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EP-4186822-B1 - SHUTTLE VEHICLE

EP4186822B1EP 4186822 B1EP4186822 B1EP 4186822B1EP-4186822-B1

Inventors

  • CHEN, Xiaochong
  • ZHANG, QIANG
  • YU, Zongjing
  • SONG, Guoku

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20211022

Claims (13)

  1. A shuttle vehicle (20), comprising: a vehicle body (100), a traveling apparatus (200) and a box conveying and pickup apparatus (300), wherein, two horizontal support plates (110) provided in parallel and spaced apart are fixed on the vehicle body (100), the two horizontal support plates (110) are located on a same horizontal plane, a gap formed between the two horizontal support plates (110) is perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle body (100), and the two horizontal support plates (110) are configured to carry a material box (30); the traveling apparatus (200) is fixedly connected to the vehicle body (100) and is used for driving the vehicle body (100) to move along a rail (10); the box conveying and pickup apparatus (300) comprises a chain assembly (310) and a fork (320), the chain assembly (310) is provided below the horizontal support plates (110), and the chain assembly (310) comprises a chain (311), a sprocket group (312), and a chain driving apparatus (350); the chain (311) is wound around the sprocket group (312); the chain driving apparatus (350) is connected to the sprocket group (312) and is used for driving the chain (311) to move in a vertical plane perpendicular to the traveling direction; a first end (321) of the fork (320) is fixedly connected to the chain (311), and a second end of the fork (320) extends outwards in a normal direction of the chain (311); a bent portion (322) bending upwards is formed at the second end, and the bent portion (322) is used for contacting with an inner wall of a groove (31) at a bottom of the material box (30), so as to push the material box (30) to move along with the fork (320); when the shuttle vehicle (20) moves to a preset position, the chain (311) is configured to drive the fork (320) to move, so that the bent portion (322) gets into the groove (31) at the bottom of the material box (30), and the chain (311) is configured to drive the fork (320) in the gap to push the material box (30) along a direction parallel to the gap, so that the material box (30) is moved from a shelf to the horizontal support plates (110) or the material box (30) is moved away from the horizontal support plates (110).
  2. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein the sprocket group (312) comprises a driving sprocket (3120) and a driven sprocket (3121), the driving sprocket (3120) and the driven sprocket (3121) are rotatably provided below the horizontal support plates (110), a rotating shaft of the driving sprocket (3120) and a rotating shaft of the driven sprocket (3121) are parallel to the traveling direction, and a highest point of the driving sprocket (3120) in a vertical direction and a highest point of the driven sprocket (3121) in the vertical direction are located on a same horizontal plane, so that a part of the chain (311) between the highest point of the driving sprocket (3120) and the highest point of the driven sprocket (3121) is a straight line parallel to the gap; when the fork (320) is located in the straight-line part of the chain (311), the second end is located in the gap, and a tail end of the bent portion (322) is higher than the horizontal support plates (110).
  3. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle body (100) further comprises a chain support plate (313) horizontally provided below the straight-line part of the chain (311), and a length direction of the chain support plate (313) is parallel to the straight-line part of the chain (311).
  4. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 2, wherein the box conveying and pickup apparatus (300) comprises two chain assemblies (310), the two chain assemblies (310) are oppositely arranged on two sides of the gap, projections of the two chain assemblies (310) on the horizontal plane are aligned, and the two chain assemblies (310) are separated by a preset distance in the vertical direction, when the two chain assemblies (310) move synchronously, the two chain assemblies (310) remain relatively static; and the first end (321) of the fork (320) comprises a vertical plate perpendicular to the gap, two side surfaces of the vertical plate facing the two chain assemblies (310) are respectively rotatably connected to side walls of the chains (311) of the two chain assemblies (310), and connection positions of the vertical plate to the two chain assemblies (310) are separated by the preset distance in the vertical direction, so that when the fork (320) moves with the two chain assemblies (310), a pose of the fork (320) remains unchanged.
  5. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 4, wherein the box conveying and pickup apparatus (300) further comprises a synchronous shaft (330) and two synchronous belt assemblies (340), a rotating shaft of the synchronous shaft (330) is parallel to the rotating shaft of the driving sprocket (3120), an end of the synchronous shaft (330) is connected to the chain driving apparatus (350), and the synchronous shaft (330) is simultaneously connected to the two chain assemblies (310) through the two synchronous belt assemblies (340), so as to drive the chains (311) of the two chain assemblies (310) to rotate synchronously; each of the synchronous belt assemblies (340) comprises a driving pulley (341), a driven pulley (342) and a synchronous belt (343), the driving pulley (341) is fixedly connected to the synchronous shaft (330), and a rotating shaft of the driving pulley (341) coincides with the rotating shaft of the synchronous shaft (330); the driven pulley (342) is fixedly connected to a side surface of the driving sprocket (3120), and a rotating shaft of the driven pulley (342) coincides with the rotating shaft of the driving sprocket (3120); and the synchronous belt (343) is wound around the driving pulley (341) and the driven pulley (342).
  6. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein the box conveying and pickup apparatus (300) comprises two forks (320) arranged opposite to each other, and a chain length between the two forks (320) is not less than a length of the material box (30).
  7. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body further comprises a material box limiting plate (120), the material box limiting plate (120) is fixedly arranged on a side of a horizontal support plate (110) away from the gap, a length direction of the material box limiting plate (120) is parallel to the gap, and an upper surface of the material box limiting plate (120) is higher than an upper surface of the horizontal support plate (110).
  8. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein a limiting wheel group is fixedly arranged on a side surface of a bottom of the vehicle body (100), the limiting wheel group comprises at least two limiting wheels (210), and rotating shafts of the limiting wheels (210) are in the vertical direction; when the shuttle vehicle (20) moves along the rail (10), the two limiting wheels (210) are respectively situated on two sides of an inner wall of the rail (10), and outer peripheral surfaces of the two limiting wheels (210) are in rolling contact with the inner wall of the rail (10).
  9. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein the chain (311) is a double row chain.
  10. The shuttle vehicle (20) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle body (100) further comprises an electric collector, and the electric collector is bonded to a collector wire of the rail (10).
  11. A warehousing system, comprising a rail (10), a material box (30), a shelf (40), and the shuttle vehicle (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the rail (10) is arranged on a side of the shelf (40), and an extending direction of the rail (10) is parallel to a horizontal arrangement direction of openings of the shelf (40); the material box (30) is stored in the opening of the shelf (40), and the shuttle vehicle (20) moves along the rail (10) to put the material box (30) into the opening or move the material box (30) from the opening to the shuttle vehicle (20) through the box conveying and pickup apparatus (300).
  12. The warehousing system according to claim 11, wherein two ends of a bottom surface of the material box (30) are respectively depressed upwards to form grooves (31).
  13. The warehousing system according to claim 11, wherein the shelf (40) comprises a plurality of openings arranged in a straight line, an end of a bottom surface of each opening is provided with a notch (41), when the material box (30) is placed in the opening, a projection of a groove (31) of the bottom surface of the material box (30) onto the bottom surface of the opening is located in the notch (41).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of intelligent warehousing, in particular to the field of warehousing machinery, and more particularly, to a shuttle vehicle. BACKGROUND At present, due to increasing demands on warehouse storage capacity, as well as increasing demands on picking, conveying and frequency of entering and leaving warehouse, shelf shuttle vehicles are used more and more widely in the field of intelligent warehousing. A shuttle vehicle travels on a rail of a three-dimensional shelve, to transport a material box in a storage space of the shelf onto the shuttle vehicle, or transport the material box onto the storage space. In the related art, a box conveying and pickup apparatus of the shuttle vehicle usually uses telescopic forks to move the material box. Chinese patent application publication No. CN 103895999 A provides a shuttle comprising a frame, a travelling mechanism fixed on the frame, and a traction mechanism disposed on the frame; the traction mechanism comprises an actuator arranged above the frame and a drive mechanism which drives the actuator to operate; the actuator comprises a first sprocket, a second sprocket, a first chain, and traction pins, where the traction pins are fixed on the first chain. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a shuttle vehicle. According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a shuttle vehicle is provided, and the shuttle vehicle a vehicle body, a traveling apparatus and a box conveying and pickup apparatus, where, two horizontal support plates provided in parallel and spaced apart are fixed on the vehicle body, the two horizontal support plates are located on a same horizontal plane, a gap formed between the two horizontal support plates is perpendicular to a traveling direction of the vehicle body, and the two horizontal support plates are configured to carry a material box; the traveling apparatus is fixedly connected to the vehicle body and is used for driving the vehicle body to move along a rail; the box conveying and pickup apparatus includes a chain assembly and a fork, the chain assembly is provided below the horizontal support plates, and the chain assembly each include a chain, a sprocket group and a chain driving apparatus; the chain is wound around the sprocket group; the chain driving apparatus is connected to the sprocket group and is used for driving the chain to move in a vertical plane perpendicular to the traveling direction; a first end of the fork is fixedly connected to the chain, and a second end of the fork extends outwards in a normal direction of the chain; a bent portion bending upwards is formed at the second end, and the bent portion is used for contacting with an inner wall of a groove on a bottom surface of the material box, so as to push the material box to move along with the fork; when the shuttle vehicle moves to a preset position, the chain is configured to drive the fork to move, so that the bent portion gets into the groove on the bottom surface of the material box, and the chain is configured to drive the fork, in the gap, to push the material box along a direction parallel to the gap, so that the material box is moved from a shelf to the horizontal support plates or the material box is moved away from the horizontal support plates. In some embodiments, the sprocket group includes a driving sprocket and a driven sprocket, the driving sprocket and the driven sprocket are rotatably provided below the horizontal support plates, a rotating shaft of the driving sprocket and a rotating shaft of the driven sprocket are parallel to the traveling direction, and a highest point of the driving sprocket in a vertical direction and a highest point of the driven sprocket in the vertical direction are located on a same horizontal plane, so that a part of the chain between the highest point of the driving sprocket and the highest point of the driven sprocket is a straight line parallel to the gap; when the fork is located in the straight-line part of the chain, the second end is located in the gap, and a tail end of the bent portion is higher than the horizontal support plates. In some embodiments, the vehicle body further includes a chain support plate horizontally provided below the straight-line part of the chain, and a length direction of the chain support plate is parallel to the straight-line part of the chain. In some embodiments, the box conveying and pickup apparatus includes two chain assemblies, the two chain assemblies are oppositely arranged on two sides of the gap, projections of the two chain assemblies on the horizontal plane are aligned, and the two chain assemblies are separated by a preset distance in the vertical direction, when the two chain assemblies move synchronously, the two chain assemblies remain relatively static; and the first end of the fork includes a vertical plate perpendicular to the gap, two side surfaces of the vertical plate facing to