Patent Publication Number: US-2021179364-A1

Title: Movable Dense Storage and Picking Device, Modular Warehouse System and  Method for Assembling The Same

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention relates to logistics warehouse technologies and, in particular, to a movable dense storage and picking device, a modular warehouse system and a method for assembling the modular warehouse system, as well as a bin gripping mechanism. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Existing logistics warehouses or storehouses need to use a large amount of racks. Many of the existing racks are mobile racks equipped with rollers. The mobile racks are arranged on tracks, and are driven by a driving device to move forward and backward on the tracks to transport goods. In order to improve efficiency, the racks are usually arranged in multiple tiers, and goods are placed on each tier. Due to the goods carried on the racks, moving the racks consumes a lot of electric energy. In addition, for sorting, loading, unloading and other actions of one certain rack, the entire rack system needs to be activated and moved as a whole, which consumes a lot of energy and especially leads to high ineffective power consumption and low power utilization rate. Each mobile rack often weighs hundreds of kilograms. Therefore, when the mobile racks move as a whole, the loss caused by collision with each other is relatively large, and it has high level requirements for the tracks and a braking system. In the existing rack circulation movement system, steering design of common racks is a track loop design, that is, turning radius of the track is very large, and the rack performs a steering cycle on the turning track. In one of various current designs for the switching of the rack tracks, a lateral moving device is adopted, that is, lateral moving tracks are designed at both ends of the track, and a rack transfer device is designated to the lateral moving track, and the rack can be transferred to another track by using the transfer device. The rack has a large weight as a multi-tier structure, which leads to lots of power consumption when being transferred to the transfer device. This structure has high requirements on the load-bearing strength, impact resistance strength and power of the transfer device. For example, Chinese patent application No. 201610955227.0, titled automatic dense warehouse device, and published on Feb. 8, 2017, discloses a warehouse system in which racks are placed on tracks. This kind of rack warehouse system is suitable for a situation where stacks of goods are not high. However, for a situation of higher layer, because the stacking is too high, it may be unsafe during the movement, and the energy loss for ineffective handling is too large. 
     Moreover, the rack system discussed above cannot be applied to a movable vending system, such as a small vending truck that is temporarily used in an exhibition. The existing small vending trucks are generally operated manually, and automatic storage systems are rarely used. 
     In addition, on-site installation of the existing automatic warehouse is complicated and has high technical requirements. Also, once installed, it is not easy to expand or reduce capacity, and it is thus difficult to meet a rapidly changing market demand. 
     SUMMARY 
     The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a movable dense storage and picking device, a modular warehouse system and its assembly method, which adopt completely new automatic warehouse system, such that the movable dense storage and picking device can also employ the automatic warehouse system. 
     Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a modular warehouse system which is capable of convenient on-site installation and flexible storage capacity adjustment with low cost, which can save time for infrastructure construction, and can realize rapid and mobile deployment of automated warehouses 
     In one aspect, a movable dense storage and picking device is provided, which includes a skid-mounted outer cabin having a storage area and defining an outbound end; a plurality of bins located in the storage area for containing goods; an outbound platform located at the outbound end of the skid-mounted outer cabin; a track assembly installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin and located above the bins; and a bin gripping robot slidably installed on the track assembly and located above the bins, for transporting the bin containing ordered goods from the storage area to the outbound platform. 
     In another aspect, a modular warehouse system is provided, which includes a plurality of storage containers combined to form a combined storage area, which is provided with a track assembly, a bin gripping robot located on the track assembly, and a plurality of bins located below the bin gripping robot for storing goods, wherein the bin gripping robot is capable of running back and forth on the track assembly to access the bins; at least one track-switching container, an internal space of which is in communication with the internal space of at least one of the plurality of storage containers, wherein the track-switching container is provided with a track-switching device therein, and the track-track-switching device is configured to switch the bin gripping robot in at least one of the storage containers from a current running track where the bin gripping robot is located to a target running track; and at least one outbound-inbound container, an internal space of which is in communication with the internal space of the track-switching container, wherein the track-switching container is provided with an outbound-inbound device for performing goods outbound-inbound operations. 
     In another aspect, an assembly method of a modular warehouse system is provided, which includes: combining a plurality of storage containers to form a combined storage area, with each storage container defining a length direction and a width direction, wherein the combined storage containers comprise one or more layers of storage containers, such that each layer comprises a plurality of storage containers arranged in parallel and combined in the width direction, and wherein the combined storage area is provided with a track for running the bin gripping robot, wherein the track has been installed in the plurality of storage containers before the plurality of storage containers are combined; installing the track-switching container to at least one end of the plurality of storage containers in each layer of storage containers in the length direction, such that the space of the track-switching container is communicated with the space of the storage containers in the same layer, and the transition track of the track-switching container is perpendicular to the track of the storage container in the same layer, wherein the transition track is configured for running the track-switching robot thereon back and forth, and wherein the transition track of the track-switching container has been fixed to the track-switching container before the track-switching container is installed to the end of the plurality of storage containers. 
     In another aspect, a bin gripping mechanism for gripping a bin is provided, which includes a liftable gripper platform and a gripper mounted on the gripper platform for gripping a frame of the bin. The bin gripping mechanism further includes an alignment mechanism, which comprises a plurality of alignment members arranged at corners of the gripper platform, wherein each alignment member comprises a vertical extension extending vertically downward and an alignment slope extending downward and outward from a bottom end of the vertical extension, wherein when the gripping mechanism grips the bin, all of the vertical extensions abut against outer surface of the frame and all of the alignment slopes are located below the bottom of the gripping bin, and wherein the alignment slope is configured to be in sliding contact with an upper edge of the frame of a low second low bin if the gripped bin is offset with the second bin in the vertical direction. 
     In still another aspect, a modular warehouse system is provided, which includes a plurality of storage containers combined to form a combined storage area, which is provided with a track assembly, a bin gripping robot located on the track assembly, and a plurality of bins located below the bin gripping robot for storing goods, wherein the bin gripping robot is capable of running back and forth on the track assembly to access the bins, and the track assembly is fixed on a plate of the storage container; and at least one outbound-inbound container, which is equipped with an outbound-inbound device for performing goods outbound-inbound operations, wherein an internal space of the outbound-inbound container is communicated with an internal space of the combined storage area, such that the bin gripping robot can transport goods between the combined storage area and the outbound-inbound device. 
     Advantages of the various solutions disclosed in the present application are as follows. 
     The present invention provides a movable dense storage and picking device, which includes: a skid-mounted outer cabin, a plurality of bins, an outbound platform, a track assembly, and a bin gripping robot and a picking robot. The skid-mounted outer cabin has a storage area and defines an outbound end therein. The plurality of bins is located in the storage area for accommodating goods. The outbound platform is located at an outbound end of the skid-mounted outer cabin. The track assembly is installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin and located above the bins. The bin gripping robot is slidably installed on the track assembly and located above the bins, for transporting the bin containing ordered goods from the storage area to the outbound platform. The picking robot is located within the skid-mounted outer cabin and is arranged adjacent to the outbound platform, for picking ordered goods from the bins located on the outbound platform. The movable dense storage and picking device may be realized as an automatic vending truck or an exhibition truck, which adopts a skid-mounted outer cabin such that most of the components are installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin, thereby realizing the movable function of the entire storage system. In addition, it is possible to achieve a precise alignment in a vertical direction by providing an alignment mechanism for a gripping mechanism of the bin gripping robot, and there is no need to provide a high-cost position detection mechanism on the bin gripping robot, thereby effectively reducing costs. Moreover, the slidable design of the picking robot can improve the picking operation without lengthening the manipulator. 
     In another aspect, the present invention provides a modular warehouse system which includes one or more of a storage container, a track-switching container and an outbound-inbound container. The modular warehouse system is capable of convenient on-site installation and flexible storage capacity adjustment with low cost, which can save time for infrastructure construction, and can realize rapid and mobile deployment of automated warehouses. 
     In still another aspect, the present invention provides an assembly method of the above described modular warehouse system. By providing standardized and modular storage containers and track-switching containers, the standardized storage containers and track-switching containers may be stacked and combined according to a set manner, and the container bodies of the standardized storage containers and track-switching containers are respectively formed with detachable side plates, such that, during stacking and combining the storage container and track-switching container, the containers may be connected to form an integrated modular warehouse system with internal spaces of the containers in communication with each other after detaching their adjacent side plates, thus realizing rapid and mobile deployment of automated warehouses. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of an embodiment of a movable dense storage and picking device. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective schematic view of a skid-mounted outer cabin of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective schematic view of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 1  with the skid-mounted outer cabin removed. 
         FIG. 4  is a side schematic view of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a simplified schematic diagram showing an arrangement of bins. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective schematic view of a bin. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective schematic view of the bin viewed from another angle. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective schematic view of an embodiment of an outbound platform. 
         FIG. 9  is a partial schematic view of a track unit of a track assembly. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective schematic view of a bin gripping robot of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective schematic view of a gripping mechanism of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective schematic view of an alignment member of the gripping mechanism of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 13  is a partial perspective schematic view of the alignment member of the gripping mechanism of  FIG. 11 . 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective schematic view of a picking robot of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 15  is a perspective schematic view of the picking robot of  FIG. 14  with a fixing base removed. 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective schematic view of the fixing base of the picking robot of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 17  is a top schematic view of a modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 18  is a side schematic view of the modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective schematic view of an embodiment of the modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 20  is a partial enlarged view of the modular warehouse system, which shows a track-switching robot, a docking track and a transition track. 
         FIG. 21  is a perspective schematic view of another embodiment of a modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective schematic view of further embodiment of a modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 23  is a flowchart of an embodiment of an assembly method of a modular warehouse system. 
         FIG. 24  is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an assembly method of the modular warehouse system, in which a side plate of a container body can be unfolded relative to a top plate. 
         FIG. 25  is a schematic view of another embodiment of an assembly method of the modular warehouse system, in which side plates on two opposite sides of a container body can be unfolded relative to a top plate. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Before describing embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the detailed structure or arrangement of elements described below or illustrated in the drawings in this application. The present invention may be embodied in other ways. Moreover, it should be understood that the wordings and terms used herein are only for descriptive purposes and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. The wordings “comprise”, “include”, “have” and other similar words used herein mean to include items listed thereafter, their equivalents and other additional items. In particular, when using “a”, “an” or “the” for describing an element, the present invention does not limit the number of the element to one, and multiple elements may also be included. 
     The present application discloses a movable dense storage and picking device. The movable dense storage and picking device includes a skid-mounted outer cabin, a plurality of bins, an outbound platform, a track assembly, a bin gripping robot, and a picking robot. The skid-mounted outer cabin has a storage area and defines an outbound end. The plurality of bins is located in the storage area, and each bin is used for accommodating goods. The outbound platform is located at the outbound end of the skid-mounted outer cabin. The track assembly is installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin and located above the bins. The bin gripping robot is slidably installed on the track assembly and above the bins to transport the bin containing the ordered goods from the storage area to the outbound platform. The picking robot is located within the skid-mounted outer cabin and is arranged adjacent to the outbound platform to pick the ordered goods from the bin located on the outbound platform. The movable dense storage and picking device may be implemented as an automatic retail vehicle or an exhibition vehicle, which adopts a skid-mounted outer cabin with most of the components installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin, thereby realizing the movable function of the entire warehouse system. 
     The following describes embodiments of components of the above-mentioned movable dense storage and picking device with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a movable dense storage and picking device in an assembled state.  FIG. 2  is a perspective schematic view of a skid-mounted outer cabin of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective schematic view of the movable dense storage and picking device of  FIG. 1 , with the skid-mounted outer cabin removed to expose internal structures of the movable dense storage and picking device.  FIG. 4  is a side schematic view of  FIG. 3  showing a general arrangement of internal components of the movable dense storage and picking device. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , the movable dense storage and picking device includes a skid-mounted outer cabin  10 , and a plurality of bins  12 , an outbound platform  14 , a track assembly  16 , and a bin gripping robot  18 , and a picking robot  20  that are accommodated in the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the illustrated skid-mounted outer cabin  10  adopts a container design and includes a top wall  22 , a bottom wall  24  and two side walls  26 . In this embodiment, the skid-mounted outer cabin  10  defines a storage area  28  therein that has open front and rear ends, with one end (the rear end) defined as an inbound end  30  and the other end (the front end) defined as an outbound end  32 . The inbound end  30  is used for inbound operations of goods. Specifically, in this embodiment, the bins containing goods are added to the storage area  28  from the inbound end  30 ; for example, when a warehouse is built for the first time, the bins containing goods are transported to the storage area  28 , or when some of the bins in the storage area  28  are empty, the bins containing goods are added from the inbound end  30  for replacing the empty bins in the storage area  28 . The outbound end  32  is used for outbound operations of goods. Specifically, in this embodiment, after a user orders goods located in the storage area  28  (hereinafter referred to as “ordered goods”), the bin  12  containing the ordered goods is transported to the outbound end  32  where the ordered goods is picked out from this bin  12  so that the user can pick it up. When the picking operation is completed, this bin  12  is transported back to the storage area  28 . 
     In order to facilitate the observation of the working status of the storage area  28 , a side window  34  may be provided in the side wall  26 . The skid-mounted outer cabin  10  may also be equipped with a user interaction interface. For example, the skid-mounted outer cabin  10  is equipped with a display  36 , which is in communication with an order system of the movable dense storage and picking device to display a purchase interface to the users such that they may directly purchase goods, or display a QR code to the users such that they may scan and purchase goods by their own terminal devices. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 , the plurality of bins  12  may be densely arranged in three dimensions to form a three dimensional warehouse without the need of racks. The bins  12  may be directly stacked on each other to further increase arrangement density of the bins. Specifically, the storage area  28  may have a plurality of bin locations  40  defined by two-dimensional coordinates (see  FIG. 5 ) in horizontal plane, and at each bin location  40  there are several bins  12  stacked in a vertical direction. Therefore, each bin may be identified according to three dimensional coordinates (transverse coordinate, longitudinal coordinate and vertical coordinate). More specifically, the illustrated several bins  12  are divided into three columns in a transverse direction, four rows in a longitudinal direction, and four layers in a vertical direction. Therefore, identification of each bin  12  may be made according to the row, column and layer where the container  12  is located. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the several bins are arranged in N columns in the horizontal plane, and the track assembly includes N tracks correspondingly located above the N rows of bins. Also, the movable dense storage and picking device may include a transition track perpendicular to the N tracks and a track-switching robot movable on the transition track. The track-switching robot is provided with a docking track that matches a track end of the track assembly. The track-switching robot moves along the transition track to realize the switching of the bin gripping robot among N different tracks. The docking track is aligned with an end of one track of the corresponding track assembly and may be used as an extension of that track, such that the bin gripping robot may move from that track of the track assembly to the docking track, and then move along the transition track by means of the track-switching robot to an end of a next switched track, thereby completing the switching of the bin gripping robot among the N different tracks. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are perspective views of an individual bin  12 . The bin  12  includes four side walls  42  and a bottom wall  44  that define an accommodating space  46  for accommodating goods, and the bin  12  has an opening  48  facing the bottom wall  44  at an upper end of the bin  12 . A boss  50  is formed on a bottom surface of the bottom wall  44 . The boss  50  has a shape corresponding to that of the opening  48 , such that when several bins  12  are stacked in the vertical direction, the boss  50  of the upper bin  12  is received in the opening  48  of the lower bin  12 . Since the boss  50  and the opening  48  have corresponding shapes, the stacked bins  12  will not move relative to each other in the horizontal plane once the boss  50  is received in the opening  48 , thereby ensuring that they are stacked neatly in the vertical direction. The illustrated bin  12  has a cuboid shape with four corners when viewed from the top, and both of the opening  48  and the boss  50  have a rectangular shape. However, it should be understood that the shape shown is only an example, and other suitable shapes may also be adopted. 
     Upper portions of the two opposite side walls  42  of the bin  12  are each provided with a gripping hole  52  for gripping by a gripper of the gripping robot  18  (as described below in conjunction with the figures). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 8 , the outbound platform  14  is arranged at the outbound end  32  of the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 , and is placed on the bottom wall  24  of the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 . The outbound platform  14  is used to receive the bins  12  transported from the storage area  28 . The outbound platform  14  has a supporting surface  53  for supporting the received bins  12 . In order to be able to receive multiple bins  12  at a time, a plurality of outbound locations  54  are provided on the outbound platform  14  with each outbound location  54  occupying a portion of the supporting surface  53 . In the illustrated embodiment, the outbound platform  14  is provided with three outbound locations  54 . Each outbound location  54  corresponds to one column of bins  12 . 
     In order to enable the bin gripping robot  18  to grip the bin  12  accurately or position the bin  12  accurately, a bin positioning mechanism is provided on the outbound location  54 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bin positioning mechanism includes a transverse positioning piece  56  and a longitudinal positioning piece  58  extending vertically upward from the supporting surface  53  of the outbound platform  14 , for positioning the bins  12  on the outbound location  54  in the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, respectively. 
     The inbound end  30  of the skid-mounted outer cabin  10  is provided with an inbound platform  60 , which has similar structure and function to those of the outbound platform  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, it is provided with three inbound locations capable of receiving three bins at a time, with each inbound location in positional correspondence with a row of bins  12  placed in the storage area  28 . In structural respect, the inbound platform  60  may be the same as the outbound platform  14 , so it will not be repeated here. During operating, it is necessary to transport the bin  12  containing goods to the inbound location manually or by means of the other mechanisms, and then transport this bin to the storage area  28  by the bin gripping robot  16 . 
     As an alternative embodiment, an outbound-inbound container is provided at outbound end. The outbound-inbound container includes an outbound-inbound container body, and a goods conveying device, the outbound platform and the picking robot that are located within the outbound-inbound container body. The outbound-inbound container body includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and detachable side plates connected between the top plate and the bottom plate. The outbound-inbound container body of the outbound-inbound container is perpendicular to the plurality of skid-mounted outer cabins arranged in parallel in a horizontal direction and located in the same layer as this outbound-inbound container, and their internal spaces are communicated with each other. The internal space of the outbound-inbound container is communicated with the outbound end of each skid-mounted outer cabin. 
     In another alternative embodiment, an outbound-inbound container is provided at the position of the inbound end  30 , and includes an outbound-inbound container body, and a goods conveying device, the inbound platform and the picking robot that are located within the outbound-inbound container body. The outbound-inbound container body includes a top plate, a bottom plate, and detachable side plates connected between the top plate and the bottom plate. The outbound-inbound container body of the outbound-inbound container is perpendicular to the plurality of skid-mounted outer cabins arranged in parallel in a horizontal direction and located in the same layer as this outbound-inbound container, and their internal spaces are communicated with each other. 
     It should be noted that the outbound-inbound container at the inbound end and the outbound-inbound container at the outbound end may be formed as identical standardized containers. In different embodiments, it is possible to include the outbound-inbound container only at one end of the skid-mounted outer cabin, i.e., both goods outbound-inbound functions may be realized by the outbound-inbound container arranged at one end of the skid-mounted outer cabin; or it is also possible to include the outbound-inbound container located at each end of the skid-mounted outer cabin to realize the goods outbound-inbound functions respectively. It should also be noted that, depending on internal settings of each outbound-inbound container, each outbound-inbound container may have only the outbound function, only the inbound function, or both the outbound and inbound functions. 
     In the above solution of forming the assemblies at the outbound end and the inbound ends as separate outbound-inbound containers, the picking robot and the outbound/inbound platform may not be arranged within the skid-mounted outer cabin; instead, they may be arranged within the outbound-inbound containers. When building a storage system, a user only needs to select the required number of modular storage container(s) and modular outbound-inbound container(s) and then combine them in a preset manner. Such a modular building manner will be discussed in more detail later in this disclosure. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 9 , the track assembly  16  is installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin  10  and located above the bins  12  of the storage area  28 . In the illustrated embodiment, the track assembly  16  includes three track units  62  that are correspondingly located above the three columns of bins  12 , with each track unit slidably installed with one bin gripping robot  18 . Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, there are three bin gripping robots  18  in total, and each bin gripping robot  18  corresponds to one column of bins  12 . 
     In the above embodiment, there are three columns of bins  12 , three outbound locations  54 , three inbound locations, three track units  62 , and three bin picking robots  18 , which correspond to each other. In other embodiments, there may be N columns of bins  12 , N outbound locations  54 , N inbound locations, N track units  62 , and N bin picking robots  18 , which correspond to each other, where N is an integer greater than or equal to one. In other embodiments, the number of columns of the bin  12 , the number of the outbound locations  54 , the number of the inbound locations, the number of the track units  62 , and the number of the bin picking robots  18  may not correspond to each other, but may be chosen based on the actual situation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , it is a schematic view of a partial structure of one of the track units  62 . The track unit  62  includes two rails  64  spaced apart in the transverse direction. Each rail  64  is provided with a rail groove  66 , and the rail grooves  66  of the two rails  64  of the same track unit  62  are opposed to each other, for cooperating with the bin gripping robot  18 . Each rail includes a side wall  67 , and a top wall  68  and a bottom wall  69  extending from upper and lower edges of the side wall  67  toward the other rail  64 , respectively, with the side wall  67 , the top wall  68  and the bottom wall  69  cooperatively forming a C-shaped cross section. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 10 , the bin gripping robot  18  includes a moving mechanism  70 , and a gripping mechanism  72  that is suspended under the moving mechanism  70  and can be raised and lowered relative to the moving mechanism  70 . The moving mechanism  70  is slidably mounted on the track assembly  16  so as to move horizontally along the track assembly  16  to drive the gripping mechanism  72  to move horizontally. The moving mechanism  70  is provided with moving rollers  74  and guide wheels  76  on opposite sides thereof, and provided with an internal driving device for driving the moving rollers  74  to roll. Four moving rollers  74  are arranged on the opposite sides of the moving mechanism  70  respectively, with two moving rollers on each side. Two moving rollers  74  on one side move on the bottom wall  69  of one of the rails  64  of the track unit  62 , while two moving rollers  74  on the other side move on the bottom wall  69  of the other rail  64  of the track unit  62 . The guide wheels  76  on the opposite sides move on the side walls  67  of the two rails respectively. The moving roller  74  is driven by the internal driving device, such that the moving mechanism  70  can move in the longitudinal direction along the rails. 
     Under the driving of the driving device, the four moving rollers  74  obtain power synchronously to move in the track unit, such that a load of the bin gripping robot  18  is relatively evenly distributed to the four moving rollers  74 . As the moving roller  74  moves in the track unit, the roller may contact the side wall  67  of the rail. The guide wheel  76  is provided to avoid such contact. By providing the guide wheel  76 , the moving roller  74  and the side wall  67  of the rail may remain spaced apart from each other stably, which may reduce or control shaking of the vehicle body, thereby increasing the stability of the vehicle body, and avoiding the unfavorable shaking of the bin  12  under the bin gripping robot  18 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the gripping mechanism  72  includes a gripper platform  78 , grippers  80 , and an alignment mechanism. 
     A lifting mechanism is provided between the gripper platform  78  and the moving mechanism  70  for lifting and lowering the gripper platform  78 . In the illustrated embodiment, the lifting mechanism includes lifting bars  82  and a lifting drive device. An upper end of each lifting bar  82  is connected with the lifting driving device, and a lower end of each lifting bar  82  is fixed to the gripper platform  78 . The lifting and lowering of the gripper platform  78  can be achieved by lifting the lifting bar  82  upwards or lowering the lifting bar  82  downwards under the driving of the lifting drive device. In the illustrated embodiment, the lifting drive device is arranged within the moving mechanism  70 , and includes a drive motor and a winder connected to the drive motor. The upper end of the lifting bar  82  is wound on the winder, and the drive motor drives the winder to perform winding/unwinding operations, so as to realize the lifting and lowering actions of the lifting bar  82 . The lifting bar  82  may be a flexible steel bar or steel rope or the like. 
     The grippers  80  are arranged on side edges of the gripper platform  78 , for gripping the side walls  42  of the bin  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, two grippers  80  are provided on opposite sides of the gripper platform  78  respectively, for gripping two gripping holes  52  formed on the bin  12 . The gripper platform  78  is also provided with a gripper driving device for driving each gripper  80  to rotate around a rotation axle  86  between a gripping position and a releasing position. In the gripping position, the gripper  80  rotates to extend into the gripping hole  52 , and in the releasing position, the gripper  80  rotates outward to exit from the gripping hole  52 . The gripper drive device can be implemented in any suitable form. In the illustrated embodiment, the gripper driving device includes a motor  84  and a linkage mechanism driven by the motor, with one of links  85  of the linkage mechanism connected to the upper end of the gripper  80 . When the motor  84  drives the linkage mechanism to move, the link  85  will drive the gripper to rotate around the rotation axle  86  between the gripping position and the releasing position. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 12 and 13  together, the alignment mechanism includes a plurality of alignment members  90  arranged at corners of the gripper platform  78 . In the illustrated embodiment, there are four alignment members  90  that correspond to the four corners of the bin  12  respectively. Each alignment member  90  includes a vertical extension  92  extending vertically downward and an alignment slope  94  extending downward and outward from a bottom end of the vertical extension  92 . When the gripping mechanism  72  grips one of the bins  12 , the vertical extensions  92  of all alignment members  90  closely contact the outer surfaces of the side walls of the bin  12  and have an extension length such that all of the alignment slopes  94  are located below the bottom of the gripped bin  12 . During stacking the gripped bin  12  on a lower bin  12 , if the gripped bin  12  and the lower bin  12  are not aligned with each other, the boss  50  of the gripped bin  12  will be misaligned with the opening  48  of the lower bin  12 , and thus normal stacking cannot be performed. At this time, the alignment slope  94  will be in sliding contact with an upper edge of the side wall of the lower bin  12 , thereby finely adjusting the position of the upper bin  12  in a horizontal plane, so that the gripped bin  12  become aligned with the lower bin  12 . In the present application, the alignment mechanism is provided on the gripping mechanism  72  to achieve precise alignment in the vertical direction, and there is no need to provide a high-cost position detection mechanism on the bin gripping robot  18 , thereby effectively reducing costs. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical extension  92  of each alignment member  90  includes a first alignment plate  92 A and a second alignment plate  92 B. The first alignment plate  92 A and the second alignment plate  92 B are perpendicular to each other, such that the alignment member  90  has an L-shaped shape in a cross section parallel to the horizontal plane. The first alignment plate  92 A and the second alignment plate  92 B are arranged to closely contact the outer surfaces of two adjacent side walls of the gripped bin  12 , that is, the outer surfaces of two adjacent side walls that form one of the corners. Correspondingly, the alignment slope  94  includes a first alignment slope  94 A extending downward and outward from a bottom end of the first alignment plate  92 A, and a second alignment slope  94 B extending downward and outward from a bottom end of the second alignment plate  92 B. 
     The first alignment slope  94 A and the second alignment slope  94 B of each alignment member  90  intersect with each other or define a small gap therebetween (the latter situation can be regarded as “intersecting”). For each alignment member  90 , the first alignment plate  92 A and the second alignment plate  92 B have a first intersection line  92 C, and the first alignment slope  94 A and the second alignment slope  94 B have a second intersection line  94 C, such that the first intersection line  92 C and the second intersection line  94 C are located in the same vertical plane. In this way, the relative positions of the upper and lower bins  12  may be successfully corrected by means of the first alignment slope  94 A and the second alignment slope  94 B. 
     The alignment mechanism is provided with an installation member  96  fixed to the gripper platform  78 , corresponding to each alignment member  90 . The alignment member  90  is installed to the gripper platform  78  by use of the installation member  96 . 
     When the gripping mechanism  72  grips one bin and transports it to a certain bin location, the bin may be placed on another bin (that is, the bin will be located above the first layer in the vertical direction), or it may be placed directly on a platform or ground (that is, the bin will be located in the first layer in the vertical direction). If the latter is the case, the alignment member  90  will firstly contact the platform or the ground, which results in that the gripped bin cannot contact the platform or ground since the alignment member  90  has contacted the platform or ground. If the gripper  80  is hurriedly released at this time, the bin  12  will fall on the platform or ground such that the goods in the bin  12  may be damaged. Therefore, in the present application, a slide track assembly is provided between the installation member  96  and the alignment member  90 , so that the alignment member  90  may slide upward under the action of the counterforce from the platform or ground, and the bin  12  may land slowly. As mentioned above, during stacking the gripped bin  12  on the lower bin  12 , if the gripped bin  12  and the lower bin  12  are not aligned with each other, the alignment slope  94  of the alignment member  90  will be in sliding contact with the upper edge of the side wall of the lower bin  12 , and at this time, the upper edge of the side wall of the lower bin  12  will exert an upward inclined force on the alignment slope  94 . In order to prevent the alignment member  90  from sliding upward by the force, the damping force of the slide track assembly is designed to be greater than the vertical component force of the inclined force exerted by the lower bin on the alignment slope  94  in the present application. 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the alignment member  90  is removed from the drawing to more clearly show the installation member  96  and the slide track assembly. The installation member  96  extends vertically downward from the gripper platform  78 . The slide track assembly includes a first guide rail  98 A fixed to the installation member and a second guide rail  98 B fixed to the alignment member  90 , and the first guide rail  98 A is slidingly fitted with the second guide rail  98 B. In the illustrated embodiment, the first guide rail  98 A includes two protrusions, each of which defines a guide groove on a surface facing the second guide rail  98 B, and the second guide rail  98 B is slidably received in the guide grooves of the two protrusions. Moreover, the gripper platform  78  is provided with an installation hole  99 , corresponding to each alignment member  90 , such that the alignment member  90  is slidably installed in the installation hole  99 . In the illustrated embodiment, the installation hole  99  is L-shaped. 
     Also referring to  FIGS. 14-16 , the picking robot  20  includes a movable base  100  and a manipulator  102 . The movable base  100  is movable relative to the bin  12 . The manipulator  102  is supported by the movable base  100  so as to be movable together with the movable base  100 . The manipulator  102  is used to pick the ordered goods contained in the bin and bring them to at least one delivering port  104  ( FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 ). After a user places an order, the bin  12  containing the ordered goods will be transported to the outbound location  54  of the outbound platform  14  by the bin gripping robot  18 , and then the manipulator  102  picks the ordered goods from the bin  12  and bring it to the delivering port  104  so that the user may pick it up. 
     As mentioned above, the outbound platform  14  has a plurality of outbound locations  54 , with each outbound location  54  used to receive one bin  12 . The movable base  100  is movable along a direction in which these outbound locations  54  are arranged. Therefore, if the bin  12  containing the ordered goods is far away from the manipulator  102 , the movable base  100  may slide toward the bin  12  to facilitate the pick operation without lengthening the manipulator  102 . 
     The picking robot  18  is located within the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 , and its movable base  100  is movably supported on a fixing base  106 , which is fixedly disposed within the skid-mounted outer cabin  10  at a position adjacent to the outbound platform  14 . The fixing base  106  is provided with a support stage  108 . One of the support stage  108  and the movable base  100  is provided with at least one guiderail, and the other of the support stage  108  and the movable base  100  is provided with at least one guide groove, such that the guide rail is slidably received in the guide groove. In this way, the movement of the movable base  100  on the fixing base  106  may be realized. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, at least one protruding block  110  is provided on each side of the bottom surface of the movable base  100 , and each protruding block  110  is provided with a groove  112  which forms the guide groove. As shown in  FIG. 15 , the bottom surface of the movable base  100  is provided with four protruding blocks  110 , the grooves  112  defined in two of these protruding blocks  110  form one guide groove, and the grooves  112  defined in the other two protruding blocks  110  form the other guide groove. Accordingly, two guide rails are fixedly installed on the support stage  108  of the fixing base  106 . A stop  116  is also provided at each of four corners of the support stage  108  to limit the movement of the movable base  100 . 
     A rack  118  is provided on the support stage  108 , and the rack  118  is parallel to the moving direction of the picking robot  20 . A motor  120  is provided on the movable base  100 , and a gear  122  is fixedly provided on an output shaft of the motor  120  such that the gear  122  is rotatable with the output shaft. The gear  122  meshes with the rack  118 . When the gear  122  is driven to rotate by the motor  120 , the gear  122  will travel along the rack  118 , thereby driving the movable base  100  to move. Of course, the solution of using gear and rack engagement is illustrative only, and other suitable driving solutions may be adopted for the movable base  100  in other embodiments. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , there are four delivering ports  104 . In other embodiments, it is possible to provide a different number of delivering ports  104 , which is not limited in this application. 
     In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the picking robot  18  is located between the outbound platform  14  and the delivering port  104 , and the delivering port  104  is provided outside the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 . In other embodiments, the delivery port  104  may also be provided inside the skid-mounted outer cabin  10 . 
     Through the above discussion about the picking robot  18 , this application also discloses a goods picking assembly of an automatic warehouse system, which includes: 
     at least one bin  12  for containing goods; 
     at least one delivering port  104  (for example, four delivering ports as shown) for receiving a piece of goods from the at least one bin  12 ; 
     a picking robot  18  including:
         a movable base  100  which is movable relative to the bin  12 ; and   a manipulator  102  supported by the movable base so as to be movable with the movable base  100 , the manipulator  102  configured to pick ordered goods from the bin  12  and place the picked goods to the delivering port  104 .       

     The goods picking assembly of the automatic warehouse system as described above may be applied to the movable dense storage and picking device as shown, and in other embodiments, it may also be applied to other automatic storage systems. 
     In summary, the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention provide a movable dense storage and picking device, which includes: a skid-mounted outer cabin, a plurality of bins, an outbound platform, a track assembly, and a bin gripping robot and a picking robot. The skid-mounted outer cabin has a storage area and defines an outbound end therein. The plurality of bins is located in the storage area for accommodating goods. The outbound platform is located at an outbound end of the skid-mounted outer cabin. The track assembly is installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin and located above the bins. The bin gripping robot is slidably installed on the track assembly and located above the bins, for transporting the bin containing ordered goods from the storage area to the outbound platform. The picking robot is located within the skid-mounted outer cabin and is arranged adjacent to the outbound platform, for picking ordered goods from the bins located on the outbound platform. The movable dense storage and picking device may be realized as an automatic vending truck or an exhibition truck, which adopts a skid-mounted outer cabin such that most of the components are installed within the skid-mounted outer cabin, thereby realizing the movable function of the entire storage system. In addition, it is possible to achieve a precise alignment in a vertical direction by providing an alignment mechanism for a gripping mechanism of the bin gripping robot, and there is no need to provide a high-cost position detection mechanism on the bin gripping robot, thereby effectively reducing costs. Moreover, the slidable design of the picking robot can improve the picking operation without lengthening the manipulator. 
     It should be noted that the components for storage and picking of the bins in the above-mentioned movable dense storage and picking device may also be formed as standardized and independent containers. For example, the outer cabin, the bin, the track assembly, and the bin gripping robot may together form a standardized and independent storage container; the outbound-inbound platform and the picking robot may together form a standardized and independent outbound-inbound container; and track-switching components, such as, the track-switching robot and the transition track, may together form a standardized and independent track-switching container, so that a corresponding number of containers may be selected and combined based on a capacity requirement of the required warehouse system. It is also possible to integrate the components in the outbound-inbound container and the components in the track-switching container into a single container based on the actual situation. It is also possible not to provide the track-switching components, or to integrate the track-switching components into the outbound-inbound container. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 17 to 20 , which show a modular warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention, including a plurality of storage containers  200 , at least one track-switching container  202 , and at least one outbound-inbound container  204 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 17 , in a horizontal plane, a plurality of storage containers  200  are combined in length and width directions of the storage container  200 , one or more track-switching containers  202  are arranged at opposite ends in the length direction of the plurality of storage containers  200 , and one or more outbound-inbound containers  204  are arranged on an outer side of the one or more track-switching containers  202 . In the illustrated embodiment, the storage container  200 , the track-switching container  202 , and the outbound-inbound container  204  are standardized containers, the number of which may be increased or decreased based on the requirements and according to specific combining manners. For example, based on the number of the storage containers  200  combined in the width direction, the number of track-switching containers  202  to be combined changes accordingly, and similarly, the number of outbound-inbound containers  204  to be combined also changes accordingly. 
     As shown in  FIG. 18 , the modular warehouse system may have one or more layers in a height direction of the container, with each layer having a layout as shown in  FIG. 17 . 
       FIGS. 19 and 20  are simplified embodiments showing combined structure and principle of the present application in detail.  FIG. 19  shows an example of a two-layer structure, with five storage containers  200  provided in the same layer and combined in the width direction of the storage container  200 . One track-switching container is provided at each end of the storage container, such that the track-switching container is arranged perpendicular to the storage container  200 . In this embodiment, the track-switching container and the outbound-inbound container are merged with each other, that is to say, the components in the track-switching container and the components in the outbound-inbound container are integrated into a single container. Therefore, this container may be called as a track-switching container with outbound-bound function (with outbound and inbound devices), or it may be called as an outbound-inbound container with track switching function (with track-switching components). For ease of description, in this embodiment, this container is referred to as “track-switching container  202 ”. 
     The plurality of the storage containers  200  are combined together to form a combined storage area. The combined storage area is provided with a track assembly  206 , a bin gripping robot  208  located on the track assembly  206 , and a plurality of bins  210  located below the bin gripping robot  208  for storing goods. The bin gripping robot  208  may move back and forth on the track assembly  206  to access the bins  210 . The structures and principles of the above-mentioned track assembly  206 , bin gripping robot  208 , and bins  210  may be the same as the related features in the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-16 , so the details thereof will not be repeated. 
     The aforementioned combined storage area should be understood as the sum of the storage areas formed by each container. In the illustrated embodiment, the combined storage area includes five sub-storage areas  212 , each of which is formed by one storage container  200 . Each sub-storage area  212  is provided with the above-mentioned track assembly  206 , bin gripping robot  208 , and bins  210 . 
     The storage container  200  includes a container body, which includes a bottom plate  214 , a top plate  216 , two side plates  218  connected to long sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 , and two end plates  220  connected to short sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 . All of the track assembly  206 , the bin gripping robot  208  and the bins  210  are arranged in the container body of the storage container  200 . Before the storage container  200  is transported, at least the track assembly  206  has been installed in the container body, for example, installed to the top plate  216  or the side plate  218  of the container body through a connector. The track of the track assembly  206  extends in the length direction of the storage container  200 . 
     Like the storage container  200 , the track-switching container  202  also has a bottom plate  214 , a top plate  216 , two side plates  218  connected to long sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 , and two end plates  220  connected to short sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 . After the track-switching container  202  is assembled to one end of the storage container  200  in the longitudinal direction, the internal space of the track-switching container  202  is communicated with the internal space (i.e., the sub-storage areas  212 ) of the storage containers  200 . The track-switching container  202  is provided with a track-switching device therein, which is configured to switch the bin gripping robot  208  in at least one of the storage containers  200  from a current running track where the bin gripping robot is located to a target running track. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 20 , the track-switching device includes a transition track  222  and a track-switching robot  224 . Before the track-switching container  202  is transported, at least the transition track  222  has been installed in the track-switching container  202 , for example, to the top plate  216  or the side plate  218  of the container body of the track-switching container  202  through a connector. The track-switching robot  224  is located on the transition track  222  and can move back and forth on the transition track  222 . The track-switching robot  224  is configured to receive the bin gripping robot and transport the bin gripping robot to the target running track along the transition track  222 . The track-switching robot  224  is provided with a docking track  226  matching the end of the track assembly  206 . 
     The transition track  222  extends in the length direction of the track-switching container  202  and is perpendicular to the running track  206  in each column of storage containers. The track-switching robot  224  includes a vehicle body and a moving mechanism installed on the vehicle body and fitted to the transition track. The moving mechanism is connected to a driving device and driven by the driving device to drive the track-switching robot to move back and forth along the transition track. The docking track  226  is provided on the vehicle body of the track-switching robot  224 , such that when the track-switching robot  224  moves along the transition track  222  to be directly opposite to the running track  206  arranged in the storage container, the docking track  226  is just at the same height as that of the running track  206 , and thus the docking track  226  on the vehicle body of the track-switching robot  224  is aligned with and connected to the end of the running track arranged in this storage container. At this time, the bin gripping robot  208  may smoothly slide along the running track  206  directly to the docking track  226  of the track-switching robot  224 . Then, the track-switching robot  224  is driven to run along the transition track, such that the track-switching robot  224  is switched to be directly opposite to a different running track of the storage container, and the docking track  226  on the vehicle body of the track-switching robot  224  is aligned with and connected to the end of the different running track of the storage container. At this time, the bin gripping robot  208  may slide from the docking track  226  of the track-switching robot to the different running track of the storage container. In this way, switching between different track assemblies  206  of the storage containers for the bin gripping robot  208  can be achieved through the track-switching container  202 . The structure and principle of the track-switching mechanism are described in detail in the Chinese invention patent application titled with “Three Dimensional Warehouse System” and filed by the same applicant on Jul. 24, 2018, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     As mentioned above, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 19 , the function of the outbound-inbound container is integrated into the track-switching container  202 . The track-switching container  202  is provided with an outbound-inbound device for performing goods outbound and inbound operations. In the illustrated embodiment, the outbound and inbound device includes a support table  228 , which is arranged on the bottom plate  214  of the outbound-inbound container/track-switching container  202  and located below the transition track  222  for temporary storage of the bins. The outbound-inbound device is installed in the track-switching container  202  before the track-switching container  202  is installed at one end of the plurality of storage containers  200 . The bin  210  in the storage container  200  is taken out by the bin gripping robot  202 , and the track-switching robot  224  carries and moves the bin gripping robot  202  so as to place the bin  210  at a designated position on the support table. At this time, operators or robots may be deployed in the outbound-inbound container/track-switching container  202  to perform goods picking operations. The outbound-inbound container/track-switching container  202  may also be equipped with a goods conveying device, which is responsible for conveying the bins into and/or out of the warehouse. As an embodiment of the outbound-inbound device,  FIG. 19  illustrates a fixing type of outbound-inbound device, that is, the bin is kept stationary on the support table. 
       FIG. 21  illustrates another outbound-inbound device, which is a pipeline type of outbound-inbound device. Although two types of outbound-inbound device have been exemplified herein, it should be understood that the outbound-inbound device may have more implementations, as long as the goods outbound and inbound function can be realized. In addition, although they are all called as “outbound-inbound device”, they may realize only the outbound function, only the inbound function, or both the outbound and inbound functions, depending on different situations. 
       FIG. 22  is similar to  FIG. 21 , except that two outbound-inbound containers are shown in each layer. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 19-22 , the track-switching container  202  also includes an outbound-inbound device therein, that is, a container having both the track-switching function and outbound-inbound function is combined with the storage container  200 . In another embodiment, it is also possible to combine a container having the outbound-inbound function but having no track-switching function with the storage container  200 , that is, the outbound-inbound container having no track-switching function is combined with the storage container  200 . 
     Therefore, an embodiment of the present invention provides a modular warehouse system, including: 
     a plurality of storage containers combined to form a combined storage area, wherein the combined storage area is provided with a track assembly, a bin gripping robot located on the track assembly, and a number of bins located below the bin gripping robot for storing goods, the bin gripping robot is able to move back and forth on the track assembly to access the bins, and the track assembly is fixed on a plate of the storage container; and 
     at least one outbound-inbound container equipped with an outbound-inbound device for performing goods outbound and inbound operations, wherein the internal space of the outbound-inbound container is communicated with the combined storage area, such that the bin gripping robot is able to transport goods between the combined storage area and the outbound-inbound device. 
     The outbound-inbound device is the same as that of the foregoing embodiment, and will not be repeated here. In absence of a track-switching device, the bin gripping robot directly transports goods to the outbound-inbound device, for example, to the support table, without the assistance of the track-switching robot. 
     When there are multiple storage containers combined in a width direction of the storage container, the outbound-inbound container is perpendicular to the plurality of storage containers combined in the width direction, and the internal space of the outbound-inbound container is communicated with the internal space formed by the plurality of storage containers arranged in the width direction. 
     When at least two outbound-inbound containers are provided, the at least two outbound-inbound containers are combined in a length direction of the outbound-inbound containers, and when the at least two outbound-inbound containers are combined, adjacent end plates are removed to realize the internal space communication. 
       FIG. 23  shows an assembly method of a modular warehouse system. The method includes: 
     combining a plurality of storage containers to form a combined storage area, with each storage container defining a length direction and a width direction, wherein the combined storage containers include one or more layers of storage containers, such that each layer includes a plurality of storage containers arranged in parallel and combined in the width direction, the combined storage area is provided with tracks for allowing the bin gripping robot to move thereon, and the tracks have been installed in the plurality of storage containers before the plurality of storage containers are combined; 
     installing a track-switching container to at least one end of the plurality of storage containers in each layer of storage containers in the length direction, such that the space in the track-switching container is communicated with the space in the storage containers arranged in the same layer, and a transition track of the track-switching container is perpendicular to the tracks of the storage containers arranged in the same layer, wherein the transition track is configured for allowing the track-switching robot to move thereon back and forth, and the transition track of the track-switching container has been fixed to the track-switching container before the track-switching container is installed to the end of the plurality of storage containers. 
     As mentioned above, each storage container and each track-switching container include a container body, which includes a bottom plate, a top plate, two side plates connecting long sides of the bottom plate and top plate, and two end plates connecting short sides of the bottom plate and top plate. When assembling the track-switching container  202  with the storage container  200 , one of the side plates of the track-switching container  202  facing the storage container  200  is removed, and one of the end plates of each storage container  200  that faces the track-switching container  202  is removed to realize the internal space communication, so that the bin gripping robot  208  may move from the storage container  200  to the track-switching container  202 . 
     When at least two track-switching containers  202  are combined in the length direction of the track-switching container  202  (see  FIG. 17  and  FIG. 18 ), the adjacent end plates are removed to realize the communication of the internal spaces of the adjacent track-switching containers. 
     When the outbound-inbound container  204  and the track-switching container  202  are separately arranged, the assembly method further includes: arranging the outbound-inbound container  204  in parallel to and outside the track-switching container  202 , with the number of the outbound-inbound containers  204  consistent with the number of the track-switching containers. Similarly, the container body of the outbound-inbound container also has a bottom plate, a top plate, two side plates connecting the long sides of the bottom plate and the top plate, and two end plates connecting the short sides of the bottom plate and the top plate. When the outbound-inbound containers  204  are combined in their length direction, the adjacent end plates are removed to realize the internal space communication of the adjacent outbound-inbound containers  204 . When the track-switching container is assembled with the outbound-inbound container, the adjacent side plates of the track-switching container  202  and the outbound-inbound container  204  are removed to realize the internal space communication therebetween. 
     When the storage containers  200  are combined in their length direction, their adjacent end plates are removed to realize the internal space communication of the adjacent storage containers  200 . 
     When there are multiple layers of containers, the containers are arranged orderly such that corner pieces of the containers are aligned, the corner pieces of the containers are fixedly connected in the height direction by connectors, and a gap between the containers is sealed by a sealer. 
     In the foregoing embodiments, in assembly, the containers are densely combined together such that only some plates of the containers are removed and the respective volume of each storage container  200  remains unchanged, that is, each sub-storage area is formed by one of the storage containers  200 , and the total volume of the combined storage area is basically equal to the sum of the volumes of all storage containers  200 . However, in some other embodiments, the total volume of the combined storage area may also be greater than the sum of the volumes of all storage containers. 
       FIGS. 24 and 25  show another method of assembling or combining containers. In this method, combining the plurality of storage containers includes: 
     arranging a plurality of storage containers in parallel in the width direction of the storage container such that adjacent storage containers are separated by a distance; and 
     bridging two adjacent storage containers by use of a horizontally arranged plate. 
     Unlike the dense combination of storage containers in the embodiment of the aforementioned assembly method, in this embodiment, adjacent storage containers are separated by a distance, and then a horizontally arranged plate is used to bridge the distance. Thereby, an additional sub-storage area is formed below the horizontally arranged plate to store more goods. The horizontally arranged plate may be embodied in various implementations.  FIGS. 24 and 25  show its two implementations, which are introduced as follows. 
     As shown in  FIG. 24 , in step  24 ( a ), the storage container  200  is provided first. A container body of the storage container  200  has a bottom plate  214 , a top plate  216 , and two side plates  218  connected to the long sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 . One side of one of the side plates  218  is rotatably connected with the top of the storage container  200 . 
     In step  24 ( b ), the other side of this side plate  218  of each storage container  200  is rotated outwards and upwards by 90 degrees such that the side plate  218  is in a horizontal state. 
     In step  24 ( c ), the other side of this side plate  218 , which is free, is supported and connected by one adjacent storage container so as to be kept in the horizontal state. Several storage containers are connected sequentially in this way and combined in the width direction of the storage containers. Thereby, an additional sub-storage area is formed under each side plate  218  turned to the horizontal state so as to store additional bins. 
     In step  24 ( d ), another layer of containers is combined in the same way to realize a multi-layer warehouse system. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 24 , said plate is the side plate of the storage container that may be turned. In general, each storage container  200  forms two sub-storage areas by turning and unfolding the side plate at one side, that is, with the same number of storage containers, the space for storing the bins can be doubled. It should be pointed out that the above steps are not intended to be executed in a particular order. For example, in steps  24 ( b ) and  24 ( c ), the side plate  218  that has been turned to the horizontal state may be first supported and connected to the adjacent storage container, and then the side plate  218  of the adjacent storage container is turned. Before the storage container is transported, the inner side of the side plate  218  has been installed with a track for allowing the bin gripping robot  208  to move therealong. After being turned, the track is located on a lower surface of the side plate  218  arranged horizontally. Therefore, in this embodiment, tracks are pre-installed on the top plate of the storage container and one of the side plates that needs to be turned. 
     As shown in  FIG. 25 , in step  25 ( a ), a storage container  200  is provided first. A container body of the storage container  200  has a bottom plate  214 , a top plate  216 , and two side plates  218  connected to the long sides of the top plate  216  and the bottom plate  214 . One side  230  of each side plate  218  is rotatably connected with the top of the storage container  200 . 
     In  25 ( b ), the other sides of the two side plates  218  of the storage container  200  are rotated outwards and upwards by 90 degrees such that the side plates  218  are each in a horizontal state. 
     In  25 ( c ), the two side plates  218  of an adjacent storage container  200  are also turned to a horizontal state in the same manner. A supporting member  232  is provided between two adjacent storage containers  200 . In this embodiment, several support posts  232  are provided. 
     In  25 ( d ), the other sides of the two side plates  218  are abutted and supported by the supporting member  232 , such that the two side plates  218  are kept in the horizontal state. In this way, one additional sub-storage area is formed under each side plate  218  turned to the horizontal state, which means that two additional sub-storage areas are formed between two adjacent storage containers  200  so as to store additional bins. More containers may be combined in this way. In the illustrated embodiment, the support posts  232  are located in the middle of two adjacent storage containers  200 . 
     In  25 ( e ), another layer of containers is combined in the same way to realize a multi-layer warehouse system. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 25 , said plates are the two side plates of the storage container that may be turned. In general, each storage container  200  forms three sub-storage areas by turning and unfolding the side plates at both sides, that is, with the same number of storage containers, the space for storing the bins can be trebled. It should be pointed out that the above steps are not intended to be executed in a particular order. For example, in steps  25 ( c ) and  25 ( d ), the side plates  218  of the storage container that have been turned to the horizontal state may be first supported by the supporting member  232 , and then the side plates  218  of the adjacent storage container are turned. Similarly, before the storage container is transported, the inner side of the side plates  218  has been installed with tracks for allowing the bin gripping robot  208  to move therealong. After being turned, the tracks are located on lower surfaces of the side plates  218  arranged horizontally. Therefore, in this embodiment, tracks are pre-installed on the top plate and both side plates of the storage container. 
     In the above embodiments, by providing standardized and modular storage containers and track-switching containers, the standardized storage containers and track-switching containers may be stacked and combined according to a set manner, and the container bodies of the standardized storage containers and track-switching containers are respectively formed with detachable side plates, such that, during stacking and combining the storage container and track-switching container, the containers may be connected to form an integrated modular warehouse system with internal spaces of the containers in communication with each other after detaching their adjacent side plates. The warehouse and assembly method disclosed herein present a modular concept such that storage capacity can be expanded and adjusted based on the number and arrangement of containers. The storage containers, track-switching containers, and outbound-inbound containers are all standardized containers, which are easy to manufacture, have a low cost, are convenient to install. This can save time for infrastructure construction, and can realize rapid and mobile deployment of automated warehouses. 
     The concepts described herein can be implemented in other forms without departing from their spirit and characteristics. The specific embodiments disclosed should be regarded as being illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is determined by the appended claims instead of the foregoing description. Any changes within the literal meaning and equivalent scope of the claims shall fall within the scope of these claims.