CN219030609U - Transfer robot and warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a transfer robot and a warehouse system, the transfer robot including a chassis assembly, a gantry assembly, a pick-and-place assembly, and an image acquisition device. The picking and placing assembly comprises a picking and placing mechanism, wherein the picking and placing mechanism is configured to extend towards a first direction so as to finish picking and placing the container in the first direction; and configured to extend in a second direction opposite the first direction to complete the removal and placement of the container in the second direction; the image acquisition device is configured to rotate to face the first direction or the second direction to acquire information of the container in the first direction or the second direction when the container in the first direction or the second direction is picked and placed by the picking and placing assembly. The transfer robot can realize image information acquisition in two directions by rotating one image acquisition device, so that the accuracy and flexibility of information acquisition can be improved, and the use cost is reduced.

Description

Transfer robot and warehouse system

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of warehouse logistics, in particular to a transfer robot, and further relates to a warehouse system comprising the transfer robot.

Background

At present, a warehouse logistics system generally comprises shelves and transfer robots which are densely arranged, wherein the shelves are used for storing goods, and in addition, a roadway allowing the transfer robots to move and execute storage and taking actions is reserved between the shelves. The carrying robot moves to the storage position corresponding to the goods according to the ex-warehouse instruction or the warehouse-in instruction to take and put the goods.

In the prior art, a traditional transfer robot is provided with an image acquisition device matched with a box taking mechanism, before the box taking mechanism takes and puts goods, the image acquisition device can acquire the information such as the size, the position and the type of the goods, the control unit analyzes the acquired information, and then the robot is controlled based on an analysis result, so that the box taking mechanism can conveniently and accurately place the goods on a corresponding goods shelf, or take the goods out of the corresponding goods shelf. The transfer robot walking in the tunnel generally needs to access the shelves on both sides, and the image acquisition device generally needs to be matched with the picking and placing mechanism to acquire the images at the designated positions, so that the image acquisition device needs to rely on the steering of the picking and placing mechanism to acquire the container information of the shelves in different directions. In addition, only two or more image acquisition devices can be arranged, so that the working requirements of the image acquisition devices on containers in different directions can be met, and the manufacturing cost and the maintenance cost of the transfer robot are obviously increased.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a transfer robot and a warehouse system in order to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a transfer robot including:

a chassis assembly;

a mast assembly disposed on the chassis assembly;

a pick-and-place assembly disposed on the mast assembly and configured to move in a height direction along the mast assembly; the picking and placing assembly comprises a picking and placing mechanism, wherein the picking and placing mechanism is configured to extend out in a first direction so as to finish picking and placing the container in the first direction; and configured to extend in a second direction opposite the first direction to complete the removal and placement of the container in the second direction;

the image acquisition device is configured to rotate to face the first direction to acquire information of the container in the first direction when the container in the first direction is picked and placed by the picking and placing component; and is configured to rotate to face the second direction to collect information of the container in the second direction when the pick-and-place assembly picks and places the container in the second direction.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism includes:

the base is provided with bearing positions penetrating through two opposite ends of the base;

at least one stage of telescopic fork, wherein the telescopic fork is in guiding fit with the base and is configured to extend out from the base towards a first direction so as to finish the taking and placing of the container in the first direction; and is configured to extend from the base in a second direction to complete the removal and placement of the container in the second direction.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image capture device is rotatably coupled to the base and configured to rotate to face in a first direction or a second direction.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a bracket is provided on the base, and the image capturing device is rotatably connected to the bracket at a position above the bearing position.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image capture device is configured to be rotatably coupled to the bracket by a mount; a guide mechanism is provided between the bracket and the mount at a position offset from the mount rotation axis, the mount being configured to rotate to a first direction, a second direction with respect to the bracket along an extending direction of the guide mechanism.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the guide mechanism includes a guide groove provided on the mount, and a guide post fixed on the bracket and engaged with the guide groove; or, the guide mechanism comprises a guide post arranged on the mounting seat and a guide groove fixed on the bracket and matched with the guide post.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bracket is in guided engagement with the base and is configured to move to a predetermined position relative to the base when the retractable fork is used to pick and place a container in either the first direction or the second direction.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the stand is configured to move to a predetermined position in a first direction relative to the base when the retractable fork is used to pick and place the container in the first direction; and when the telescopic fork is used for taking and placing the container in the second direction, the container moves to a preset position in the second direction relative to the base.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the telescoping fork is configured to move to a first position of the base upon removal of the container in a first deep position in a first direction;

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a second position of the base when the container is taken and placed in a second deep position in the first direction;

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a third position of the base when the container is taken and placed in the first deep position in the second direction;

the telescoping fork is configured to move to a fourth position of the base upon removal and placement of the container in a second, deep position in the first direction.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least two of the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position are the same; or, the first position, the second position, the third position and the fourth position are all different.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bracket is configured to move between a first position located in a first direction and a second position located in a second direction, the first and second positions being located at opposite open end positions of the base, respectively;

the telescopic fork is configured to take and place a container at a second deep position in a first direction or at a first deep position in a second direction when the bracket is positioned at a first position;

the telescoping fork is configured to access a container in a first deep position in a first direction or in a second deep position in a second direction when the support is in the second position.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the handling robot includes the handling robot, the pick-and-place assembly is disposed on one side of the gantry assembly, and the extension direction of the pick-and-place mechanism is configured to be perpendicular to the traveling direction of the handling robot.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a warehousing system comprising: the control server, the warehouse area and the transfer robot; the storage area comprises a roadway surrounded by adjacent first carriers and second carriers; the transfer robot is configured to walk into a roadway based on a pick-and-place instruction below the control server and transfer containers located on the first carrier and/or the second carrier.

The image acquisition device has the advantages that the image acquisition device can independently complete the steering action from the first direction to the second direction or from the second direction to the first direction without depending on the picking and placing assembly, and compared with the image acquisition device in the prior art which can complete the steering acquisition of images by depending on the steering of the picking and placing assembly, the steering process of the image acquisition device is more convenient and faster; compared with the prior art that two or more image acquisition devices are arranged to acquire images of the containers in two directions, the image acquisition device can acquire the containers in two directions by means of the steering function, the quantity of the image acquisition devices is reduced, and the cost is saved.

Other features of the present disclosure and its advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

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

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a transfer robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a pick-and-place assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an image capturing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a telescopic fork according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a mounting seat and bracket mating arrangement provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a mounting seat and bracket mating arrangement provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a warehousing system provided by an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 11 is a flowchart of a control method of the transfer robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The one-to-one correspondence between the component names and the reference numerals in fig. 1 to 10 is as follows:

1. a chassis assembly;

2. a gantry assembly;

3. a pick-and-place assembly; 31. a base; 311. a bearing position; 32. a telescopic fork; 3241. a fixing plate; 3242. a first expansion plate; 3243. a second expansion plate; 3244. a third expansion plate; 33. a bracket; 331. a guide post; 332. a driving device; 333. a screw rod; 334. a nut; 335. a stop portion; 34. a mounting base; 341. a guide groove;

4. An image acquisition device;

51. a first carrier; 52. and a second carrier.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses.

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

It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this document, "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships between the relevant portions, and do not limit the absolute positions of the relevant portions.

Herein, "first", "second", etc. are used only for distinguishing one another, and do not denote any order or importance, but rather denote a prerequisite of presence.

Herein, "equal," "same," etc. are not strictly mathematical and/or geometric limitations, but also include deviations that may be appreciated by those skilled in the art and allowed by fabrication or use, etc.

The present disclosure provides a transfer robot including a chassis assembly, a gantry assembly, a pick-and-place assembly, and an image acquisition device. The chassis assembly can integrally support the transfer robot on the working surface and serve as a main supporting structure of the transfer robot, and the chassis assembly can also drive the transfer robot to walk in a roadway between the working surface or the carriers. The carrier of this disclosure can be a plurality of goods shelves that are the matrix and arrange, leaves the clearance between a plurality of carriers, has formed the tunnel that supplies transfer robot to move. The carrier of the present disclosure may be provided with a plurality of storage bits, which may be sequentially arranged in a height direction and/or a horizontal direction of the carrier for storing containers. The containers of the present disclosure are primarily those used in the logistics field to load goods, including but not limited to bins, trays, packing cases, and the like, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The chassis assembly can be provided with the driving wheel and/or the universal wheel matched with the driving wheel, and the driving wheel and the universal wheel are matched with each other to drive the transfer robot to wholly walk and steer on the working surface, so that the follow-up picking and placing actions are convenient. The mast assembly is disposed on the chassis assembly and is configured to move in a height direction along the mast assembly, for example, because containers are stored at storage locations of different heights, and the pick-and-place assembly is required to move along the mast assembly to correspond to the respective storage locations to complete the pick-and-place of the containers at the storage locations. The pick-and-place assembly includes a pick-and-place mechanism that may be configured to transfer containers on the storage location by clamping, pushing, pulling, sucking, and the like.

In the transfer robot of the present disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism is configured to protrude in a first direction to complete picking and placing of the container in the first direction, and configured to protrude in a second direction opposite to the first direction to complete picking and placing of the container in the second direction, for example, the transfer robot is located in a lane between two rows of carriers located in the first direction and the second direction of the transfer robot, respectively. When the carrying robot performs the container taking and placing actions, the carrying robot can extend to the first direction by means of the container taking and placing mechanism to correspond to the carrier positioned in the first direction, so that the container taking and placing in the first direction can be completed; or extend to the second direction to correspond to the carrier in the second direction, so as to finish the taking and placing of the container in the second direction.

The utility model provides a transfer robot gets and puts the mechanism and can stretch out in first direction or second direction to accomplish getting of container on two relative directions and put the mechanism and need not to turn to just can accomplish getting of container on two rows of adjacent carriers and put, this just makes between two rows of adjacent carriers need not to leave the operating space that support transfer robot turned to, and the storage space in the warehouse system can be fully utilized from this, can more densely set up a plurality of carriers, has improved the utilization ratio to storage space. In addition, the transfer robot does not need to do extra steering action, so that the picking and placing efficiency of the transfer robot can be improved.

The image acquisition device is configured to rotate to face the first direction and acquire information of the container in the first direction when the picking and placing component picks up and places the container in the first direction, and is configured to rotate to face the second direction and acquire information of the container in the second direction when the picking and placing component picks up and places the container in the second direction, and the image acquisition device can be a sensor with an image acquisition function such as a camera, a video camera, a camera and a scanner, and the information of the container can comprise information of the position, the size, the type and the like of the container. Based on the container information acquired by the image acquisition device, the picking and placing assembly can be more accurately aligned with the position of the container. For example, before the handling robot accesses the container, at least the size and the position of the container need to be determined, so that the handling robot can accurately control the taking and placing component to take the container out of the carrier, or place the container on the carrier, and therefore the image acquisition device is required to acquire the information.

Before the transfer robot picks up and places the container in the first direction, the image acquisition device needs to rotate to the first direction and acquire information such as the position, the size and the like of the container in the first direction, and the information is sent to a control unit of the transfer robot, the control unit analyzes the information based on the information, and controls the picking and placing assembly according to the analysis result so as to accurately take out the container from the carrier or place the container on the carrier; before the transfer robot picks up and places the container in the second direction, the image acquisition device needs to rotate to the second direction and acquire information such as the position, the size and the like of the container in the second direction, and sends the information to the control unit of the transfer robot, and the control unit analyzes based on the information and controls the picking and placing component according to the analysis result so as to accurately take out the container from the carrier or place the container on the carrier.

It should be noted that, in some application scenarios, before the picking and placing component is used for picking and placing the container in the first direction, if the image capturing device just faces the first direction, the image capturing device does not need to perform a steering action, and directly captures information such as size and position of the container, but if the picking and placing component is used for picking and placing the container in the first direction and needs to be placed in the second direction, the image capturing device may perform a steering action for steering the container in the first direction to the second direction after the picking and placing component finishes the picking and placing action for picking and placing the container in the first direction, or perform a steering action for synchronously steering the container in the first direction to the second direction in the picking and placing process of the picking and placing component. The picking and placing actions of the picking and placing component on the container in the second direction are similar to the actions of the image acquisition device in the above process, and the disclosure is not repeated here. The moment of steering the image acquisition device is only exemplified, and the specific matching process of the image acquisition device and the picking and placing assembly can be flexibly set according to actual conditions, so that the method is not limited.

Based on this, the image acquisition device of this disclosure need not rely on to get and put the subassembly, and it just can independently accomplish the steering action of turning to the second direction from first direction, or the steering action of turning to the first direction from the second direction. Compared with the scheme that the image acquisition device can complete steering only by means of steering of the picking and placing assembly in the prior art, the steering process of the image acquisition device is more convenient and quicker; compared with the prior art that two or more image acquisition devices are arranged to acquire images of the containers in two directions, the image acquisition device can acquire the containers in two directions by means of the steering function, the quantity of the image acquisition devices is reduced, and the cost is saved.

In addition, get and put the mechanism of putting of subassembly and be constructed and be stretched out to first direction and/or second direction, need not to turn to the action, but the cooperation independently turns to image acquisition device, realizes can be to the ascending image information acquisition of different directions through an image acquisition device for image acquisition device's discernment is more quick, accurate, improves transfer robot's getting and puts efficiency.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the pick-and-place assembly of the handling robot may further pick and place at least two deep containers in the first direction and/or the second direction, the image capturing device may be further configured to move along the extending direction of the pick-and-place assembly, and when the pick-and-place assembly picks and places the second deep container in the first direction, the image capturing device may move along the extending direction of the pick-and-place assembly in the first direction, thereby shortening the distance from the second deep container in the first direction; when the picking and placing component needs to pick and place the second deep container in the second direction, the image acquisition device can move in the second direction along the extending direction of the picking and placing component, so that the relative distance between the image acquisition device and the second deep container in the second direction is shortened. Compared with the prior art, the image acquisition device is fixedly arranged on the transfer robot, and the image acquisition device disclosed by the invention can be used for adjusting the distance between the second deep container in the first direction and/or the second deep container in the second direction, so that the information of the size, the position and the like of the container acquired by the image acquisition device is more accurate, and the motion error of the picking and placing assembly when the picking and placing action is executed is reduced.

In order to more clearly illustrate the transfer robot of the present disclosure, reference will be made to fig. 1 to 11, and a more detailed description will be made in connection with specific embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a transfer robot includes a chassis assembly 1, amast assembly 2, a pick-and-place assembly 3, and an image capture device 4. The chassis assembly 1 is supported on a work surface and carries themast assembly 2, and the chassis assembly 1 may be configured to be supported on the ground with a length and width to ensure stability of its own movement. The chassis assembly 1 may be provided with a driving wheel which is in contact with the ground and which drives the chassis assembly 1 to move over the ground. Themast assembly 2 may be configured to be disposed on the chassis assembly 1, for example, the bottom of themast assembly 2 is fixedly connected with the top of the chassis assembly 1, themast assembly 2 may be configured to extend in the height direction, and may also be configured to have a telescopic structure by which themast assembly 2 may adjust its height to correspond to carriers of different heights, so that themast assembly 2 may be adapted to carriers of different heights. The pick-and-place assembly 3 is provided at one side of themast assembly 2, and the pick-and-place assembly 3 is configured to move in a height direction along themast assembly 2 so that the pick-and-place assembly 3 can be moved to correspond to storage locations of different heights. The pick-and-place assembly 3 of the present disclosure includes a pick-and-place mechanism configured to extend in a first direction to complete pick-and-place of a container in the first direction and to extend in a second direction opposite the first direction to complete pick-and-place of a container in the second direction. The first direction and the second direction in the present disclosure are defined for clearly explaining the picking and placing actions of the picking and placing mechanism, and the first direction and the second direction may be opposite directions, for example, referring to the view direction of fig. 1, an arrow at one end on a broken line points to the first direction, and an arrow at one end on the opposite direction points to the second direction, and the picking and placing mechanism is configured to extend to the first direction or the second direction to complete picking and placing of the container in the first direction or the second direction. When the picking and placing mechanism needs to pick and place the container on the carrier in the first direction, the container can extend to a position corresponding to the container in the first direction, and the picking and placing work of the corresponding container is completed; or when the picking and placing mechanism needs to pick and place the container on the carrier in the second direction, the container can extend to a position corresponding to the container in the second direction, and the picking and placing work of the corresponding container is completed.

Referring to fig. 1, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a pick-and-place assembly 3 is provided at one side of themast assembly 2, and the pick-and-place assembly 3 is configured to move in a height direction along themast assembly 2 such that the pick-and-place assembly 3 can be moved to correspond to storage locations of different heights. The extending direction of the picking and placing mechanism is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the carrying robot, so that after the carrying robot travels to the target position in a roadway formed by two adjacent carriers, the driving mechanism can be directly extended to the first direction and the second direction, and the rotating direction of the carrying robot is not needed. In addition, the pick-and-place assembly of the present disclosure is disposed on one side of themast assembly 2, which allows the pick-and-place mechanism to freely extend in the first direction or the second direction without passing through themast assembly 2, thereby avoiding interference of themast assembly 2 with the pick-and-place mechanism. For example, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the transfer robot travels in one or two directions in a tunnel between vehicles by means of the chassis assembly 1, and the extending direction of the pick-and-place mechanism is the direction of the vehicles on both sides of the tunnel. That is, the first direction or the second direction in which the pick-and-place mechanism extends is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the chassis assembly 1 based on the transfer robot. After the transfer robot moves to a preset position corresponding to the container through the chassis assembly 1, the transfer robot stretches out to the first direction or the second direction through the picking and placing mechanism, and the picking and placing of the containers on the carriers on the two opposite sides of the transfer robot can be completed.

The transfer robot that this disclosure provided during operation between the carrier, need not to turn to just can accomplish the getting of container on two rows of adjacent carriers and put, need not to additionally leave the operating space that supports transfer robot and turn to between two rows of carriers, can set up more carriers more intensively from this in the warehouse system, the warehouse space can be utilized fully, has improved the utilization ratio of warehouse space.

The image capturing device 4 is configured to rotate to face the first direction to capture information of the container in the first direction when the pick-and-place assembly 3 picks up and places the container in the second direction, and rotate to face the second direction to capture information of the container in the second direction when the pick-and-place assembly 3 picks up and places the container in the first direction. For example, referring to the view direction of fig. 2, when the pick-and-place assembly 3 picks up and places the container of the first carrier 51 in the first direction, the image capturing device 4 rotates to face the first direction so as to capture information such as the size, the position, etc. of the container on the first carrier 51 in the first direction; when the pick-and-place assembly 3 accesses the container on thesecond carrier 52 in the second direction, the image capturing device 4 rotates to face the second direction to provide information on the size, the position, etc. of the container on thesecond carrier 52.

The handling robot may further include a control unit, where after receiving the container information acquired by the image acquisition device 4, the control unit controls the pick-and-place assembly of the handling robot to perform corresponding adjustment based on the container information, so as to more accurately pick and place the container. In the above-described process, the image capturing device 4 may perform the steering operation independently, that is, from facing the first direction to facing the second direction, or from facing the second direction to facing the first direction. Compared with the prior art that the image acquisition device can finish steering to acquire images only by means of steering of the picking and placing assembly, the steering process of the image acquisition device 4 is more convenient and quicker; compared with the prior art that two or more image acquisition devices are arranged to acquire images of the containers in two directions, the independent image acquisition device 4 is arranged to acquire the containers in two directions according to the steering function, so that the number of the image acquisition devices is reduced, and the cost is saved.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, before the picking and placingassembly 3 is used for picking and placing the container in the first direction, if the image capturing device 4 is just facing the first direction, the image capturing device 4 does not need to perform a steering action, and may directly capture information such as a size, a position, etc. of the container, for example, referring to the view direction of fig. 2, the image capturing device 4 faces the container of the first carrier 51 in the first direction, and the image capturing device 4 may directly capture image information of the container. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, if the image capturing device 4 is facing in the first direction before the pick-and-place assembly 3 picks up and places the container in the second direction, the image capturing device 4 needs to be turned to face in the second direction, and then information of the container in the second direction is captured.

For example, referring to the view direction of fig. 2, before the pick-and-place assembly 3 needs to pick and place the container of thesecond carrier 52 in the second direction, the image capturing device 4 may be turned from the first direction to the container facing thesecond carrier 52 in the second direction, so as to capture information of the container on thesecond carrier 52 in the second direction. Before the pick-and-place assembly 3 picks up and places the container in the first direction, if the image capturing device 4 faces the second direction, the image capturing device 4 may be turned to face the first direction.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the pick-and-place assembly 3 is before picking and placing the container in the first direction or the second direction, the pick-and-place assembly 3 needs to be lifted/lowered to a position corresponding to the container along thegantry assembly 2, and in the lifting/lowering process of the pick-and-place assembly 3, the image capturing device 4 can be turned to face the first direction or the second direction, so as to adjust the direction of the pick-and-place assembly in advance, thereby shortening the time for picking and placing the container by the transfer robot and improving the working efficiency of the transfer robot.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, before a transfer robot needs to pick and place a container in a first direction and/or a second direction, the transfer robot needs to move to a corresponding position of the container by means of a chassis assembly 1, and in a moving process of the chassis assembly 1, the image capturing device 4 may be turned to face the first direction or the second direction, so as to complete a turning motion in advance, so that a subsequent operation is convenient, thereby shortening a working time occupied by the image capturing device 4 in turning, and improving a working efficiency of the transfer robot.

The steering timing of the image capturing apparatus 4 of the present disclosure may include, but is not limited to, the steering timing in the above embodiment, and the steering timing of the image capturing apparatus 4 may also be determined according to the actual situation, which is not listed here.

Referring to fig. 1 and 3, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pick-and-place mechanism includes abase 31 and at least one stage oftelescoping forks 32. Thebase 31 is provided with abearing position 311 penetrating through opposite ends thereof, for example, two ends of thebearing position 311 facing the first direction and the second direction are not shielded. The at least one stage of telescopingfork 32 is in guiding engagement with thebase 31, thebase 31 being configured to extend in a first direction and a second direction, the at least one stage of telescoping fork being configured to extend from the base 31 in the first direction to complete the removal of the container in the first direction, and being configured to extend from the base 31 in the second direction to complete the removal of the container in the second direction.

For example, referring to fig. 1 and 3, thetelescopic fork 32 of at least one stage may extend along the extending direction of the base 31 toward the first carrier 51 in the first direction to complete the taking and placing of the container on the first carrier 51; theexpansion fork 32 of at least one stage may be configured to extend toward thesecond carrier 52 in the second direction along the extension direction of the base 31 to complete the taking and placing of the container on thesecond carrier 52. In addition, since thebearing position 311 of the present disclosure penetrates through opposite ends of the first direction and the second direction, thetelescopic fork 32 of at least one stage can directly extend along the base 31 to the second direction after extending along the guide of the base 31 to take out the container, and the container is placed on the carrier in the second direction, and vice versa. The fetching and placing mechanism can finish the fetching and placing actions of the container in two directions without rotating in the process. The picking and placing mechanism without steering is used, and the storage and taking efficiency of the transfer robot is improved.

Referring to fig. 5, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, theexpansion fork 32 may include a fixedplate 3241 disposed on thebase 31, and first, second, andthird expansion plates 3242, 3243, 3244 that sequentially extend outwardly and are in guiding engagement, the fixedplate 3241, the first, second, andthird expansion plates 3242, 3243, 3244 being sequentially coupled together by a transmission mechanism such that thefirst expansion plate 3242 may extend or retract with respect to the fixedplate 3241, thesecond expansion plate 3243 may extend or retract with respect to thefirst expansion plate 3242, and thethird expansion plate 3244 may extend or retract with respect to thesecond expansion plate 3243. The fixedplate 3241, the firsttelescopic plate 3242, the secondtelescopic plate 3243, and the thirdtelescopic plate 3244 may be connected together by using a transmission mechanism well known to those skilled in the art, and the disclosure will not be described in detail herein.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fixingplates 3241 located at opposite sides of the base 31 may be further configured to be movable away from or close to each other, so that thetelescopic fork 32 may be adapted to take and place containers of different sizes, and such a widened structure is well known to those skilled in the art, and the specific structure and operation principle thereof will not be repeated herein.

Referring to fig. 3, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image pickup device 4 is rotatably connected to thebase 31 and is configured to be rotated to face the first direction or the second direction. When the handling robot is located in a roadway between the carriers, the opening directions of the opposite ends of the base 31 face the first direction and the second direction, and the image acquisition device 4 is rotatably connected to thebase 31 and can rotate relative to the base 31 to face the first direction or to face the second direction relative to thebase 31. The image pickup device 4 may be configured to rotate 360 ° with respect to the base 31 or may be configured to rotate 180 ° with respect to thebase 31.

In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the image capturing device 4 is configured to be rotatable 180 ° with respect to thebase 31, i.e. the image capturing device 4 is rotated by an angle of 180 ° from facing the first direction to facing the second direction. For example, the angle of the image pickup device 4 with respect to the base 31 when facing the first direction is defined as 0 °, and the angle of the image pickup device 4 with respect to the base 31 when facing the second direction is defined as 180 °. Therefore, when the image acquisition device 4 turns to the first direction or the second direction, the image acquisition device can be accurately aligned to the first direction or the second direction, the time for adjusting the angle is reduced, the control of the rotation angle is facilitated, and the working efficiency of the transfer robot is improved.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, abracket 33 is provided on abase 31, and an image capturing device 4 is rotatably connected to thebracket 33 and located at a position above abearing position 311, so that interference between a container and thebracket 33 can be avoided when a container is taken onto thebearing position 311 by atelescopic fork 32. For example, thesupport 33 may be configured as a frame structure of a gantry, and has two columns extending in a height direction along thebase 31, the two columns are respectively located at two sides of thebase 31, a connecting line between the two columns is perpendicular to the first direction or the second direction, the support further has a cross beam crossing two sides of thebase 31 and respectively connected to tops of the two columns, and the image capturing device 4 is rotatably connected to the cross beam and is located above thebearing position 311.

When the picking and placing mechanism picks and places the container, thetelescopic fork 32 is opposite to the two ends of the container, so that the position of the picking and placing mechanism needs to be adjusted correctly before picking and placing. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the image capturing device 4 may be disposed at a central position above thebase 31, so that accuracy of capturing information of the container may be improved, and the amount of calculation of the control unit may be reduced, so that accuracy of the picking and placing action of the picking and placing mechanism may be improved.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, image capture device 4 is configured to be rotatably coupled to abracket 33 via amount 34, mount 34 may provide support for the mounting of image capture device 4, and image capture device 4 may be oriented in either a first direction or a second direction via rotation ofmount 34 relative tobracket 33. A guide mechanism is provided between thebracket 33 and themount 34 at a position deviated from the rotation axis of themount 34, and themount 34 is configured to rotate to a first direction or a second direction relative to thebracket 33 along the extending direction of the guide mechanism, and by the guide mechanism deviated from the rotation axis of the rotation shaft, the stability of themount 34 when rotated can be ensured, thereby improving the movement accuracy of the image pickup device 4.

For example, when the front image capturing device 4 is oriented in the first direction, themount 34 is rotated in the extending direction of the guide mechanism so that the position of the mount offset from the axis of the rotation shaft is oriented in the second direction during rotation relative to thebracket 33, and the image capturing device 4 is synchronously rotated to be oriented in the second direction. The guide mechanism may be configured to have a start point and an end point, when themount 34 is located at the start point of the guide mechanism, the image pickup device 4 faces the first direction, and when themount 34 is located at the end point of the guide mechanism, the image pickup device 4 faces the second direction, and the guide mechanism may assist themount 34 to accurately rotate to the image pickup device 4 toward the first direction or the second direction, thereby reducing an operation of adjusting the image pickup device 4 to face the first direction or the second direction, and improving the work efficiency of the transfer robot.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the guide mechanism includes aguide groove 341 provided on themount 34, and aguide post 331 fixed on thebracket 33 and engaged with theguide groove 341, theguide groove 341 may be configured to be opened at the bottom of themount 34 and configured as an arc-shaped structure offset from the rotational axis position of themount 34, and theguide post 331 may be configured to extend from thebracket 33 toward theguide groove 341 of themount 34 and into theguide groove 341. Theguide groove 341 may be a 180 ° arc groove formed around the rotation axis of the mountingseat 34, and when the image capturing device 4 faces the first direction or the second direction, a connecting line between two end points in the extending direction of the arc groove is perpendicular to the first direction or the second direction.

When the image capturing device 4 faces the first direction, the starting point of theguide groove 341 of the mountingseat 34 is abutted against theguide post 331; when the image pickup device 4 is oriented in the second direction, the end point of theguide groove 341 of themount 34 abuts against theguide post 331. When the image pickup device 4 needs to be rotated from the first direction to the second direction, themount 34 is rotated around theguide post 331 by theguide groove 341, theguide groove 341 is moved from a position where the start point contacts theguide post 331 to a position where the end point contacts theguide post 331 and stops moving, and the image pickup device 4 is rotated from the first direction to the second direction and stops rotating. Also, when the image pickup device 4 needs to be rotated from the second direction to the first direction, themount 34 is rotated around theguide post 331 by theguide groove 341, theguide groove 341 is moved from a position where the end point contacts theguide post 331 to a position where the start point contacts theguide post 331 and stops moving, and the image pickup device 4 is rotated from the second direction to the first direction and stops rotating. That is, the guide mechanism limits the rotation dead points of the mountingseat 34 in the first direction and the second direction, and when the mounting seat is at the two dead points, the image acquisition device 4 can face the first direction and the second direction respectively, so that the adjustment process of the rotation angle of the image acquisition device 4 is simplified, and the working efficiency of the transfer robot is improved.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the guiding mechanism may include a guiding post disposed on the mountingseat 34, and a guiding slot fixed on thesupport 33 and matched with the guiding post, and the shapes and the disposition positions of the guiding post and the guiding slot in this embodiment are identical to those of the guiding post and the guiding slot in the previous embodiment, except that the guiding slot is fixed on thesupport 33, the guiding post moves along the extending direction of the guiding slot, and the movement process of the guiding post along the guiding slot and the corresponding change process of the image capturing device 4 when the guiding post moves along the guiding slot are deduced by those skilled in the art with reference to the description in the previous embodiment, which will not be described in detail herein.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bracket has a connection frame extending in a height direction thereon, themount 34 is configured to be rotatably connected at a bottom to a top of the connection frame, and themount 34 is configured to be rotated in a horizontal direction with respect to thebracket 33. Referring to fig. 8 and 9, in another embodiment of the present disclosure, a bracket is provided with a link extending in a height direction, and a sidewall of themount 34 is rotatably coupled with a side portion of the link such that themount 34 is configured to rotate in a vertical plane with respect to thebracket 33. In both of the above modes, themount 34 and thebracket 33 are relatively rotated by the guide mechanism described above, and will not be described in detail here.

Referring to fig. 3 and 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, abracket 33 is in guided engagement with thebase 31 and is configured to move to a predetermined position relative to the base 31 when theretractable fork 32 is used to pick and place a container in the first direction or the second direction. For example, thesupport 33 may be coupled to thebase 31 by a moving assembly such that thesupport 33 may move relative to the extending direction of thebase 31, i.e., in the first direction or the second direction, to a predetermined position.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the moving assembly includes adriving device 332, ascrew 333 disposed along an extending direction of thebase 31 and connected to an output end of thedriving device 332, and anut 334 guiding and cooperating with thescrew 333, wherein a bottom of thebracket 33 is connected to thenut 334, and thedriving device 332 drives thenut 334 and thebracket 33 to move along the extending direction of the base 31 through thescrew 333. The predetermined position may be a position where the image capturing device 4 can clearly capture information of the container, and those skilled in the art know that the image capturing device is required to capture an image if the capturing distance meets the specification and the setting of the image capturing device, so when the positions of the containers are different, the distance between the image capturing device 4 and the container can be adjusted by adjusting the position of thebracket 33 on thebase 31, so that the image capturing device 4 can accurately capture information of the container, and the predetermined position can be set according to the actual situation.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, thestand 33 is configured such that when thetelescopic fork 32 takes and places a container in a first direction, thestand 33 moves to a predetermined position in the first direction with respect to thebase 31, thereby moving the image pickup device 4 to a pickup position corresponding to the container in the first direction. When thetelescopic fork 32 moves the container in the second direction, theholder 33 moves to a predetermined position in the second direction with respect to the base, and thereby the image pickup device 4 moves to the pickup position corresponding to the container in the second direction.

For example, in a normal case, thebracket 33 may be located at a central position in the extending direction of thebase 31, and before thetelescopic fork 32 picks up and places the container in the first direction, thebracket 33 moves along the base 31 in the first direction to drive the image capturing device 4 to move to the predetermined position a, so that a corresponding capturing distance is provided between the positions of the image capturing device 4 relative to the container; before thetelescopic fork 32 picks up and places the container in the second direction, thebracket 33 moves along the base 31 in the second direction to drive the image capturing device 4 to move to the predetermined position B, so that the image capturing device 4 has a corresponding capturing distance with respect to the position of the container. Of course, the initial movement position of thesupport 33 may be other than the central position, and when the container positions are different, the predetermined position a for collecting the first direction and the predetermined position B for collecting the second direction may be the same position or different positions.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, thetelescoping fork 32 is configured to move to the first position of the base 31 when the container is in the first deep position in the first direction. In the first position, the container in the first deep position in the first direction is located within the image acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, whereby the image acquisition accuracy of the container in the first deep position in the first direction can be ensured. Thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to move to the second position of the base 31 when the container is taken in and out in the second deep position in the first direction. In the second position, the container in the second deep position in the first direction is located within the image acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, whereby the image acquisition accuracy of the container in the second deep position in the first direction can be ensured. Thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to move to the third position of the base 31 when the container is taken in and out in the first deep position in the second direction. In the third position, the container in the first deep position in the second direction is located within the image acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, so that the image acquisition accuracy of the container in the first deep position in the second direction can be ensured. Thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to move to the fourth position of the base 31 when the container is taken in and out in the second deep position in the second direction. In the fourth position, the container in the second deep position in the second direction is located within the image acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, whereby the image acquisition accuracy of the container in the second deep position in the second direction can be ensured.

In the above embodiment, at least two of the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position are the same. For example, in the above embodiment, when thetelescopic fork 32 is used to take and put the container at the first depth in the first direction or the second depth in the second direction, the first position and the third position may be the same, and may be located at the middle position of the base 31 or a position adjacent to the middle of thebase 31. Of course, the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position may be the same position, so long as the image acquisition device 4 can ensure the image acquisition precision of different deep containers. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position may all be different.

In a specific application scenario of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 1 and 4, the first carrier 51 and thesecond carrier 52 may be configured to have at least two deep storage positions for storing containers, and thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to move to an intermediate position of the base 31 when the container is placed in the first deep position in the first direction or the second direction. For example, theholder 33 may be configured such that the distance from the container at the first deep position in the first direction and the distance from the container at the second deep position in the second direction are both within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4 when it is in the center position. For example, the image acquisition device is located in an intermediate position, and when it is oriented in the first direction, the distance between it and the container located in the first deep position in the direction is within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, whereby it can perform image acquisition of the container located in the first deep position in the first direction. Based on the same principle, when it is oriented in the second direction, the distance between it and the container located at the first deep position in the direction is within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, whereby it can perform image acquisition of the container located at the first deep position in the second direction.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, in addition to capturing containers of a first depth in a first direction and a first depth in a second direction at an intermediate position, the image capturing device 4 may also be moved with thecarriage 33 to other positions for capturing image information of containers of other depths in both directions. This is because the distance between the second upper container and the image pickup device 4 is greater than the distance between the first upper container and the image pickup device 4. Therefore, before the picking and placing mechanism picks and places the container on the second deep position, the position of the image acquisition device 4 can be adjusted, so that the distance between the container on the second deep position and the image acquisition device 4 is within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, and the acquisition precision of the image acquisition device 4 is ensured.

For example, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, when it is desired to take and place a container at a second deep position in the first direction, the image pickup device 4 may be moved from the center position of the base 31 to a predetermined position in the first direction, thereby shortening the distance between the image pickup device 4 and the container. The predetermined position may be an end position in the first direction of the base 31 or any other position, as long as the distance between the container in the second deep position after the movement and the image acquisition device 4 is ensured to be within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, thereby ensuring the accuracy of image information acquisition of the target container by the image acquisition device 4 and avoiding the influence on the control of the picking and placing mechanism due to larger error.

Based on the same principle, when the container in the second deep position in the second direction needs to be taken and placed, the image acquisition device 4 can be moved to a preset position from the central position of the base 31 to the second direction, and the preset position can be the end position in the second direction of the base 31 or any other position, so long as the distance between the container in the second deep position and the image acquisition device 4 after the movement is ensured to be within the acquisition range of the image acquisition device 4, thereby ensuring the accuracy of image information acquisition of the target container by the image acquisition device 4 and avoiding influencing the control of a taking and placing mechanism due to larger error

Referring to fig. 4, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, thecarriage 33 is configured to move between a first position in a first direction and a second position in a second direction, the first and second positions being respectively at opposite open ends of thebase 31, the first and second positions being two dead points of movement of thecarriage 33 along the extending direction of thebase 31. For example, as shown in fig. 4, astop portion 335 is disposed at the corresponding positions of two ends of thescrew 333, thebracket 33 and thenut 334 can only move between the twostop portions 335, when thebracket 33 is located at the first position, the movement in the first direction is blocked by thestop portion 335 located at one end of the first direction, when thebracket 33 is located at the second position, the movement in the second direction is blocked by the stop portion located at one end of the second direction, which plays a role in limiting the movement of thebracket 33, preventing thebracket 33 from moving too long in the first direction or the second direction and falling off from thebase 31.

When thecarriage 33 is in the first position, thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to take and place a container in a second deep position in the first direction. I.e. when thetelescopic fork 32 needs to take and place a container in a second deep position in the first direction, thecarriage 33 can be moved to the first position. This is because the first position is the farthest position where thesupport 33 can move in the first direction, and at this time, the distance between the image pickup device 4 on thesupport 33 and the container at the second deep position in the first direction is within the pickup range of the image pickup device 4, so that the information of the container at the second deep position in the first direction can be accurately picked up. The length of thebase 31 is substantially slightly greater than the dimension of the container in this direction, so that thetelescopic fork 32 can be configured to take and place the container in a first deep position in the second direction when thesupport 33 is in the first position. I.e. when thetelescopic fork 32 needs to take and place a container in a first deep position in the second direction, thecarriage 33 can be moved to the first position. This is because the first position is the farthest position where thesupport 33 can move in the first direction, and at this time, the distance between the image pickup device 4 on thesupport 33 and the container at the first depth in the second direction is within the pickup range of the image pickup device 4, so that the information of the container at the first depth in the second direction can be accurately picked up.

When thecarriage 33 is in the second position, thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to take and place a container in a first deep position in the first direction. I.e. when thetelescopic fork 32 needs to take and place a container in a first deep position in the second direction, thecarriage 33 can be moved to the second position. This is because the second position is the furthest position in which thecarriage 33 can move in the second direction. When thesupport 33 is located at the second position, the distance between the image acquisition device 4 and the container at the first depth in the first direction is sufficient, so that the information of the container at the first depth in the first direction can be accurately acquired.

When thecarriage 33 is in the second position, thetelescopic fork 32 is configured to take and place a container in a second deep position in the second direction. I.e. when thetelescopic fork 32 needs to take and place a container in a second deep position in a second direction, thecarriage 33 can be moved to the second position. This is because the second position is the furthest position in which thecarriage 33 can move in the second direction. When thebracket 33 is located at the second position, the distance between the image acquisition device 4 and the container at the second deep position in the second direction is satisfied, so that the information of the container at the second deep position in the second direction can be accurately acquired.

In the above embodiments, the motion of the image capturing device of the present disclosure is described in detail by taking two deep positions as examples. Based on the above disclosure, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that it can be applied to more deep movements, thereby improving the accuracy of image information acquisition for each deep container. In the transfer robot disclosed by the disclosure, the position between the image acquisition device and the container can be adjusted, so that the image acquisition device disclosed by the disclosure can accurately position the container at multiple deep positions, and the movement precision of the picking and placing mechanism during picking and placing is ensured. In addition, the orientation of the image acquisition device is adjusted, so that the image information acquisition of the container in two directions can be realized through one image acquisition device.

Referring to fig. 10, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a warehouse system is provided that includes a control server, a warehouse area, and a transfer robot described above, wherein the warehouse area includes a tunnel surrounded by adjacent first andsecond carriers 51, 52, the transfer robot is configured to walk in the tunnel based on a pick and place instruction issued by the control server, and transfer containers located on the first andsecond carriers 51, 52.

For example, when the control server issues a warehouse-out instruction according to an order, the transfer robot enters a tunnel through the chassis assembly 1 and moves a position corresponding to the container based on the warehouse-out instruction issued by the control server. The pick-and-place assembly 3 moves to a target height relative to themast assembly 2 based on the positional information of the target container contained in the delivery instruction. In this process, the image capturing device 4 rotates to the first carrier 51 or thesecond carrier 52 toward the container based on the direction information contained in the delivery instruction. After the pick-and-place assembly 3 reaches the target height, the image acquisition device 4 may acquire image information of the container located on the first carrier 51 or thesecond carrier 52, and the control unit calculates a deviation between the pick-and-place mechanism and the container based on the acquired image information, and controls the transfer robot or the pick-and-place mechanism to move to a suitable position to eliminate the deviation between the transfer robot and the container. Finally, the picking and placing mechanism stretches out towards the first direction or the second direction, and the container positioned on the first carrier 51 or thesecond carrier 52 is taken out to thebearing position 311.

The process of placing the container on the first carrier 51 or thesecond carrier 52 by the transfer robot of the present disclosure is similar to the process described in the above embodiment, and the disclosure will not be repeated here. The handling robot in this embodiment is identical to the handling robot in the above, and the operation thereof under the control of the control server has been described in detail in the above, and will not be described in detail here.

Referring to fig. 11, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method of a transfer robot, which is the transfer robot described above, the control method including:

the transfer robot walks to a preset position based on the fetching and placing instruction issued by the control server. The predetermined location may be a storage location of the container recorded in the server, and the storage location may include a carrier location where the container is stored, and a horizontal location, a height location, and deep information where the container is located on the carrier.

The pick-and-place assembly moves to a target height relative to the mast assembly based on the pick-and-place instruction. When the transfer robot walks to a preset position based on the picking and placing instruction issued by the control server, the picking and placing assembly ascends or descends to the preset position along the portal assembly based on the target height of the target container contained in the picking and placing instruction.

The picking and placing mechanism in the picking and placing assembly moves to the first direction or the second direction based on the picking and placing instruction so as to pick and place the container positioned in the first direction or the second direction. Before the picking and placing mechanism moves in the first direction or the second direction, the image acquisition equipment faces the first direction or the second direction based on the picking and placing instruction. I.e. if the container is on a first carrier in a first direction, it is necessary to control the image acquisition device to face in the first direction before the pick-and-place mechanism is extended in the first direction. For example, when the current image capturing device faces the second direction, it is necessary to control the image capturing device to rotate to face the first direction so as to collect the image information of the target position.

The control method for the transfer robot in this embodiment and the specific movement process in the actual application scenario of the transfer robot have been described in detail above, and the description thereof will not be repeated here.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control method of a transfer robot includes:

the image acquisition device is configured to rotate to a direction of a target position during or prior to movement of the pick-and-place assembly relative to the mast assembly. For example, the transfer robot moves to the corresponding position of the container through the chassis assembly according to the picking and placing instruction, before the picking and placing assembly moves relative to the portal assembly, the image acquisition device can rotate to the direction facing the target position in advance, so that the picking and placing assembly can conveniently move to the height corresponding to the target position, and then the image acquisition of the target position can be directly started. Or the transfer robot moves to the corresponding position of the container through the chassis assembly according to the picking and placing instruction, and the image acquisition device can simultaneously rotate to the direction facing the target position in the process of moving the picking and placing assembly relative to the portal assembly. Therefore, the occupied time for waiting for the rotation of the image acquisition device is omitted, the time for taking and placing the container is shortened, and the working efficiency of the transfer robot is improved.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the various embodiments described. The terminology used herein was chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or the technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. A transfer robot, comprising:

a chassis assembly (1);

a mast assembly (2), the mast assembly (2) being arranged on the chassis assembly (1);

-a pick-and-place assembly (3), the pick-and-place assembly (3) being arranged on the mast assembly (2) and being configured to move in a height direction along the mast assembly (2); the picking and placing assembly (3) comprises a picking and placing mechanism, wherein the picking and placing mechanism is configured to extend towards a first direction so as to finish picking and placing the container in the first direction; and configured to extend in a second direction opposite the first direction to complete the removal and placement of the container in the second direction;

An image acquisition device (4), wherein the image acquisition device (4) is configured to rotate to face the first direction to acquire information of the container in the first direction when the container in the first direction is taken and put by the taking and putting assembly (3); and is configured to rotate to face the second direction to collect information of the container in the second direction when the pick-and-place assembly (3) picks and places the container in the second direction.

2. The transfer robot according to claim 1, wherein the pick-and-place mechanism includes:

the base (31), the base (31) is provided with bearing positions (311) penetrating through two opposite ends of the base;

at least one stage of telescopic fork (32), wherein the telescopic fork (32) is in guide fit with the base (31) and is configured to extend from the base (31) to a first direction so as to finish taking and placing the container in the first direction; and is configured to extend from the base (31) in a second direction to complete the removal and placement of the container in the second direction.

3. The transfer robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the image acquisition device (4) is rotatably connected to the base (31) and is configured to rotate to face in a first direction or a second direction.

4. Transfer robot according to claim 2, characterized in that a support (33) is provided on the base (31), the image acquisition device (4) being rotatably connected to the support (33) in a position above the load-bearing position (311).

5. The transfer robot according to claim 4, characterized in that the image acquisition device (4) is configured to be rotatably connected to the support (33) by means of a mount (34); a guide mechanism is provided between the bracket (33) and the mount (34) at a position offset from the rotational axis of the mount (34), and the mount (34) is configured to rotate to a first direction and a second direction relative to the bracket (33) along the extending direction of the guide mechanism.

6. The transfer robot according to claim 5, characterized in that the guiding mechanism comprises a guiding groove (341) provided on a mounting seat (34), and a guiding column (331) fixed on a bracket (33) and cooperating with the guiding groove (341); alternatively, the guide mechanism comprises a guide post arranged on the mounting seat (34) and a guide groove fixed on the bracket (33) and matched with the guide post (331).

7. The transfer robot according to claim 4, characterized in that the bracket (33) is in guiding engagement with the base (31) and is configured to move to a predetermined position with respect to the base (31) when the telescopic fork (32) is used for picking and placing a container in the first direction or in the second direction.

8. The transfer robot according to claim 7, wherein the bracket (33) is configured to move to a predetermined position in the first direction with respect to the base (31) when the telescopic fork (32) takes and puts the container in the first direction; and when the telescopic fork (32) is used for taking and placing the container in the second direction, the container moves to a preset position in the second direction relative to the base (31).

9. The transfer robot according to claim 8, wherein,

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a first position of the base (31) when the container is taken and placed in a first deep position in a first direction;

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a second position of the base (31) when the container is taken and put in a second deep position in the first direction;

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a third position of the base (31) when the container is taken and placed in the first deep position in the second direction;

the telescopic fork is configured to move to a fourth position of the base (31) when the container is taken and placed in a second deep position in the first direction.

10. The transfer robot of claim 9, wherein at least two of the first, second, third, and fourth positions are identical; or, the first position, the second position, the third position and the fourth position are all different.

11. The transfer robot according to claim 7, characterized in that the carriage (33) is configured to move between a first position in a first direction and a second position in a second direction, the first and second positions being located at opposite open end positions of the base (31), respectively;

The telescopic fork (32) is configured to take and place a container at a second depth in a first direction or at a first depth in a second direction when the bracket (33) is in a first position;

the telescopic fork (32) is configured to take and place a container in a first deep position in a first direction or in a second deep position in a second direction when the bracket (33) is in the second position.

12. The transfer robot according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the pick-and-place assembly (3) is arranged on one side of the mast assembly (2), the extension direction of the pick-and-place mechanism being configured to be perpendicular to the travelling direction of the transfer robot.

13. A warehousing system, comprising: control server, storage area, transfer robot according to any of claims 1 to 12; the storage area comprises a roadway surrounded by adjacent first carriers (51) and second carriers (52); the transfer robot is configured to walk into a roadway based on a pick-and-place instruction below the control server and transfer containers located on a first carrier (51) and/or a second carrier (52).

Images