System, method, and apparatus for transporting goods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11407591-B2
Application number	US-201816771599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Aug 9, 2022
Grant date	Aug 9, 2022

Abstract

A goods transport system, and a goods transport method and apparatus using the transport system. The system is used for implementing goods transport with a storing shelf (11); the storing shelf (11) comprises a plurality of shelf layers, each shelf layer comprising a goods buffer area and a plurality of goods storage areas; an input transport track (12), used for transporting goods to the storing shelf, the input transport track comprising an input main transport track (121) and a plurality of input sub-transport tracks (122); each input sub-transport track (122) corresponds to one of the shelf layers of the storing shelf, one end of any one of the input sub-transport tracks (122) being connected to the goods buffer area of a shelf layer of the storing shelf, and the other end being connected to the input main transport track (121); and a shuttle trolley (13), used for transporting goods between the goods buffer area and the goods storage areas of a shelf layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for transporting goods, the system being used for implementing goods transport with a storage rack; the storage rack comprising a plurality of shelf layers, and each shelf layer comprising a goods buffer area and a plurality of goods storage areas;
wherein the system comprises:
an input transport track, used for transporting goods to the storage rack, the input transport track comprising an input transport main track and a plurality of input transport sub-tracks; each input transport sub-track corresponding to one of the shelf layers of the storage rack, one end of any one of the input transport sub-tracks being connected to a goods buffer area of a shelf layer of the storage rack, and the other end being connected to the input transport main track; and
a shuttle trolley, used for transporting the goods between the goods buffer area and goods storage areas of the shelf layer,
wherein the system further comprises an output transport track, configured to output the goods from the storage rack, wherein the output transport track comprises an output transport main track and a plurality of output transport sub-tracks; and each output transport sub-track corresponds to one of the shelf layers of the storage rack, one end of any one of the output transport sub-tracks is connected to one of the shelf layers of the storage rack, and the other end is connected to the output transport main track;
the shuttle trolley travels in a track provided between storage rack layers of a same height of two adjacent storage racks; and
the input transport track and the output transport track are connected to a same storage rack, and the input transport track is disposed at an end of a line segment formed by a traveling track of the shuttle trolley and the output transport track is disposed at the other end of the line segment formed by the traveling track of the shuttle trolley.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises:
a server, configured to determine a storage location corresponding to a piece of goods, and control the input transport track and the shuttle trolley to transport the piece of goods to a corresponding storage location of the piece of goods, wherein the storage location comprises a shelf layer and a goods storage area.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the piece of goods is attached with a label for identifying an identity of the piece of goods and a storage location of the piece of goods;
a second label scanner is provided at a connection point between an input transport sub-track and the input transport main track; and
the second label scanner is configured to scan the label of the piece of goods moving on the input transport main track, and send the scanned label to the server, so that the server determines whether to transport the piece of goods to said input transport sub-track according to the scanned label.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein a shunting apparatus is provided at the connection point between any one input transport sub-track and the input transport main track; and
the shunting apparatus is configured to shunt the piece of goods moving on the input transport main track to the input transport sub-track corresponding to the piece of goods.

5. The system according to claim 2 , wherein a third label scanner is provided in a goods buffer are a of a shelf layer; the third label scanner is configured to scan a label of a piece of goods transported from the input transport sub-track to the goods buffer area of the shelf layer, and send an identity of the piece of goods and a storage location indicated by the scanned label to the server, so that the server dispatches a shuttle trolley corresponding to the shelf layer to transport the piece of goods from the goods buffer area of the shelf layer to the goods storage area corresponding to the piece of goods according to the scanned label.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a piece of the goods is attached with a label, the label is used to identify an identity of the piece of goods and a shelf layer and a goods storage area specified in advance and corresponding to the piece of goods;
a first label scanner is provided at a connection point between an input transport sub-track and the input transport main track; and
the first label scanner is configured to scan and recognize the label of the piece of goods moving on the input transport main track, and determine an input transport sub-track corresponding to the piece of goods according to a result of the recognition on the label.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein a shunting apparatus is provided at the connection point between any one input transport sub-track and the input transport main track; and
the shunting apparatus is configured to shunt the piece of goods moving on the input transport main track to the input transport sub-track corresponding to the piece of goods.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the input transport main track and the output transport main track comprise a plurality of end-to-end transport segments;
a transport segment comprise a first transport sub-segment and a second transport sub-segment connected to each other, the first transport sub-segment is parallel to a horizontal plane, and the second transport sub-segment is at a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane;
a first transport sub-segment of any one of the transport segments is connected to at least one input transport sub-track, or is connected to at least one output transport sub-track; and
a first transport sub-segment of one of any two adjacent transport segments is connected to a second transport sub-segment of another transport segment of the two adjacent transport segments.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the shuttle trolley travels in a track provided between storage rack layers of a same height of two adjacent storage racks; and
the input transport track and the output transport track are respectively connected to one of the two adjacent storage racks in one-to-one correspondence, and the input transport track and the output transport track are disposed at a same end of a line segment formed by a traveling track of the shuttle trolley.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the shuttle trolley is a two-station shuttle trolley, and each station accommodates at least one piece of goods at the same time.

11. A method for transporting goods, the method comprising:
receiving a label of a piece of goods moving on the input transport main track scanned by a second label scanner provided at a connection point between an input transport sub-track and an input transport main track of an input transport track; the input transport track comprising the input transport main track and a plurality of input transport sub-tracks, each input transport sub-track corresponding to one shelf layer of a multi-layer storage rack, one end of any one of the input transport sub-tracks being connected to a goods buffer area of a shelf layer of the storage rack, and another end being connected to the input transport main track;
determining, based on the label, whether a storage shelf layer corresponding to the piece of goods corresponds to the input transport sub-track;
in response to determining that the storage shelf layer of the piece of goods corresponds to the input transport sub-track, sending an instruction to a shunting apparatus provided at the connection point between the input transport sub-track and the input transport main track, to cause the shunting apparatus to shunt the piece of goods to the input transport sub-track; and
in response to receiving a label of the piec

Assignees

• Beijing Jingdong Zhenshi Information Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Genyun
• Wu Kaixuan

Classifications

• B65G1/1375 Primary

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title

• B65G47/49

  without bodily contact between article or load carrier and automatic control device {, e.g. the destination marks being electrically or electronically detected} · CPC title

• B65G1/065 Primary

  with self propelled cars · CPC title

• B65G1/0485

  Check-in, check-out devices · CPC title