranged on the second shaft, and the lifting belt is wound on the wheel disc.

In some embodiments, the second power assembly further comprises:

a third axis parallel to the second axis; and

the guide wheel is arranged on the third shaft and is positioned on the same straight line with the wheel disc, and the lifting belt is connected with the lifting plate after being guided by the guide wheel.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the,

two sides of the second shaft are respectively provided with one third shaft;

the first end and the second end of the second shaft are respectively provided with a wheel disc;

the first ends of the two third shafts are respectively provided with a guide wheel corresponding to the wheel disc at the first end of the second shaft;

the second ends of the two third shafts are respectively provided with a guide wheel corresponding to the wheel disc of the second end of the second shaft;

each wheel disc is wound with two lifting belts, and each lifting belt is connected with the lifting plate after being guided by a guide wheel.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the,

the second transmission piece comprises a lifting plate; the pickup assembly includes:

the sleeve is provided with a cavity along the axial direction of the sleeve and an opening penetrating through the wall of the sleeve, and the cavity is communicated with the opening; the sleeve is connected with the lifting plate;

the lifting piece is arranged on the lifting plate in a lifting way and is at least partially positioned in the cavity; and

the shifting fork is arranged at the opening of the sleeve; the shift fork is configured to be switched to a supporting position as the lifting member is lifted, and to be switched to a retracting position as the lifting member is lowered; wherein when the fork is in the support position, the fork partially extends outside the opening to connect with a cargo box; when the shifting fork is in the retraction position, the shifting fork is completely positioned in the cavity.

In some embodiments, the pull member comprises:

the lifting rod is arranged on the lifting plate in a lifting manner; and

the stop block is fixedly connected with the lifting rod;

the shifting fork is rotatably connected with the sleeve, the stop block is configured to abut against the second end of the shifting fork when the stop block rises along with the lifting rod so as to drive the shifting fork to rotate, the shifting fork is further positioned at a supporting position, and the first end of the shifting fork extends out of the opening; the stopper is configured to release the abutment with the second end of the shift fork as the lift lever descends.

In some embodiments, the picking assembly further comprises a reset configured to provide a force to reset the fork from the resting position to the retracted position when the stop is disengaged from the second end of the fork.

In some embodiments, the picking assembly further includes a limiting member disposed on the pulling member, and when the shifting fork is in the retracted position, the first end of the shifting fork abuts against the limiting member; when the shifting fork is in the supporting position, the second end of the shifting fork abuts against the limiting piece.

In some embodiments, the pick assembly further comprises:

the electromagnet is arranged on the lifting plate; and

the magnetic part is arranged on the lifting part; when the electromagnet is in a power-on state, the electromagnet and the magnetic part are attracted, and the lifting part rises to enable the shifting fork to be switched to a supporting position; when the electromagnet is in a power-off state, the electromagnet is separated from the magnetic part, the lifting part descends, and the shifting fork can be switched to a retraction position.

In some embodiments, the lifter plate includes an inner cavity and a mounting hole in communication with the inner cavity; the electromagnet and the magnetic part are both positioned in the inner cavity, and the lifting part extends out of the mounting hole.

In some embodiments, the sleeve is provided with at least two openings along the axial direction of the sleeve, and each opening is provided with one shifting fork; and when the lowest shifting fork on the sleeve and the shifting fork adjacent to the lowest shifting fork on the sleeve are in the supporting position, the distance B between the first ends of the two shifting forks is configured to be larger than the height A of the container.

In some embodiments, the difference between the distance B and the height a is configured to be greater than C; and C is the height difference of the first end of the shifting fork along the axial direction of the sleeve when the shifting fork is switched from the supporting position to the retracting position.

In some embodiments, the container access cart further comprises:

the first travelling wheel is arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body and is arranged along a first direction; and

the second travelling wheels are arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body and are arranged along a second direction;

wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and the second road wheel is configured to be height-adjustable relative to the vehicle body to selectively support the vehicle body using the second road wheel, or the first road wheel supports the vehicle body, or the first road wheel and the second road wheel together support the vehicle body.

In some embodiments, the container access cart further comprises:

the third transmission part is connected with the second travelling wheel; and

and the third power component is connected with the third transmission piece and is configured to drive the third transmission piece so that the third transmission piece drives the second travelling wheel to lift relative to the vehicle body.

In some embodiments, the number of the second road wheels is two or more, the third transmission part comprises a connecting rod and a swing rod, the connecting rod is connected with each second road wheel, the swing rod is connected with the connecting rod and the third power assembly, and the swing rod is configured to swing under the driving of the third power assembly so as to drive the connecting rod to lift up and down relative to the vehicle body.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a container storing and taking system, which comprises a container, a goods shelf and the container storing and taking vehicle, wherein the goods shelf comprises a plurality of layers of shelf bodies arranged up and down, each layer of shelf body comprises a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns of goods positions, the goods positions in the same row and the same column in the plurality of layers of shelf bodies are aligned up and down, and the container storing and taking vehicle is configured to walk on the shelf body at the uppermost layer of the shelf body; the pick assembly is configured to pick a container when the pick location is aligned with the cargo location.

In some embodiments, the top surface of the shelf is provided with a track for the container access vehicle to travel in both the first direction and the second direction, and the track is a double track arranged side by side so that two container access vehicles travel side by side; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

In some embodiments, the edges of the container are provided with pick up holes that cooperate with the pick up assembly.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a container storage and retrieval method, which employs the container storage and retrieval vehicle described above; the number of the containers which can be picked up by the container storing and taking vehicle at one time and are arranged up and down is N;

when the number of containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

the container storage and taking vehicle moves to the top of the goods shelf of the row where the target container is located;

the picking assembly moves downwards to pick at least one container including the target container, and the target container is positioned at the lowest layer of each container;

the picking assembly moves upwards;

the translation plate horizontally moves to a goods taking position;

the picking assembly places the target container positioned at the lowest layer on the translation plate;

the translation plate moves horizontally to a stock position;

the pick-up assembly moves downwardly to return the other containers to their respective cargo positions.

In some embodiments, when the number of containers located on the upper level of the target container is greater than N; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

and moving the container storage and taking vehicle to the top of the goods shelves of the row where the target containers are located, taking the containers on the upper layer of the target containers away by one-time pickup or more than two-time pickup, and transferring to a temporary storage position until the number of the containers on the upper layer of the target containers is less than or equal to N-1.

Based on the technical scheme, the invention at least has the following beneficial effects:

in some embodiments, the pick assembly may lower to pick up one container at a time, or multiple containers stacked one above the other, with the target container at the lowest level of the multiple containers; pick up the subassembly and rise, move to getting goods position back at the translation board, pick up the subassembly decline and place the target packing box that will be located the lower floor on the translation board, and carry target packing box horizontal migration to stock position back at the translation board, pick up the subassembly and remove downwards, in order to send back other packing boxes to goods shelves, the packing box access wagon can realize directly obtaining the target packing box that is located the lower floor, it needs many times of operations just can move away the packing box of putting things in good order on the target packing box one by one to have alleviated, the problem of inefficiency, access speed and box reversing speed have greatly been promoted, and can adjust access packing box strategy in a flexible way, very big improvement the operating efficiency.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the invention without limiting the invention. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a container access system provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pallet provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of a container access cart provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of a body and translation mechanism of a cargo box access cart provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of a lift mechanism and a travel mechanism of a container access vehicle provided in accordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6a is an enlarged partial schematic view of a fork in a retracted position according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6b is an enlarged partial schematic view of a fork in a support position according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7a is a schematic structural view of a lifting rod according to some embodiments of the present invention in an original, i.e., un-lifted, state during a single lift;

FIG. 7b is a schematic illustration of a lift rod according to some embodiments of the present invention in a raised position during a single lift cycle;

FIG. 7c is a schematic illustration of a lift rod according to some embodiments of the present invention in a lowered position during a single lift;

FIG. 8a is a schematic illustration of a fork according to some embodiments of the present invention in a retracted position;

FIG. 8b is a schematic illustration of a fork according to some embodiments of the present invention in a support position;

FIG. 9a is a schematic illustration of a drive mechanism according to some embodiments of the present invention with the lift rod in an un-lifted state;

FIG. 9b is a schematic illustration of a drive mechanism according to some embodiments of the present invention providing a lift rod in a raised position;

fig. 10a and 10b are schematic views of a second road wheel provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention in two states;

fig. 11a and 11b are schematic views of a single container and a stack of multiple containers, respectively, provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 12a is a schematic view of a picking assembly provided in accordance with some embodiments of the invention picking three containers and lifting the containers upwardly;

FIG. 12b is a schematic illustration of the pick assembly lifting three containers into position, the translating plate translating to the pick position, the pick assembly releasing the lowermost of the three containers and placing the lowermost container behind the translating plate, according to some embodiments of the present invention;

figure 12c is a schematic illustration of the transfer deck carrying a lowermost container translated to a storage position in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 12d is a schematic view of the pick assembly provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention lowering the remaining two containers to deliver them to the racking;

fig. 12e is a schematic illustration of the picking assembly not carrying containers ready for lifting after the picking assembly according to some embodiments of the present invention has delivered the remaining two containers to the pallet.

The reference numbers in the drawings illustrate the following:

100-container storage and taking vehicle;

1-a vehicle body; 11-taking a goods position; 12-a storage location; 13-a cavity;

2-a lifting mechanism;

21-a pick-up assembly; 211-a sleeve; 212-a pull-up; 2121-lifting the pull rod; 2122-a stopper; 213-a shifting fork; 214-a reset member; 215-a stop; 2151-a first limit stop; 2152-a second limit stop; 216-a rotating shaft; 217-an electromagnet; 218-a magnetic member;

22-a scaffold;

23-a second transmission member; 231-a lifter plate; 232-a lifting belt;

24-a second power assembly; 241-a second axis; 242-a second motor; 243-wheel disc; 244-a third axis; 245-a guide wheel;

3-a translation mechanism; 31-a translation plate; 32-a first transmission member; 33-a first power assembly; 331-a first motor; 332-a first axis; 333-driving wheel;

4-a traveling mechanism; 41-a first travelling wheel; 42-a second road wheel; 43-a third transmission member; 431-connecting rod; 432-a swing link;

5-outer cover;

6-an electric control mechanism;

200-a cargo box; 201-a pick-up hole;

300-a shelf; 301-a first track; 302-second track.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely a few embodiments of the invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments of the present invention without any inventive step, are within the scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used merely for convenience in describing the present invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore, should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, some embodiments provide a container access cart that includes acart body 1, a lift mechanism 2, and atranslation mechanism 3.

Thevehicle body 1 includes a pick-upspace 11 and aninventory space 12. The pick-upspace 11 and thestock space 12 are arranged side by side.

The lifting mechanism 2 comprises a pickingassembly 21, and the pickingassembly 21 is arranged on thegoods taking position 11 in a vertically movable mode.

Thetranslation mechanism 3 includes atranslation plate 31, and thetranslation plate 31 is horizontally movably provided to thevehicle body 1 and selectively translated to the pick-upspace 11 or thestock space 12.

Wherein the pickingassembly 21 is configured to move downwardly to pick at least onecontainer 200 on the pallet including the target container, with the target container being located at the lowermost level of the at least onecontainer 200.

Thepick assembly 21 is configured to carry the at least onecontainer 200 to move upwardly and place the target container at the lowermost level on the translatingplate 31 after the translatingplate 31 has moved to thepick location 11;

thepick assembly 21 is also configured to move downwardly after the translatingplate 31 has moved horizontally to thestorage space 12 carrying the target container to returnother containers 200 to the pallet.

In some embodiments, a plurality of containers placed one above the other may be lifted at a time by the pickingassembly 21; the target container is located at the lowermost layer of the containers, after thetranslation plate 31 moves to thegoods taking position 11, the pickingassembly 21 places the target container located at the lowermost layer on thetranslation plate 31, and after thetranslation plate 31 carries the target container to horizontally move to thestorage position 12, the pickingassembly 21 moves downwards to sendother containers 200 back to the goods shelf, the target container located at the lowermost layer can be directly obtained on the container storage and taking vehicle, the situation that the containers stacked on the target container can be moved one by one through multiple operations is avoided, the storing and taking speed and the box reversing speed are greatly improved, the container storing and taking strategy is more flexible, and the operation efficiency is greatly improved.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, thetranslation mechanism 3 further comprises afirst transmission member 32 and afirst power assembly 33.

Thefirst transmission members 32 are disposed on two sides of thetranslation plate 31 in the horizontal moving direction, and are connected to thetranslation plate 31. Thefirst power assembly 33 is drivingly connected to thefirst transmission member 32. Thefirst power assembly 33 provides power and transmits the power to thetranslation plate 31 through thefirst transmission members 32 on both sides of thetranslation plate 31 in the horizontal moving direction, so as to drive thetranslation plate 31 to move horizontally and smoothly.

In some embodiments, thefirst transmission 32 comprises a timing belt, a V-belt, a chain, a rack, or a lead screw.

For example:first drive piece 32 includes two hold-in ranges, and two hold-in ranges correspond respectively and locate the both sides oftranslation board 31 horizontal migration direction, and two hold-in ranges are connected totranslation board 31, andfirst power component 33 provides two hold-in ranges of power drive operation, and two hold-in ranges operate in order to drivetranslation board 31 horizontal migration.

In some embodiments, thefirst power assembly 33 includes afirst motor 331, afirst shaft 332, and adrive wheel 333.

Thefirst motor 331 is drivingly connected to thefirst shaft 332. Thedriving wheel 333 is disposed on thefirst shaft 332, and thedriving wheel 333 is engaged with thefirst transmission member 32 to transmit the power provided by thefirst motor 331 to thefirst transmission member 32.

Thefirst motor 331 drives thefirst shaft 332 and thedriving wheel 333 to rotate, and thedriving wheel 333 drives thetranslation plate 31 to move through thefirst transmission member 32. The translatingplate 31 is used to carry containers and move containers into and out of thestorage space 12.

In some embodiments, thefirst transmission member 32 comprises a timing belt wound around thedriving wheel 333, and thetranslation plate 31 is fixedly connected with the timing belt. Thedriving wheel 333 rotates to drive the synchronous belt and thetranslation plate 41 to move.

Alternatively, thefirst transmission member 32 may comprise a V-belt or chain wound around thedriving wheel 333, and thedriving wheel 333 rotates to drive the V-belt or chain to run.

Alternatively, thefirst transmission member 32 comprises a rack or a lead screw, thedriving wheel 33 is provided with teeth engaging with the rack or the lead screw, and thedriving wheel 333 rotates to drive the rack or the lead screw to move.

In some embodiments, the output shaft of thefirst motor 331 is provided with a driving wheel, thefirst shaft 332 is provided with a driven wheel, the driving wheel is connected with the driven wheel through a transmission belt, the output shaft of thefirst motor 331 drives the driving wheel to rotate, the driving wheel drives the driven wheel to rotate through the transmission belt, and the driven wheel drives thefirst shaft 332 to rotate.

In some embodiments, thefirst power assembly 33 is disposed on thevehicle body 1 at an end of thevehicle body 1 near thestorage space 12.

In some embodiments, the container access vehicle further includes anelectronic control mechanism 6, theelectronic control mechanism 6 is disposed at thestorage space 12 and located below thetranslation plate 31, and theelectronic control mechanism 6 is electrically connected to thefirst power assembly 33.

In some embodiments, the bottom of the pick-uplocation 11 of thebody 1 is open for the pick-upassembly 21 to raise and lower a pick-up container. The bottom of thestock position 12 of thevehicle body 1 is closed and is used for installing theelectric control mechanism 6, atranslation plate 31 is arranged above theelectric control mechanism 6, and thetranslation plate 31 is used for carrying a cargo box.

In some embodiments, the container access vehicle further comprises ahousing 5, thehousing 5 being disposed at thestorage location 12 of thevehicle body 1 for enclosing the translatingplate 31 and the target container carried on the translatingplate 31.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the lifting mechanism 2 further comprises abracket 22, asecond transmission 23, and asecond power assembly 24.

Thebracket 22 is arranged above thegoods taking position 11 in a spanning mode. Thesecond transmission member 23 is connected to the pickingassembly 21. Thesecond power assembly 24 is disposed on the top of thesupport 22 and is connected to thesecond transmission member 23 in a driving manner, so that thesecond transmission member 23 drives the pickingassembly 21 to ascend and descend.

Optionally, a housing is provided above thestand 22 that encases thesecond power assembly 24 to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle.

In some embodiments,second transmission 23 includes alift plate 231 and alift belt 232.

Thepickup assembly 21 is provided to the elevatingplate 231. A liftingbelt 232 connects thesecond power assembly 24 and thelifting plate 231, the liftingbelt 232 being configured to wind, shorten or release the elongation upon actuation of thesecond power assembly 24 to lift or lower thelifting plate 231.

In some embodiments, a first side of thelift plate 231 is coupled to thelift belt 232 and a second side of thelift plate 232 is coupled to thepickup assembly 21. The first side surface and the second side surface of thelifting plate 231 are opposite side surfaces.

Optionally, the liftingplate 231 is a square plate, four corners of a first side surface of thelifting plate 231 are respectively connected with a liftingbelt 232, and four corners of a second side surface of thelifting plate 231 are respectively connected with a pickingassembly 21.

In some embodiments, thesecond power assembly 24 includes asecond shaft 241, asecond motor 242, and awheel 243.

Asecond motor 242 is drivingly connected to thesecond shaft 241. Asheave 243 is provided on thesecond shaft 241, the liftingbelt 232 is wound around thesheave 243, and the liftingbelt 232 is configured to be wound around thesheave 243 or to be released from elongation from thesheave 243 by the driving of thesecond power assembly 24.

Thesecond motor 242 drives thesecond shaft 241 to rotate, and thesecond shaft 241 rotates to drive thepulley 243 to rotate, so that the liftingbelt 232 continues to wind on thepulley 243 or is released from thepulley 243. Thesecond motor 242 drives thesecond shaft 241 to rotate in a manner that can be referred to as thefirst motor 331 drives thefirst shaft 332 to rotate, namely: a driving wheel is arranged on an output shaft of thesecond motor 22, a driven wheel is arranged on thesecond shaft 241, the driving wheel is connected with the driven wheel through a transmission belt, the output shaft of thesecond motor 242 drives the driving wheel to rotate, the driving wheel drives the driven wheel to rotate through the transmission belt, and the driven wheel drives thesecond shaft 242 to rotate.

In some embodiments, thesecond power assembly 24 further includes athird shaft 244 and aguide wheel 245.

Thethird axis 244 is parallel to thesecond axis 241. Theguide wheel 245 is disposed on thethird shaft 244 and is aligned with thewheel 243, and the liftingbelt 232 is guided by theguide wheel 245 and then connected to thelifting plate 231.

In some embodiments, athird shaft 244 is disposed on each side of thesecond shaft 241. The first end and the second end of thesecond shaft 241 are respectively provided with awheel disc 243.

Corresponding to thewheel 243 at the first end of thesecond shaft 241, the first ends of the twothird shafts 244 are respectively provided with aguide wheel 245.

Corresponding to thewheel 243 at the second end of thesecond shaft 241, the second ends of the twothird shafts 244 are respectively provided with aguide wheel 245.

Eachwheel 243 is wound with two liftingbelts 232, and each liftingbelt 232 is guided by aguide wheel 245 and then connected with the liftingplate 231.

For example: as shown in fig. 5, thewheel 243 at the first end of thesecond axle 241 is aligned with theguide wheels 245 at the first ends of the twothird axles 244. Two liftingbelts 232 are alternately wound on thewheel 243 at the first end of thesecond shaft 241, wherein one of the liftingbelts 232 is connected to the first corner end of thelifting plate 231 after being guided by theguide wheel 245 at the first end of one of thethird shafts 244. Theother lifting belt 232 is guided by aguide wheel 245 at the first end of the otherthird shaft 244 and then connected to the second corner end of thelifting plate 231.

Similarly, thewheel 243 at the second end of thesecond shaft 241 and theguide wheels 245 at the second ends of the twothird shafts 244 are located on the same straight line. Two liftingbelts 232 are alternately wound on thewheel 243 at the second end of thesecond shaft 241, wherein one of the liftingbelts 232 is connected to the third corner end of thelifting plate 231 after being guided by theguide wheel 245 at the second end of one of thethird shafts 244. Theother lifting belt 232 is guided by aguide wheel 245 at the second end of the otherthird shaft 244 and then connected to the fourth corner end of thelifting plate 231.

Optionally, the lifting belt 30 is made of a high-strength thin steel belt, the thickness of the lifting belt is 0.1 mm-0.5 mm, the tensile strength of the lifting belt can reach 1400MPa, the strength is high, the flexibility is high, and the lifting belt can be wound on a shaft. The hoisting belt 30 may be a soft woven belt, a wire rope, or the like.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, 6a and 6b, thesecond transmission piece 23 comprises alifting plate 231; the pickingassembly 21 includes asleeve 211, apull 212, and afork 213.

Thesleeve 211 is provided with a cavity along the axial direction of thesleeve 211 and an opening penetrating through the wall of thesleeve 211, and the cavity is communicated with the opening; thesleeve 211 is connected to the elevatingplate 231.

Thelifting piece 212 is arranged on thelifting plate 231 in a lifting way and at least partially positioned in the cavity.

The shiftingfork 213 is arranged at the opening of thesleeve 211; theshift fork 213 is configured to be switched to the supporting position as the liftingmember 212 is lifted, and to be switched to the retracting position as the liftingmember 212 is lowered; wherein when thefork 213 is in the support position, thefork 213 partially extends outside the opening for connection to a cargo container; when thefork 213 is in the retracted position, thefork 213 is fully located in the cavity.

The liftingmember 212 includes at least two liftingmembers 212, and the two liftingmembers 212 are mounted to thesame lifting plate 231. Two liftingpieces 212 are arranged at different positions of thelifting plate 231, and the shiftingfork 213 on each liftingpiece 212 supports different positions of thecontainer 200, so that thecontainer 200 is stressed more stably, and thecontainer 200 is more stable in the lifting and descending processes.

In some embodiments, the liftingplate 231 has a square structure, for example, fourpicking assemblies 21 are arranged at four corners of the lower part, the fourpicking assemblies 21 have foursleeves 211, and the foursleeves 211 are parallel to each other. The four corners of thecontainer 200 are provided with thegoods lifting holes 201, the distance between thesleeves 211 on thelifting plate 231 is equal to the distance between thegoods lifting holes 201 of thecontainer 200, and eachsleeve 211 corresponds to onegoods lifting hole 201. The longer thesleeve 211, the greater the number of layers ofcontainers 200 that can be picked up at one time.

In some embodiments, thesleeve 211 is a hollow circular tube structure, the upper end of thesleeve 211 is fixed and communicated with the liftingplate 231, and the lower end of thesleeve 211 is conical or spindle-shaped, so that thesleeve 211 can be conveniently inserted into thegoods lifting hole 201.

The protruding position of theshift fork 213 on the circumference of thesleeve 211 is not limited. The direction in which theshift fork 213 of each of the plurality ofsleeves 211 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface of thesleeve 211 may be the same or different for the plurality ofsleeves 211 of thesame lifter plate 231. For a plurality of shiftingforks 213 on thesame sleeve 211, the direction in which each shiftingfork 213 extends out of the surface of the sleeve 2 may be the same or different, that is, the extending direction of the shiftingforks 213 may be the same direction, the opposite direction, the angle, or other directions.

In some embodiments, thepull member 212 includes apull rod 2121 and astop 2122.

The liftingrod 2121 is provided to thelifting plate 231 so as to be able to ascend and descend. Theblock 2122 is fixedly connected with the liftingrod 2121. Wherein the shiftingfork 213 is rotatably connected to thesleeve 211, theblock 2122 is configured to abut against the second end of the shiftingfork 213 and drive the shiftingfork 213 to rotate when thelifting rod 2121 is lifted up, so that the shiftingfork 213 is located at the supporting position, and the through hole of the first end of the shiftingfork 213 extends out of thesleeve 211; thestopper 2122 is configured to release the second end of theshift fork 213 when thelifting rod 2121 descends, so that theshift fork 213 can be switched to the retracted position by other external force.

Alternatively, the liftingrod 2121 may be replaced by a rigid rod, or a carbon fiber rod, a steel wire rope, a high-strength nylon rope, or the like.

Optionally, the first end of thefork 213 is configured as a plane. Wherein the plane is horizontal when thefork 213 is in the supporting position.

In some embodiments, the pickingassembly 21 further comprises areset member 214, thereset member 214 being configured to provide a force to reset theshift fork 213 from the rest position to the retracted position when thestop 2122 is released from abutment with the second end of theshift fork 213.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7a, 7b, 7c, 8a and 8b, thefork 213 is rotatably connected to thesleeve 211 by ashaft 216, and thereset member 214 is mounted to theshaft 216. The restoringmember 214 is configured to provide a force to restore theshift fork 213 from the support position to the retracted position. Thereset member 214 abuts on thefork 213 and thesleeve 211, respectively, and thereset member 214 retracts thefork 213 into thesleeve 211 in an initial state. Thelift rod 2121 has astopper 2122, and when thelift rod 2121 is raised, thestopper 2122 is raised with the second end of thefork 213 held by the upper surface thereof, and thefork 213 is rotated. When theshift fork 213 swings to the supporting position, theshift fork 213 extends out of thesleeve 211 to a maximum angle. When thelift lever 2121 is lowered, thestopper 2122 is released from contact with the second end of theshift fork 213, theshift fork 213 is rotated by thereset member 214, and when thecontainer 200 is not present on theshift fork 213, theshift fork 213 is rotated relative to thesleeve 211 by the elastic force of thereset member 214, and when theshift fork 213 is swung to the retracted position, the rotation is stopped, and the shift fork is retracted into thesleeve 211. If thecontainer 200 is placed on thefork 213, thefork 213 is pressed by thecontainer 200 and cannot be retracted.

In some embodiments, the restoringmember 214 is selected from one of the following: coil spring, extension spring, leaf spring. Along with the rising of the liftingrod 3, in the process that the shiftingfork 213 rotates from the retraction position to the support position through rotation, thereset piece 214 is compressed to generate elastic force, and after thesubsequent lifting rod 3 descends, the shiftingfork 213 is also restored to the retraction position under the elastic force action of thereset piece 214 to realize resetting.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6a and 6b, the pickingassembly 21 further includes a limitingmember 215, the limitingmember 215 is disposed on the pullingmember 212, and when the shiftingfork 213 is in the retracted position, the first end of the shiftingfork 213 abuts against the limitingmember 215; when the shiftingfork 213 is at the supporting position, the second end of the shiftingfork 213 abuts against the limitingmember 215; the rotation limit position of theshift fork 213 with respect to the pull-upmember 212 is limited by providing astopper 215.

Optionally, thefork 213 is rotatable less than 30 ° relative to thesleeve 211.

In some embodiments, the retainingmembers 215 include afirst retaining member 2151 and asecond retaining member 2152. The first limitingmember 2151 and the second limitingmember 2152 are disposed on the pull-upmember 212, and the first limitingmember 2151 is disposed above the second limitingmember 2152. When the shiftingfork 213 is in the retracted position, the first end of the shiftingfork 213 abuts against thefirst stopper 2151. When the shiftingfork 213 is at the supporting position, the second end of the shiftingfork 213 abuts against thesecond stopper 2152.

Optionally, the first limitingmember 2151 and the second limitingmember 2152 are rigid structures such as fixing rods and fixing blocks.

In the process of taking out thecargo box 200, the pickingassembly 21 is driven by thesecond power assembly 24 and thesecond transmission piece 23 to descend integrally, and after the pickingassembly 21 descends to the set position, the shiftingfork 213 is switched to the supporting position from the retraction position by switching the state of the shiftingfork 213 and clamped on the edge of thecargo box 200. The pickingassembly 21 is then lifted in its entirety so that the pickingassembly 21 and thecontainer 200 are raised together to the desired position.

The following describes how the position of theshift fork 213 is switched during the picking of one of thecontainers 200.

The liftingrod 31 will drive thestopper 2122 to ascend together, and thestopper 2122 will abut against the bottom surface of the second end of the shiftingfork 213 during ascending, so that the shiftingfork 213 will rotate relative to the sleeve 2. After the shiftingfork 213 is rotated, the first end of the shiftingfork 213 is rotated out of the sleeve 2 through the opening to form a protrusion protruding from the outer surface of the sleeve 2, and the protrusion is engaged with the wall body around thecargo lifting hole 201 of thecargo box 200 to form a support of thecargo box 200 by the shiftingfork 213. Theentire picking assembly 21 is then lifted with thecontainer 200 to the desired position. Thecontainer 200 is placed on the translatingplate 31 and then the liftingbar 31 is lowered so that the abutment of thestopper 2122 with the second end of thefork 213 is released, at which time thefork 213 is returned to the retracted position by the elastic restoring force of thereturn member 214 so that thecontainer 200 is disengaged from thepickup assembly 21. The above description has been made of a case where one liftingbar 31 has only onefork 213.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 7a, 7b and 7c, thesleeve 211 is provided with at least two openings along its axial direction, each of which is fitted with afork 213; and thelowermost fork 213 of thesleeve 211 and thefork 213 above it are in the supporting position, the distance B between the first ends of the twoforks 213 is configured to be greater than the height a of the cargo box.

In some embodiments, the difference between distance B and height a is configured to be greater than C; where C is a height difference of the first end of theshift fork 213 in the axial direction along thesleeve 211 when theshift fork 213 is switched from the supporting position to the retracted position.

With the above-described dimensioning, when picking up two ormore containers 200, thelowermost fork 213 is connected to the lowermost container, i.e. the penultimate fork is connected to the penultimate container. Thefork 213 adjacent to thelowermost fork 213 is connected to the penultimate container, i.e. the penultimate fork is connected to the penultimate container, which supports the penultimate container and the container above it. In the case where the penultimate container is supported by the translatingplate 31, the penultimate fork can be controlled independently to release the penultimate container, the penultimate container and the container thereon will not squeeze the penultimate container, and the penultimate container and the container thereon are still supported by the penultimate fork.

The following describes how the position of theshift fork 213 is switched in the process of picking up two ormore containers 200.

Two openings are formed in the sleeve 2 along the axial direction of the sleeve, and a shiftingfork 213 is installed at each opening. Eachfork 213 corresponds to acontainer 200. Twoforks 213 on the same sleeve 2 can engage twocontainers 200. In this structure, the twoforks 213 are independent from each other, and the state of onefork 213 is not affected by the change of the state of theother fork 213. According to the technical scheme, thelowest container 200 can be released independently and stored in the vehicle body, andother containers 200 are placed back into the goods shelf. Therefore, the storage and taking speed and the box dumping speed are greatly improved, and the storage and taking strategies of the containers are more flexible.

The distance between twoadjacent forks 213 located on the same sleeve 2 is a set value. The set value is greater than the height of thecargo box 200 so that the gap between adjacent twoforks 213 is sufficient to accommodate thecargo box 200.

Thestoppers 2122 of the liftingmember 212 correspond to theshift forks 213 one by one. Eachstop 2122 urges onefork 213 to switch from the retracted position to the supporting position.

Take a liftingrod 31 with twoblocks 2122 along the axial direction as an example. The overall process of lifting thecontainer 200 is as follows: the liftingrod 31 will lift the twostoppers 2122, and eachstopper 2122 will abut against the bottom surface of the second end of thecorresponding shift fork 213 during the lifting process, so that eachshift fork 213 rotates relative to the sleeve 2. After theshift fork 213 is rotated, the first end of theshift fork 213 is rotated out of the opening to form a protrusion protruding from the outer surface of the sleeve 2. Theupper fork 213 catches thepenultimate containers 200 to support thecontainers 200 from the first tier to the penultimate tier from top to bottom. Thelowermost container 200 then snaps over the protrusions of thelowermost shift fork 213 to support thelowermost container 200. Theentire picking assembly 21 is then lifted with thecontainer 200 to the desired position.

In this position, thelowermost container 200 is placed on thetranslation plate 31, the liftingbar 31 is lowered, the abutment of thestopper 2122 with the second end of theshift fork 213 is released, thelowermost container 200 is supported by thetranslation plate 31 and does not press against the correspondinglowermost shift fork 213, and thelowermost shift fork 213 is returned to the retracted position by the elastic restoring force of thereturn member 214, so that thelowermost container 200 and thelowermost shift fork 213 are moved back. Since eachcontainer 200 above the lowermost container is not supported by thetranslation plate 31 or other members, gravity still acts on theupper fork 213, and even if the abutment of thestopper 2122 with the second end of thefork 213 is released, the restoringmember 214 provides an elastic restoring force, the upper fork is not switched to the meeting position, but is still in the supporting position, and thus each container above the lowermost container is supported by theupper fork 213 without falling, and thus, thelowermost container 200 is released alone.

In some embodiments, the pick-upassembly 21 further comprises a drive mechanism drivingly connected to the pull-upmember 212 for effecting switching of thefork 213 between the support position and the retracted position by changing the axial position of the pull-upmember 212 relative to the sleeve 2, i.e. raising and lowering the pull-upmember 212.

The driving mechanism can be realized by an electromagnet, a motor, a connecting rod structure and the like. The motor may be a rotary motor, a voice coil motor, or the like. For example, one motor may control all the liftingmembers 212 on thelifting plate 231 through the link structure, one motor may control two liftingmembers 212, and one motor may control one liftingmember 212. The power supply of the electromagnet or the motor adopts the modes of rechargeable batteries, capacitors, wired power supply and the like. A rechargeable battery or capacitor is disposed within thelift plate 231 that can be recharged from the main power source at the roof when the pickingassembly 21 is raised to the top of the bin access vehicle; wired power supply adopts a mode of taking power from a container to the interior of thelifting plate 231 through a roof suspension wire.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9a and 9b, the drive mechanism includes anelectromagnet 217 and amagnetic member 218.

Theelectromagnet 217 is provided on thelifting plate 231. Themagnetic member 218 is provided to thepull member 212. When theelectromagnet 217 is in the energized state, theelectromagnet 217 and themagnetic member 218 attract each other, and the liftingmember 212 is lifted, so that the shiftingfork 213 is in the supporting position; when theelectromagnet 217 is de-energized, theelectromagnet 217 and themagnetic member 218 are disengaged and thepull member 212 is lowered to place thefork 213 in the retracted position. By adopting the mode of matching the electromagnet 51 and the magnetic member 52, the structure is compact, the number of required parts is minimum, the occupied space is minimum, and the number of layers of thecontainer 200 extracted by thesleeves 211 with the same length at one time is maximum.

In some embodiments, thelift plate 231 includes an internal cavity and a mounting hole in communication with the internal cavity; theelectromagnet 217 and themagnetic member 218 are both located in the internal cavity and thepull member 212 extends out of the mounting hole.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the container access cart further includes afirst road wheel 41 and asecond road wheel 42.

Thefirst traveling wheel 41 is provided at the bottom of thevehicle body 1 and is arranged in a first direction. Thesecond road wheels 42 are arranged at the bottom of thevehicle body 1 and arranged along a second direction. Wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and thesecond road wheel 42 is configured to be height-adjustable relative to thevehicle body 1, so as to selectively support thevehicle body 1 by using thesecond road wheel 42, or thevehicle body 1 is supported by using thefirst road wheel 41, or thevehicle body 1 is supported by using both thefirst road wheel 41 and thesecond road wheel 42.

In some embodiments, the container access cart further comprises athird transmission 43 and a third power assembly.

Thethird transmission piece 43 is connected with the second travellingwheel 42. The third power assembly is connected to thethird transmission member 43, and the third power assembly is configured to drive thethird transmission member 43, so that thethird transmission member 43 drives thesecond traveling wheel 42 to ascend and descend relative to thevehicle body 1.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10a and 10b, the number of thesecond road wheels 42 is two or more, thethird transmission member 43 includes a connectingrod 431 and a swingingrod 432, the connectingrod 431 is connected with eachsecond road wheel 42, the swingingrod 432 is connected with the connectingrod 431 and the third power assembly, and the swingingrod 432 is configured to swing under the driving of the third power assembly so as to drive the connectingrod 431 to ascend and descend up and down relative to thevehicle body 1.

Optionally, the third power assembly includes a third electric machine. Theswing link 432 and the connectingrod 431 form a crank-connecting rod structure, and the third motor rotates forward or backward to drive theswing link 432 to rotate forward or backward so as to lift or lower the connectingrod 431, and further drive the bottom surface of eachsecond traveling wheel 42 to be higher or lower than the bottom surface of thefirst traveling wheel 41.

In some embodiments, the height of thefirst road wheel 41 is not adjustable, and the relative position of the axle center and the vehicle body is kept constant. The height of thesecond road wheel 42 is adjustable, and the relative position of the axle center and the vehicle body is adjustable.

Thefirst road wheel 41 and thesecond road wheel 42 have the following matching forms:

1) only thesecond road wheel 42 supports thevehicle body 1, thefirst road wheel 41 is suspended, and the distance from thefirst road wheel 41 to thesecond road wheel 42 is E, as shown in fig. 10 a.

2) Only thefirst road wheels 41 support thevehicle body 1, thesecond road wheels 42 are suspended, and thesecond road wheels 42 are higher than thefirst road wheels 41 by a distance F, as shown in fig. 10 b.

3) The first travellingwheel 41 and the second travellingwheel 42 jointly support the vehicle body, and the wheel bottom surfaces of the first travellingwheel 41 and the second travellingwheel 42 are level.

Alternatively, thefirst road wheels 41 are provided in two pairs and thesecond road wheels 42 are provided in three pairs, wherein the driving wheels of thesecond road wheels 42 are provided in one pair and the driven wheels are provided in two pairs.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, some embodiments further provide a container access system, which includes acontainer 200, apallet 300, and thecontainer access vehicle 100, wherein thepallet 300 includes a plurality of rows and columns of shelves, the shelves are arranged above and below, the shelves are aligned above and below, and thecontainer access vehicle 100 is configured to travel on the uppermost shelf of thepallet 300; the pickingassembly 21 is configured to pick acontainer 200 when thepick location 11 is aligned with the cargo location.

As shown in fig. 11a and 11b, thecargo box 200 is provided at four corners thereof withcargo lifting holes 201 for insertingsleeves 211. A plurality ofcontainers 200 are stacked one above the other, and thesleeves 211 can pick up a plurality ofcontainers 200 at a time.

The top surface of therack 300 is provided with a traveling surface on which the container storage andretrieval vehicle 100 can travel in a first direction X and a second direction Y, the first direction X being perpendicular to the second direction Y. The containers are stacked in a stacking manner in the goods shelf. The ascending and descending direction of the pickingassembly 21 is a third direction Z, and the third direction Z is perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y.

In some embodiments, the top surface of theshelf 300 is provided with tracks for thecontainer access cart 100 to travel in both the first direction and the second direction, the tracks are two tracks arranged side by side, so that twocontainer access carts 100 travel side by side; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

For example: along the first direction X, there are double tracks to allow two container access carts to walk side by side in the first direction X. Two rails are provided along the second direction Y to allow two container access carts to travel side by side in the second direction Y to make the container access carts travel faster to a destination.

Two rails are arranged around each cargo space of theshelf 300, including two rails in a first direction X and two rails in a second direction Y.

As shown in fig. 2, the dual rail includes afirst rail 301 and asecond rail 302. Thefirst rail 301 and thesecond rail 302 can simultaneously walk side by side to pick up the container.

In some embodiments, the top surface of theshelf 300 has a stop structure on the running surface, and the stop structure forms a track for the container storing and taking vehicle to run on the running surface to prevent the container storing and taking vehicle from derailing. Optionally, the limiting structure is a convex strip. The staggered running rails are integrally formed in a grid-like manner, a plurality of containers are stacked below each grid, and the pickingassembly 21 of the access trolley can extend through the grids for picking and placing the containers.

Some embodiments also provide a container access method that employs thecontainer access cart 100 described above; the number of the containers arranged up and down which can be picked up by the container storage andpickup vehicle 100 at a time is N;

when the number of containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

thecontainer access cart 100 moves to the top of the rack in the column of target containers;

the pickingassembly 21 is moved downwardly to pick at least one container including the target container, with the target container at the lowermost level of each container, see fig. 12 a;

the pickingassembly 21 moves upward;

thetranslation plate 31 moves horizontally to thegoods taking position 11;

thepick assembly 21 places the target container at the lowermost level on the translatingplate 31, see fig. 12 b;

the translatingplate 31 moves horizontally with the target container to thestorage position 12, see fig. 12 c;

the pickingassembly 21 is moved downwardly to return the other containers to their respective cargo positions, see figure 12 d.

The pickingassembly 21, which does not pick a container, is ready to be raised back, see fig. 12 e.

A plurality of containers can be obtained at one time through the container storing and taking method, and the cargo storing and taking efficiency is greatly improved.

In some embodiments, when the number of containers located on the upper level of the target container is greater than N; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

the container storage and takingvehicle 100 moves to the top of the goods shelf of the row where the target container is located, the container on the upper layer of the target container is taken away through one-time pickup or more than two-time pickup, and the container is transferred to a temporary storage position until the number of the containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1;

when the number of containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

thecontainer access cart 100 moves to the top of the rack in the column of target containers;

the pickingassembly 21 moves downwardly to pick at least one container including a target container, the target container being located at the lowermost level of each container;

the pickingassembly 21 moves upward;

thetranslation plate 31 moves horizontally to thegoods taking position 11;

the pick-upassembly 21 places the target container located at the lowermost level on the translatingplate 31;

the translatingplate 31 carries the target container for horizontal movement to thestorage position 12;

thepick assembly 21 moves downwardly to return the other containers to their respective cargo positions.

According to the embodiment, when the container storing and taking vehicle picks up the container each time, whether the number of stacked layers at the position of the target container is larger than the maximum value N of the container capable of being picked up by the container storing and taking vehicle from top to bottom is judged;

when the number of the containers stacked above the position of the target container is judged to be larger than the maximum value N which can be grabbed by the storage and taking vehicle, the containers stacked above the target container are firstly moved to other positions by the container storage and taking vehicle until the number of the containers stacked above the position of the target container is smaller than or equal to the maximum value N which can be grabbed by the container storage and taking vehicle;

when it is judged that the number of containers stacked above the position of the target container is less than or equal to the maximum number N of containers grabbed by the pick-up vehicle, the pick-upassembly 21 of the pick-up vehicle is lowered to be inserted into the container hole of the target container, and the container is lifted into the container pick-up vehicle by thefork 213, the target container is placed on thetranslation plate 231, and the target container is moved to thestock position 12 of thevehicle body 1 by thetranslation plate 31. Thepick assembly 21 releases the other containers back to the original stacking position.

The pickingassembly 21 can pick up N containers at a time, and the smaller the picking amount is, the smaller the power of the walking motor and the lifting motor of the storage and taking vehicle is, the lower the height of the vehicle body is, and the lower the operation efficiency is; the larger the picking-up amount is, the larger the power of the access vehicle walking motor and the lifting motor is, the higher the vehicle body height is, and the higher the working efficiency is. In one specific example, the pickingassembly 21 is configured to pick up 3 containers at a time, as shown in fig. 12a to 12 e.

For example: if 7 containers are stacked above the target container, the target container is the 8 th container. The maximum value N of the container which can be picked up by the container storage vehicle is 3. The goods taking strategy can be that 3 boxes are removed, 2 boxes are removed, the target container is taken out and recorded as 3+3+2, or 3+2+3, 2+3+3 and the like; the box moving, box taking and box returning after selection can be finished by one vehicle or by the cooperation of a plurality of vehicles.

The container pick-up method will be described in detail below, taking as an example a case where the pick-upassembly 21 picks up three containers at a time, and theforks 213 on thesocket 211 are two.

The access vehicle receives a box taking task, such as: the coordinates of the target container are X6, Y8, Z3, and two containers are stacked above the target container, defining: three packing boxes are first packing box, second packing box and third packing box respectively from last to down, promptly: the target container is a third container. Defining: the shiftingforks 213 of thesleeve 211 are respectively a first shifting fork and a second shifting fork from top to bottom. Before the storing and taking operation, the empty storing and taking vehicle moves over the row where the target container is located.

Thesecond motor 242 rotates, thesecond shaft 241 drives thewheel 243 to rotate, the liftingbelt 232 is released, and the pickingassembly 21 continuously descends. Thesecond motor 242 is deactivated after thesleeve 211 is passed through thecargo box aperture 201 of thecargo box 200.

The electromagnet 51 is attracted or the shifting fork motor rotates, the liftingrod 212 rises, thestopper 2122 pushes the shiftingfork 213 to rotate, the first end of the shiftingfork 213 extends out of the opening of thesleeve 211 to be connected with the container, the first end of the first shifting fork is connected with the second container, and the first end of the second shifting fork is connected with the third container.

Thesecond motor 242 is reversed, the liftingbelt 232 is wound and shortened on thewheel 243, the pickingassembly 21 is lifted, and the threecontainers 200 are driven to move upwards until the three containers are moved to a position where thetranslation plate 31 can be moved to the pickingposition 11.

Thetransfer plate 31 moves to thepick station 11 and thepick assembly 21 lowers to place a third container on thetransfer plate 31.

The liftingrod 2121 descends, thestopper 2122 and the shiftingfork 213 are released from abutting pushing force, the third container is supported by thetranslation plate 31, the pressure of the third container on the second shifting fork is released, the resettingpiece 214 pushes the second shifting fork to be switched from the supporting position to the retracting position, and the third container is separated from the second shifting fork.

The second container and the first container are not supported by the translatingpanels 31 or other components and gravity continues to act on the first forks, i.e., the first forks continue to support the first container and the second container. At this time, even if the abutting urging force of thestopper 2122 against the first fork disappears, the restoringmember 214 provides an elastic restoring force, and the first fork does not switch from the supporting position to the retracted position but continues to be in the supporting position, supporting the first container and the second container.

Thesecond motor 242 is rotated to raise the pickingassembly 21 and remove the sleeve 2 from thepick aperture 201 of the third container. The translatingplate 31 moves to thestock level 12 carrying the third container. After the third container is released, the first container and the second container are supported by the first fork.

Thesecond motor 242 rotates to lower the pickingassembly 21, and the pickingassembly 21 returns the second container and the third container to the original positions of the racks, respectively.

Under the state that second packing box and third packing box have the goods shelves to support, gravity can not act on first shift fork, and liftingrod 2121 descends, and the butt power ofdog 2122 and first shift fork is eliminated, and first shift fork retracts under the elastic action ofpiece 214 that resets, is in the position of retracting, and first shift fork breaks away from with the second packing box.

Thesecond motor 242 rotates to lift and reset the pick-upassembly 21, and the box taking process is completed.

As can be understood from the above embodiment, when there are two forks, thelowermost fork 213 is pressed by thecontainer 200 located lowermost to be in the supporting position, and thefork 213 located upper is pressed by thecontainer 200 located penultimate to be in the supporting position. When thelowermost container 200 is supported by thetranslation plate 31, thelift rod 2121 is raised, the force applied to thelower fork 213 by thestopper 2122 is removed, and thelower fork 213 is switched from the supporting position to the retracted position by the restoringmember 214. While the penultimate container and the container above the penultimate container are not supported by thetranslation plate 31 or other components, gravity acts on theshift fork 213 positioned above, theshift fork 213 is pressed by thepenultimate container 200 and the container above the penultimate container without switching the state, namely, theshift fork 213 positioned above is kept at the supporting position and continuously plays a role in supporting thepenultimate container 200 and the container above the penultimate container.

It should be noted that the above is only an alternative way to access thecontainer 200, which is only an illustration and not a limitation, and the strategy for actually accessing thecontainer 200 can be flexible and various: for example, the pickingassembly 21 may pick the uppermost N-1containers 200 at a time in the pallet and remove and release thenth container 200 individually. And the adjacent N containers can be taken out at one time and released at one time, and the mode is suitable for being adopted when a plurality of target containers are adjacent or being adopted when the containers are dumped. The number of layers N of thesingle access crate 200 is limited by the height limitations of the pickingassembly 21 and the height of thesingle layer crate 200. The number of the layers of the containers stacked in the goods shelf is more than or equal to N. Thepick assembly 21 can take … to N pieces at a time. The number of containers to be taken is determined by the position of the target container and the number of containers stacked above.

Optionally, the packing box access car adopts battery or electric capacity power supply, when the electric quantity is not enough, can go to automatically and fill electric pile and charge. The communication is wireless.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used to define the components, and are used only for the convenience of distinguishing the components, and if not otherwise stated, the terms have no special meaning, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, the technical features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more other embodiments advantageously without explicit negatives.

Finally, it should be noted that the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit the same; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that: modifications to the specific embodiments of the invention or equivalent substitutions for parts of the technical features may be made; without departing from the spirit of the present invention, it is intended to cover all aspects of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (27)

1. A container access cart, comprising:

the vehicle body (1) comprises a goods taking position (11) and a goods storage position (12);

the lifting mechanism (2) comprises a picking assembly (21), and the picking assembly (21) is arranged on the goods taking position (11) in a vertically movable mode; and

a translation mechanism (3) comprising a translation plate (31), wherein the translation plate (31) is arranged on the vehicle body (1) in a horizontally movable manner and can be selectively translated to the goods taking position (11) or the goods storing position (12);

wherein the picking assembly (21) is configured to move downwardly to pick at least one container (200) on the pallet including a target container, and the target container is located at a lowermost level of the at least one container (200);

the pick assembly (21) is configured to move upwardly with the at least one container (200) and to place a target container on the translating plate (31) after the translating plate (31) has moved to the pick location (11);

the pick assembly (21) is further configured to move downwardly after the translating plate (31) has moved horizontally to the storage location (12) carrying the target container to return the other containers (200) to the racks.

2. A container access cart according to claim 1, wherein the translation mechanism (3) further comprises:

the first transmission piece (32) is arranged on two sides of the translation plate (31) in the horizontal moving direction and is connected with the translation plate (31); and

and the first power assembly (33) is in driving connection with the first transmission piece (32).

3. A container access cart according to claim 2, wherein the first transmission member (32) comprises a timing belt, a V-belt, a chain, a rack or a lead screw.

4. A container access cart as defined in claim 2, wherein the first power assembly (33) comprises:

a first shaft (332) on which a first shaft is mounted,

a first motor (331) drivingly connected to the first shaft (332); and

and the driving wheel (333) is arranged on the first shaft (332), and the driving wheel (333) is matched with the first transmission piece (32) so as to transmit the power provided by the first motor (331) to the translation plate (31).

5. A container access vehicle according to claim 2 characterised in that the first power module (33) is provided on the vehicle body (1) at an end of the vehicle body (1) adjacent the storage space (12).

6. A container access cart according to claim 5, further comprising an electrical control mechanism (6), said electrical control mechanism (6) being located at said storage location (12) and below said translating plate (31), said electrical control mechanism (6) being electrically connected to said first power assembly (33).

7. A container access cart as defined in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism (2) further comprises:

the bracket (22) is arranged above the goods taking position (11) in a spanning mode;

a second transmission member (23) connected to said pick-up assembly (21); and

the second power assembly (24) is arranged at the top of the support (22) and is in driving connection with the second transmission piece (23), so that the second transmission piece (23) drives the picking assembly (21) to lift.

8. A container access cart according to claim 7, wherein the second transmission member (23) comprises:

a lifting plate (231), wherein the picking assembly (21) is arranged on the lifting plate (231); and

a lifting belt (232) connecting the second power assembly (24) and the lifting plate (231), the lifting belt (232) being configured to wind, shorten or release elongation under the drive of the second power assembly (24) to lift or lower the lifting plate (231).

9. A container access cart as defined in claim 8, wherein the second power assembly (24) comprises:

a second shaft (241);

a second motor (242) in driving connection with the second shaft (241); and

a sheave (243) provided on the second shaft (241), the lifting belt (232) being wound around the sheave (243).

10. A container access cart as defined in claim 9, wherein the second power assembly (24) further comprises:

a third axis (244) parallel to the second axis (241); and

and the guide wheel (245) is arranged on the third shaft (244) and is positioned on the same line with the wheel disc (243), and the lifting belt (232) is connected with the lifting plate (231) after being guided by the guide wheel (245).

11. A cargo box access cart as defined in claim 10,

two sides of the second shaft (241) are respectively provided with one third shaft (244);

the first end and the second end of the second shaft (241) are respectively provided with a wheel disc (243);

the first ends of the two third shafts (244) are respectively provided with a guide wheel (245) corresponding to the wheel disc (243) at the first end of the second shaft (241);

the second ends of the two third shafts (244) are respectively provided with a guide wheel (245) corresponding to the wheel disc (243) at the second end of the second shaft (241);

two lifting belts (232) are wound on each wheel disc (243), and each lifting belt (232) is connected with the lifting plate (231) after being guided by a guide wheel (245).

12. A cargo box access vehicle as defined in claim 7,

the second transmission piece (23) comprises a lifting plate (231); the pick-up assembly (21) comprises:

the sleeve (211) is provided with a cavity along the axial direction of the sleeve (211) and an opening penetrating through the wall of the sleeve (211), and the cavity is communicated with the opening; the sleeve (211) is connected with the lifting plate (231);

the lifting piece (212) is arranged on the lifting plate (231) in a lifting way and is at least partially positioned in the cavity; and

a shifting fork (213) arranged at the opening of the sleeve (211); the fork (213) is configured to be switched to a supporting position as the lifting member (212) is lifted, and to be switched to a retracted position as the lifting member (212) is lowered; wherein, when the fork (213) is in the support position, the fork (213) partially extends outside the aperture for connection to a container; when the fork (213) is in a retracted position, the fork (213) is entirely located in the cavity.

13. A container access cart as defined in claim 12, wherein the lift (212) comprises:

a lifting rod (2121) arranged on the lifting plate (231) in a lifting way; and

the stop block (2122) is fixedly connected with the lifting rod (2121);

the shifting fork (213) is rotatably connected with the sleeve (211), the stop block (2122) is configured to abut against the second end of the shifting fork (213) when the lifting rod (2121) ascends so as to drive the shifting fork (213) to rotate, and then the shifting fork (213) is located at a supporting position, and at the moment, the first end of the shifting fork (213) extends out of the opening; the stopper (2122) is configured to release the abutment with the second end of the shift fork (213) as the lift lever (2121) descends.

14. The container access cart of claim 13, wherein the pick-up assembly (21) further comprises a reset member (214), the reset member (214) configured to provide a force to reset the shift fork (213) from the support position to the retracted position when the stop (2122) disengages the second end of the shift fork (213).

15. The container access cart of claim 14, wherein the pick-up assembly (21) further comprises a stop member (215), the stop member (215) being disposed on the lifting member (212), wherein when the fork (213) is in the retracted position, the first end of the fork (213) abuts against the stop member (215); when the shifting fork (213) is in the supporting position, the second end of the shifting fork (213) abuts against the limiting piece (215).

16. A container access cart according to claim 12, wherein the pick-up assembly (21) further comprises:

an electromagnet (217) provided on the lifting plate (231); and

a magnetic member (218) provided to the pulling member (212); when the electromagnet (217) is in a power-on state, the electromagnet (217) and the magnetic part (218) are attracted, and the pulling part (212) rises to enable the shifting fork (213) to be switched to a supporting position; when the electromagnet (217) is in a power-off state, the electromagnet (217) is separated from the magnetic part (218), the lifting part (212) descends, and the shifting fork (213) can be switched to a retraction position.

17. A cargo box access vehicle as defined in claim 16 wherein the lift plate (231) includes an interior cavity and mounting holes in communication with the interior cavity; the electromagnet (217) and the magnetic member (218) are both located in the inner cavity, and the pull member (212) extends out of the mounting hole.

18. A container access vehicle as defined in claim 12 wherein said sleeve (211) is provided with at least two said openings along its axial direction, each of said openings being fitted with one of said forks (213); and when the lowest fork (213) on the sleeve (211) and the adjacent fork (213) above the lowest fork are in the supporting position, the distance B between the first ends of the two forks (213) is configured to be larger than the height A of the container.

19. A container access cart as recited in claim 18, wherein the difference between the distance B and the height a is configured to be greater than C; wherein C is a height difference of the first end of the shift fork (213) in the axial direction along the sleeve (211) when the shift fork (213) is switched from the supporting position to the retracted position.

20. A container access cart as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a first traveling wheel (41) which is provided at the bottom of the vehicle body (1) and is arranged in a first direction; and

the second travelling wheels (42) are arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body (1) and are arranged along a second direction;

wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, the second road wheel (42) is configured to be height-adjustable relative to the vehicle body (1) to selectively support the vehicle body (1) using the second road wheel (42), or the first road wheel (41) supports the vehicle body (1), or the first road wheel (41) and the second road wheel (42) support the vehicle body (1) together.

21. A container access cart as defined in claim 20, further comprising:

a third transmission member (43) connected with the second travelling wheel (42); and

the third power assembly is connected with the third transmission piece (43) and is configured to drive the third transmission piece (43), so that the third transmission piece (43) drives the second travelling wheel (42) to lift relative to the vehicle body (1).

22. The cargo box access vehicle of claim 21, wherein the number of the second road wheels (42) is two or more, the third transmission member (43) comprises a connecting rod (431) and a swing rod (432), the connecting rod (431) is connected with each second road wheel (42), the swing rod (432) is connected with the connecting rod (431) and the third power assembly, and the swing rod (432) is configured to swing under the driving of the third power assembly so as to drive the connecting rod (431) to lift up and down relative to the vehicle body (1).

23. A container storage and retrieval system comprising a container (200), a pallet (300) and a container storage and retrieval vehicle (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the pallet (300) comprises a plurality of layers of racks arranged one above the other, each layer of racks comprises a plurality of rows and columns of cargo spaces, the cargo spaces in the same row and column in the plurality of layers of racks are aligned one above the other, and the container storage and retrieval vehicle (100) is configured to travel on the uppermost rack of the pallet (300); the pick assembly (21) is configured to pick a container (200) when the pick location (11) is aligned with the cargo location.

24. A container access system as defined in claim 23 wherein the top surface of the pallet (300) is provided with tracks for the container access vehicles (100) to travel in both the first and second directions, the tracks being double tracks arranged side by side so that two container access vehicles (100) travel side by side; wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

25. A container access system as claimed in claim 23 wherein the edges of the container (200) are provided with pick up apertures (201) for cooperating with the pick up assembly (21).

26. A container storage and retrieval method, characterized by using the container storage and retrieval vehicle (100) of claim 1; the number of the containers which are arranged up and down and can be picked up by the container storage and taking vehicle (100) at one time is N;

when the number of containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

the container storage and taking vehicle (100) moves to the top of the goods shelf of the row where the target container is located;

the pick-up assembly (21) moves downwardly to pick up at least one container including the target container, the target container being at the lowermost level of each container;

the pick-up assembly (21) moves upwards;

the translation plate (31) moves horizontally to the goods taking position (11);

the picking assembly (21) places the target container positioned at the lowest layer on the translation plate (31);

the translation plate (31) moves horizontally to the stock position (12);

the pick-up assembly (21) moves downwardly to return the other containers to their respective cargo positions.

27. A container access method as claimed in claim 26 wherein when the number of containers located in an upper tier of a target container is greater than N; the container storing and taking method comprises the following steps:

the container storage and taking vehicle (100) moves to the top of the goods shelf where the target container is located, the container on the upper layer of the target container is taken away through one-time pickup or more than two-time pickup, and the container is transferred to the temporary storage position until the number of the containers on the upper layer of the target container is less than or equal to N-1.

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