Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to the field of warehousing technologies, and in particular, to a warehousing apparatus, system, and a control method.

The existing warehousing industry mostly uses robots integrated with automatic climbing and moving capabilities to access and transfer cargoes. However, because there are too many storage actions for the robots in accessing the cargoes, this leads to low efficiency for in-warehouse and ex-warehouse of the cargoes.

<CIT> relates to an unmanned warehousing system and an in-warehouse and ex-warehouse method. The system comprises two-layered channel supporting frames, in which a lower layer is used as a passage for an automatic vehicle, and an upper layer is used as a passage for a normalized container. Said document discloses a warehousing apparatus according to the preamble of claim <NUM>.

Embodiments of the invention become apparent from the dependent claims.

The invention provides a warehousing apparatus according to claim <NUM>, an in-warehouse control method according to claim <NUM>, an ex-warehouse control method according to claim <NUM> and a warehousing system according to claim <NUM> to solve or alleviate one or more technical problems in the related art.

The invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects: the first robot directly accesses the cargoes on the temporary storage layer board, which avoids the operation of extending the robot arm to a shelf layer board, and improve the efficiency of accessing cargoes; in addition, the temporary storage layer board may temporarily store the cargoes, and the storage positions provided by the storage layer board may store the cargoes for a long time, which is convenient to cooperate the temporary storage layer board with the storage layer board to improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes; furthermore, the first robot channel and the second robot channel are respectively formed, which can avoid the first robot and the second robot sharing a same driving channel, improve the driving efficiency of the first robot and the second robot, and then improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency.

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the related art more clearly, the following briefly describes the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments or the related art.

Only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described below.

<FIG> shows a three-dimensional schematic structural diagram of a warehousing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, according to the invention, the warehousing apparatus <NUM> includes at least one temporary storage layer board <NUM>, where the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is used to provide at least one temporary storage position; a plurality of shelves <NUM>, where each of the shelves <NUM> include at least one storage layer board <NUM> and a plurality of columns <NUM> arranged at an interval in a horizontal direction, and the storage layer board <NUM> is used to provide at least one storage position. The temporary storage layer board <NUM> is provided with furcal grooves <NUM>, and each of the furcal grooves <NUM> is used to cooperate with a furcal arm <NUM> of the first robot <NUM>; and the storage layer board <NUM> is arranged at an interval with the temporary storage layer board <NUM> in a vertical direction through the columns <NUM>.

In an example, the plurality of shelves <NUM> may be single-row shelves, double-row shelves or multi-row shelves; the number of the plurality of shelves <NUM> include two or more; and the plurality of shelves <NUM> may be arranged in columns (refer to <FIG>), in rows (refer to <FIG>), or in a matrix. The number of rows of, the number of, and the arrangement manner of the plurality of shelves <NUM> may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, and both the number of and the arrangement manner of the plurality of shelves <NUM> are not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an example, the plurality of columns <NUM> may enclose a rectangular area in which the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM> are installed, so that the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM> are arranged at an interval in the vertical direction through the columns <NUM>. However, arrangement positions of the columns <NUM> are not limited in this embodiment, as long as the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM> may be arranged at an interval in the vertical direction. For example, the columns <NUM> may also pass through the middle of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM> in the vertical direction, instead of an edge thereof.

For ease of description, in the following embodiment, a long side of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is set as a side of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, and a short side of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is set as an end of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>.

In an example, a plurality of temporary storage positions provided on the temporary storage layer board <NUM> includes two or more temporary storage positions; a furcal groove <NUM> is arranged under each temporary storage position, and the shape of the furcal groove <NUM> may be U-shaped, C-shaped, I-shaped, V-shaped, or the like. The shape of the furcal groove <NUM> may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, as long as it can cooperate with the furcal arm <NUM> of the first robot <NUM>, and the shape of the furcal groove <NUM> is not limited in the present disclosure.

The temporary storage layer board <NUM> may be located on any layer of the shelf <NUM>, and the position of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure. In a case that the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is located in a middle layer of the shelf <NUM>, the storage layer boards <NUM> are located above and below the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, which may shorten distances between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer boards <NUM>, and improve the transfer efficiency of the cargoes between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer boards <NUM>. The cargoes may be boxes containing materials, products, and the like. The boxes may be cardboard boxes or material boxes, and the type of the boxes and the articles contained therein are not limited in the present disclosure.

In an example, the width of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is less than half of the width of the storage layer board <NUM>. For example, the shelf <NUM> may be a double-row shelf, the temporary storage layer board <NUM> may be one row of the double-row shelf, the storage layer board <NUM> extends from one row to another row of the double-row shelf in the horizontal direction, and the width of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is set to be less than half of the width of the storage layer board <NUM>. Since a width channel of the cargoes is greater than the width of the first robot <NUM>, the width of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is set to be less than half of the width of the storage layer board <NUM>, the width of the first driving channel <NUM> may be greater than the width of the storage layer board <NUM>, to provide a channel wide enough for the first robot <NUM> to transfer cargoes; and because the width of the storage layer board <NUM> is greater than twice width of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, the storage layer board <NUM> may store a cargo whose size is slightly larger than that of the temporary storage position.

The warehousing apparatus <NUM> includes:
a first robot channel for the first robot <NUM> to drive, where the first robot <NUM> is used to cooperate with the furcal groove <NUM> through the furcal arm <NUM> thereof to access the cargoes on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>; and a second robot channel for the second robot <NUM> to drive, where the second robot <NUM> is used to transfer cargoes between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM>.

In an example, the first robot channel may be defined by the structure of the shelf <NUM>. The second robot channel may be located on another side outside the shelf <NUM>, so as to separate the first robot channel from the second robot channel to avoid channel occupation.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the first robot <NUM> may be an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle, AGV for short) vehicle with the furcal arm <NUM>, and the furcal arm <NUM> thereof may be arranged on the top of the first robot <NUM>, and may also be arranged on the side of the first robot <NUM>. The arrangement manner of the furcal arm <NUM> of the first robot <NUM> is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, the second robot <NUM> may be the AGV vehicle with a lifting mechanism <NUM> and an access mechanism <NUM>, or may also be a stacking machine, or the like. The type of the second robot <NUM> is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure, as long as it has the functions of accessing and transferring cargoes. According to the warehousing apparatus <NUM> of the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the temporary storage layer board <NUM> provides the furcal groove <NUM> for cooperating with the furcal arm <NUM> of the first robot <NUM>, the furcal arm <NUM> of the first robot <NUM> may be directly inserted into the furcal groove <NUM> of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, so that the first robot <NUM> may directly access the cargoes on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, which avoids the operation of extending the robot arm to the shelf <NUM>, and improves the efficiency of accessing cargoes; in addition, the temporary storage layer board <NUM> may temporarily store the cargoes, and the storage positions provided by the storage layer board <NUM> may store the cargoes for a long time, which is convenient to cooperate the temporary storage layer board <NUM> with the storage layer board <NUM> to improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes; furthermore, the first robot channel and the second robot channel are respectively formed, which can further avoid the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM> sharing a same driving channel, improve the driving efficiency of the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM>, and then improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency.

In an implementation, the first robot channel may include a cargo access channel <NUM>, and the cargo access channel <NUM> is located below the temporary storage layer board <NUM>. In a case that the first robot <NUM> is in the cargo access channel <NUM>, the furcal groove <NUM> cooperates with the furcal arm <NUM> on the first robot <NUM> to access the cargoes.

In an example, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in a case of storing the cargoes, the first robot <NUM> aligns the furcal arm <NUM> with the furcal groove <NUM> at the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and drives to the cargo access channel <NUM>, so that the furcal arm <NUM> directly protrudes into the furcal groove <NUM>, and the cargoes are placed on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, and then the furcal arm <NUM> is lowered so that the cargo box is left on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>; and in a case of picking up cargoes, the first robot <NUM> drives below the cargo access channel <NUM>, aligns the furcal arm <NUM> with the furcal groove <NUM> below the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and lifts the furcal arm <NUM> to jack up the cargo box, and then drives in a direction away from the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> to leave the cargo access channel <NUM> to take the cargo box. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may directly pick up the cargoes without stopping driving or stopping driving for a short time, eliminating the operation of controlling the robot arm to extend to the layer board, which may improve the efficiency of accessing the cargo box, and accessing and obtaining is performed below the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, which may effectively utilize the space of the shelf <NUM>.

In an implementation, the cargo access channel may further be used for the first robot to drive in a case that the first robot is unloaded.

In an example, in a case that the first robot <NUM> is unloaded (namely, the first robot <NUM> is not loaded with cargoes), the first robot <NUM> may directly drive in the cargo access channel <NUM>, which may improve the transfer efficiency of the cargoes.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the columns <NUM> are arranged on the outer periphery of the storage layer board <NUM>, the first robot channel includes a first driving channel <NUM>, and the first driving channel <NUM> is located between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the columns <NUM> located on the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>.

In an example, in a case that the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is located at the bottom layer of the columns <NUM>, the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, the columns <NUM> located on the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, and the ground may form a first driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive.

In an example, in a case that the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is located at other layers other than the bottom layer of the columns <NUM>, the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, the columns <NUM> located on the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, and a storage layer board <NUM> located on a layer below and next to the layer where the temporary storage layer board <NUM> is located may form a first driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive.

In this implementation, the first driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the columns <NUM> located on the side of the furcal groove of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, so that the first robot <NUM> may drive in any layer of the shelf <NUM>, which is convenient for the first robot <NUM> to cooperate with the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and avoids occupying a channel outside the shelf <NUM>.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, the shelf <NUM> may further include: cross beams <NUM>, where each of the cross beams <NUM> is arranged in a horizontal direction and is used for fixing short sides of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM> on the columns <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of a shelf <NUM> according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The structure of the shelf <NUM> is similar to the structure of the shelf <NUM> in <FIG>, the difference is that, as shown in <FIG>, a second driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the columns <NUM> located at the first end of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may pass through the shelf <NUM> in the second driving channel <NUM>, so that a driving distance of the first robot <NUM> may be shortened, and transfer efficiency of cargo boxes may be improved.

In an example, the shelf <NUM> may further include: a support column <NUM> arranged at the first end of the temporary storage layer board <NUM> for support.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the temporary storage layer board <NUM> includes a plurality of temporary storage boards, each of the temporary storage boards is provided with a furcal groove <NUM>, and a third driving channel for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between at least two temporary storage boards (refer to <NUM> in <FIG>). In this way, the first robot <NUM> may pass through the shelf <NUM> between any two temporary storage boards of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, so that a driving distance of the first robot <NUM> may be shortened, and transfer efficiency of cargo boxes may be improved.

In this embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the second robot channel <NUM> is formed between adjacent shelves <NUM>, so that the second robot <NUM> may drive in the second robot channel <NUM>, so as to transfer cargoes between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM>. The cargoes temporarily stored in the temporary storage layer board <NUM> are transferred to the storage layer board <NUM> for in-warehouse storage, or the cargoes stored in the storage layer board <NUM> are transferred to the temporary storage layer board <NUM> for the ex-warehouse temporary storage, which may improve the access efficiency and the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes; in addition, the second robot channel <NUM> does not coincide with the driving channel of the first robot <NUM>, which may avoid the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM> sharing a same driving channel, improve the cooperation efficiency of the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM>, and then improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency.

It should be noted that, in the warehousing apparatus <NUM>, the second robot <NUM> integrated with a lifting mechanism <NUM> and an access mechanism <NUM> is generally used to transfer and access cargoes. However, because the cost of the second robot <NUM> is relatively high, and there are relatively long distances between a docking port <NUM> for the cargoes and each temporary storage position and each storage position in the shelf <NUM>, the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse costs of the cargoes per unit time are relatively high, and the efficiency is relatively low. By forming the second robot channel <NUM> between adjacent shelves <NUM>, the warehousing apparatus <NUM> of the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured with the second robot <NUM> to transfer cargoes between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM>, and may be configured with the first robot <NUM> to transfer and access the cargoes on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, where the first robot <NUM> may not have a lifting mechanism, and the cost thereof is much lower than that of the second robot <NUM>. In this way, one second robot <NUM> may be equipped with a plurality of first robots <NUM> for coordinating access of cargoes, which may reduce the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse costs of the cargoes per unit time and may improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

In an application scenario, the first robot <NUM> may be a robot that accesses and transfers one box of cargoes once, and the second robot <NUM> may be a robot that accesses and transfers a plurality of boxes of cargoes once. The second robot <NUM> is configured to transfer cargoes between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the storage layer board <NUM>, and the first robot <NUM> is configured to transfer and access cargoes on the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, which may reduce the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse costs of the cargoes per unit time and may improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the temporary storage layer board includes a plurality of temporary storage boards, and each of the temporary storage boards is provided with a furcal groove. The first robot channel includes a third driving channel <NUM>, and the third driving channel <NUM> is located between at least two temporary storage boards. A width of the third driving channel <NUM> may be one, two, three, or more times the width of the temporary storage board, which is not limited in the present disclosure. For example, some of the temporary storage boards may be removed to form the third driving channel <NUM>. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may pass through the shelf in the third driving channel <NUM> to improve the driving efficiency.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the first robot channel includes a fourth driving channel <NUM>, the fourth driving channel <NUM> is located between two adjacent shelves <NUM> and connects two third driving channels <NUM> or two second driving channels <NUM>. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may pass through the shelf <NUM> via the third driving channel <NUM> and then drives along the fourth driving channel <NUM> to an adjacent shelf <NUM>, thereby shortening a driving distance of the first robot <NUM> and improving the transfer efficiency of the cargoes.

In an implementation, the warehousing apparatus <NUM> further includes a docking platform <NUM> (the docking platform <NUM> may also be referred to as a docking port). A second driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between the temporary storage layer board <NUM> and the columns <NUM> at the first end of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, and a fifth driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between the docking platform <NUM> and the shelf <NUM>. For example, a fifth driving channel <NUM> for the first robot <NUM> to drive is formed between the docking platform <NUM> and the columns <NUM> located at the second end of the temporary storage layer board <NUM>. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may directly drive from the docking platform <NUM> to the first driving channel <NUM> of the first robot <NUM> in the shelf <NUM> along the fifth driving channel <NUM>, and can quickly reach the temporary storage layer board <NUM>, thereby improving the cooperation efficiency.

In an example, the fifth driving channel <NUM>, the first driving channel <NUM>, the second driving channel <NUM>, the third driving channel <NUM>, and the fourth driving channel <NUM> may form a first driving loop for the first robot <NUM> to drive (a line segment loop with arrows in <FIG>).

In an example, the cargo access channel <NUM> below the temporary storage layer board <NUM> may form a second driving loop (a dashed line with arrows in <FIG> ) for the first robot <NUM> to drive, so that the first robot <NUM> drives in a case of being unloaded.

In an example, the second robot channel <NUM> of the second robot <NUM> may form a loop (a dotted line with arrows in <FIG>) for the second robot <NUM> to drive.

By arranging the first driving loop, the second driving loop, and the loop for the second robot <NUM> to drive in the foregoing examples, the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM> may be prevented from occupying each other's driving channel, thereby improving the cooperation efficiency between the two. In this way, a plurality of first robots <NUM> and a plurality of second robots <NUM> may be arranged to implement the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse of the cargoes and improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency.

<FIG> shows a schematic flowchart of an in-warehouse control method according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure. According to the invention, the in-warehouse control method is applied in the warehousing apparatus of claim <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the in-warehouse control method includes:.

As shown in <FIG>, the temporary storage position may be arranged on the temporary storage layer board <NUM> of the shelf <NUM>, the storage position may be arranged on the storage layer board <NUM> of the shelf, and the temporary storage position and the storage position may be arranged on different layers in the same shelf <NUM>, or may also be arranged on different layers of adjacent shelves. The temporary storage position and the storage position may be adjusted and selected according to actual needs, and the arrangement manner of the temporary storage position and the storage position is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

The target storage position of the target cargo may be determined according to the type of the target cargo. For example, in a case that the type of the target cargo is the type of the most popular cargo, a storage position with the shortest transfer consuming time may be allocated for the target cargo from the shelf as the target storage position. For example, in a case that the temporary storage position is arranged on the bottom layer of the shelf, a storage position closest to the docking platform and located at a layer above the layer where the temporary storage position is located is the storage position with the shortest transfer consuming-time. In this way, a corresponding consuming-time storage position may be determined as the target storage position according to a popular degree of the target cargo.

In an example, since the target temporary storage position may temporarily store the target cargo, the second robot may be immediately instructed to transfer the target cargo from the target temporary storage position to the target storage position in a case that the transfer completion signal sent by the first robot is received, or the second robot may be instructed to transfer the target cargo from the target temporary storage position to the target storage position after the second robot has completed other operations. In this way, the first robot and the second robot may use the temporary storage position to independently transfer the target cargo, and the first robot and the second robot can drive high-efficiently with no need to directly cooperate to transfer the target cargo, which improves the in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

In an example, according to the in-warehouse control method, the target temporary storage positions may be determined for the target storage positions of the plurality of target cargoes respectively, and the plurality of first robots are instructed to transfer the plurality of target cargoes to the corresponding target temporary storage positions respectively. In a case that the transfer completion signals sent by the plurality of first robots is received, the second robot is instructed to transfer the plurality of target cargoes from the corresponding target temporary storage positions to the corresponding target storage positions respectively.

According to the in-warehouse control method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the target temporary storage position is determined based on the target storage position of the target cargo, and the first robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo to the target temporary storage position for temporary storage and the second robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo from the target temporary storage position to the target storage position respectively, so as to separate the ground transfer of the target cargo from the transfer of the target cargo between the temporary storage position and the storage position, so that the first robot may independently complete the ground transfer of the target cargo, and the second robot may independently complete transfer of the target cargo between the temporary storage position and the storage position. There is no need for the first robot and the second robot to directly dock the target cargo, which avoids a phenomenon that the first robot and the second robot wait for each other, and helps improve the in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

In an application scenario, the first robot may be a robot that accesses and transfers one box of cargoes once, which drives faster and costs less; and the second robot may be a robot that accesses and transfers a plurality of boxes of cargoes once, which drives slower and costs more. If the first robot is directly instructed to transfer the target cargo from the docking platform to the target storage position, and/or the second robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo from the docking platform to the target storage position, both the first robot and the second robot may have lower transfer efficiency and higher transfer costs due to long transfer distances. However, according to the in-warehouse control method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first robot may transfer cargoes between the docking platform and the temporary storage position, and the second robot may transfer cargoes between the temporary storage position and the storage position, which is beneficial to shorten the driving distances of the first robot and the second robot, so as to improve the in-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes through high-efficient cooperation of the first robot and the second robot.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the operation S1001: the determining the target temporary storage position according to the target storage position of the target cargo, may include:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the temporary storage position provided by the temporary storage board <NUM> under the target storage position provided by the storage board <NUM> is in an occupied state, it may be determined that the temporary storage position provided by the temporary storage board <NUM> or the temporary storage position provided by the temporary storage board <NUM> in an adjacent column of the target storage board <NUM> is the first idle temporary storage position, and the first robot is instructed to drive towards the first idle temporary storage position; if the temporary storage position provided by the temporary storage position <NUM> is updated to an idle state during the driving process of the first robot, and a time for the first robot to drive to the first idle temporary storage position is greater than the first preset time threshold, it is determined that the temporary storage position provided by the temporary storage position <NUM> is the second idle temporary storage position, which is set to the target temporary storage position. In this way, the target temporary storage position may be dynamically adjusted during the driving process of the first robot, so that the transfer distance between the target temporary storage position and the target storage position is less than the transfer distance between the first idle temporary storage position and the target temporary storage position, which may reduce the transfer distance of the target cargo and improve the in-warehouse efficiency of the cargo.

It should be noted that the storage positions on both sides of the channel between adjacent shelves may share a set of temporary storage positions, that is, the target storage position and the target temporary storage position may be located on two adjacent shelves respectively. For example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the target storage position is located above or below the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, the first idle temporary storage position may be the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, and may also be the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the second shelf <NUM>. In this way, the storage positions located on both sides of the second robot driving channel <NUM> may share the temporary storage position on the first shelf <NUM>.

The update of the temporary storage position below the target storage position to the idle state may be triggered by the second robot moving away the cargoes temporarily stored in the temporary storage position.

In an implementation, in a case that there is not the second idle temporary storage position, the first idle temporary storage position is determined as the target temporary storage position. In this way, the target temporary storage position may be directly determined according to the target storage position.

In an implementation, the instructing the first robot to transfer the target cargo to the target temporary storage position, includes:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG> shows a schematic diagram of a scenario of an ex-warehouse and in-warehouse control methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure, where the line segment with an arrow indicates the first driving channel <NUM> located on a side of a temporary storage layer board where the target temporary storage position is located (referring to the first driving channel <NUM> in <FIG>). In a case that the target temporary storage position is a fifth temporary storage position <NUM> in the first shelf <NUM>, the first transfer route <NUM> is determined from the first driving channel <NUM>, and the first robot <NUM> is instructed to drive to a lower side of the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> along the first transfer route <NUM>. In this way, the first robot <NUM> may drive in the preset first driving channel <NUM>, so as to prevent the first robot <NUM> from occupying the driving channel of the second robot <NUM>, and improve the driving efficiency between the first robot <NUM> and the second robot <NUM>, thereby improving the in-warehouse efficiency.

In an implementation, the instructing the second robot to transfer the target cargo from the target temporary storage position to the target storage position, includes:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, the second robot channel <NUM> (a dotted line with arrows) may be located outside the vertical projection area of the shelf. In a case that the second robot <NUM> is located at a side of the second temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, the second transfer route <NUM> between the side of the second temporary storage position <NUM> and the side of the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> is determined according to the position information between the second robot <NUM> and the target temporary storage position (namely, the fifth temporary storage position <NUM>), and the second robot <NUM> is instructed to drive along the second transfer route <NUM> to the side of the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> to take out the target cargo from the fifth temporary storage position <NUM>.

In an implementation, the second driving channel is formed at one end of the temporary storage layer board. The temporary storage layer board includes a plurality of temporary storage boards for providing temporary storage positions, a third driving channel is formed between at least two of the temporary storage boards, and the first robot channel includes a second driving channel and a third driving channel.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, one end of the first shelf <NUM> away from the docking platform <NUM> is formed with a second driving channel <NUM>. There is a third driving channel (not marked in the figure) between the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> and the sixth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, and between the eighth temporary storage position <NUM> and the ninth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, and then the first robot <NUM> may determine a driving route from the third driving channel, and plan a shorter driving route for the first robot <NUM>, improving the driving efficiency of the first robot <NUM>.

In an implementation, the first robot channel includes a cargo access channel located below the temporary storage layer board, and the method further includes:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, the first robot channel includes a cargo access channel <NUM> located below the temporary storage layer board (referring to the cargo access channel <NUM> of the shelf <NUM> in <FIG> ), namely, the dashed line with the arrow in <FIG>. In a case that the first robot is unloaded (namely, the first robot does not carry cargoes), the first robot may drive in the first driving channel <NUM>, the second driving channel, and the cargo access channel <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic flowchart of an ex-warehouse control method according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure. According to the invention, the ex-warehouse control method is applied in the warehousing apparatus according to claim <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the ex-warehouse control method includes:.

A setting manner of the temporary storage position and the storage position in the ex-warehouse control method may be the same as the setting manner thereof in the in-warehouse control method, and the setting manner of the temporary storage position and the storage position is not repeated herein again.

The current storage position of the target cargo may be determined according to identification information of the target cargo in an ex-warehouse list. For example, a relationship mapping table between the current storage position of the target cargo and the identification information of the target cargo may be stored in advance. In a case that the identification information of the target cargo is obtained from the ex-warehouse list, the current storage position of the target cargo may be queried from the relationship mapping table. The current storage position of the target cargo may also be determined in other ways, and the determining manner of the current storage position of the target cargo is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In an example, since the target temporary storage position may temporarily store the target cargo, in a case that the transfer completion signal sent by the second robot is received, the first robot may be immediately instructed to transfer the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position, or the first robot may be also instructed to transfer the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position after the first robot has completed other operations. In this way, the first robot and the second robot may use the temporary storage position to independently transfer the target cargo, and the first robot and the second robot can drive high-efficiently with no need to directly cooperate to transfer the target cargo, which can improve the ex-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

In an example, according to the ex-warehouse control method, the second robot may be instructed to transfer the plurality of target cargoes away from the current storage positions of the plurality of target cargoes respectively, and corresponding target temporary storage positions are respectively determined according to the position of the second robot, and the second robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo to a corresponding target temporary storage position. In this way, the plurality of target cargoes may be transferred to the corresponding target temporary storage positions.

According to the ex-warehouse control method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the target temporary storage position is determined based on the position of the second robot, and the second robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo to the target temporary storage position and the first robot is instructed to transfer the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position respectively, so as to separate the transfer of the target cargo between the temporary storage position and the storage position from the ground transfer of the target cargo, so that the second robot may independently complete the transfer of the target cargo between the storage position and the temporary storage position, and the first robot may independently complete transfer of the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position. There is no need for the first robot and the second robot to directly dock the target cargo, which avoids a phenomenon that the first robot and the second robot wait for each other, and helps improve the ex-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

It should be noted that a robot integrated with a lifting mechanism and an access mechanism is usually used in the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse control methods to transfer and access cargoes; however, due to the high cost of such the robot, and there are relatively long distances between a docking platform for the cargoes and each temporary storage position and each storage position in the shelf, the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse costs of the cargoes per unit time are relatively high, and the efficiency is relatively low.

According to the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse control methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the ground transfer of the target cargoes is separated from the transfer of the target cargoes between the temporary storage position and the storage position, so that the first robot may concentrate on completing the ground transfer of the target cargoes, and the second robot may concentrate on completing the transfer of the target cargoes between the temporary storage position and the storage position, where the first robot may not have a lifting mechanism, and the cost thereof is much lower than that of the second robot. In this way, one second robot may be used to indirectly cooperate with a plurality of first robots to perform ex-warehouse and in-warehouse control of the target cargoes, which may reduce the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse costs of the target cargoes per unit time and may improve the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse efficiency and the ex-warehouse and in-warehouse capacity of the cargoes.

In an implementation, a driving speed of the first robot is greater than a driving speed of the second robot.

Because in the ex-warehouse control, the first robot usually transfers the target cargo from the target temporary storage position of the shelf to the docking platform, and the second robot usually transfers the target cargo from the current storage position to the target temporary storage position on one side of the shelf, and a distance between the docking platform and the shelf is much greater than the length of the shelf, so by enabling a driving speed of the first robot greater than a driving speed of the second robot, the number of the target cargoes transferred by the second robot to the target temporary storage position may be adapted to the number of target cargoes transferred by the first robot away from the target temporary storage position, so that the transfer efficiency of the second robot is adapted to the transfer efficiency of the first robot, thereby improving the ex-warehouse efficiency of the target cargoes.

In an example, according to the in-warehouse control method, a plurality of first robots may be arranged to cooperate with the second robot, so as to match an ex-warehouse temporary storage flow of the target cargoes with an ex-warehouse storage flow.

For example, as shown in <FIG>, the operation S1302: determining the target temporary storage position according to the position of the second robot, may include:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the second robot <NUM> is located on one side of the second temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM>, the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM> may be determined as the first idle temporary storage position of the second robot <NUM>; if the occupancy status of the fourth temporary storage position <NUM> of the first shelf <NUM> is updated to idle during the process of the second robot <NUM> driving towards the first idle temporary storage position, in a case that a time when the second robot <NUM> drives to the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> is greater than the second preset time threshold, the fourth temporary storage position <NUM> is determined to be the second idle temporary storage position closest to the second robot <NUM>, and is determined as the target temporary storage position. In this way, during the process of the second robot <NUM> transferring the target cargoes, the target temporary storage position may be dynamically adjusted, so as to reduce the transfer distance of the second robot <NUM> and improve the ex-warehouse efficiency of the cargoes.

The update of the temporary storage position below the target storage position to the idle state may be triggered by the first robot transferring away the cargoes temporarily stored in the temporary storage position.

In an implementation, in a case that there is not the second idle temporary storage position, the first idle temporary storage position is determined as the target temporary storage position, to directly determine the target temporary storage position.

In an implementation, the instructing the first robot to transfer the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position, includes:.

In an example, as shown in <FIG>, in a case that the first robot <NUM> is located in a position near the eighth temporary storage position <NUM> in the first driving channel of the second shelf <NUM>, and the target temporary storage position is the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the second shelf <NUM>, a transfer-away route <NUM> between the first robot <NUM> and the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the second shelf <NUM> is determined according to the position information between the first robot <NUM> and the target temporary storage position (namely, the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the second shelf), and the first robot <NUM> is instructed to drive along the transfer-away route <NUM> to a lower side of the target temporary storage position (namely, the fifth temporary storage position <NUM> of the second shelf) to transfer the target cargo away from the target temporary storage position.

<FIG> shows a structural block diagram of a warehousing system according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the warehousing system <NUM> includes: a warehousing apparatus <NUM> of any one of the foregoing implementations; a control device <NUM>, including a processor <NUM> and a memory <NUM>, where the memory <NUM> stores instructions, and the instructions, when being loaded and executed by the processor <NUM>, implement the method of any one of the foregoing implementations; a first robot <NUM>, driving on the first robot channel and having a furcal arm cooperating with a furcal groove; and a second robot <NUM>, driving on the second robot channel. The warehousing system of the present invention comprises the features of claim <NUM>.

In an implementation, a driving speed of the first robot <NUM> is greater than a driving speed of the second robot <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a structural block diagram of a control device according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the control device <NUM> includes: a memory <NUM> and a processor <NUM>, where a computer program executable on the processor <NUM> is stored in the memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM>, when executing the computer program, implements the in-warehouse control method and the ex-warehouse control method in the foregoing embodiments. There may be one or more memories <NUM> and processors <NUM>. Said control device is not a part of the present invention.

The control device further includes: a communication interface <NUM>, which is used to communicate with an external device and perform data interactive transmission.

If the memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, and the communication interface <NUM> are independently implemented, the memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, and the communication interface <NUM> may be connected to each other through a bus and communicate with each other. The bus may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may include an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used to represent the bus in <FIG>, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

Optionally, in a specific implementation, if the memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, and the communication interface <NUM> are integrated on one chip, the memory <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, and the communication interface <NUM> may communicate with each other through an internal interface.

The foregoing processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), and may also be other general-purpose processors, a digital signal processing (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or the like. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. It should be noted that the processor may be a processor supporting the advanced reduced instruction-set computer machine (advanced RISC machines, ARM) architecture.

Optionally, the above memory may include a program storage area and a data storage area, where the program storage area may store an operating system, and an application program required for at least one function; and the data storage area may store data created according to the use of the control device and the like. In addition, the memory may include a high speed random access memory, and may also include a non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid state storage devices. In some embodiments, the memory may optionally include a memory remotely located with respect to the processor, and these remote memories may be connected, via a network, to the control device. Examples of the above networks may include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure further provides a docking platform, applicable to the warehousing apparatus of any one of the foregoing implementations. The docking platform will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Said docking platform as such is not a part of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a chassis <NUM> of the first robot (the first robot may be referred to as a transfer robot) is usually provided with a front steering wheel <NUM>, a rear steering wheel <NUM>, and actuating wheels <NUM>, where the front steering wheel <NUM> and the rear steering wheel <NUM> are respectively arranged at the front and rear positions of the chassis <NUM> to change a driving direction of the first robot; and the actuating wheels <NUM> are arranged on both sides of the chassis <NUM> and are connected to the chassis <NUM> through a suspension mechanism (not shown in the figure), to provide an actuating force for the first robot. In a case that the first robot drives to a hogwallow, the actuating wheels <NUM> may stretch the suspension mechanism; and in a case that the first robot drives to a raised ground, the actuating wheels <NUM> may compress the suspension mechanism to buffer the impact on the body of the first robot caused by the uneven ground. It should be noted that, in order to simplify the drawings, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the front steering wheel <NUM>, the rear steering wheel <NUM>, the actuating wheels <NUM>, and the chassis <NUM> of the first robot are used to illustrate the driving of the first robot.

As shown in <FIG>, since the slope surface <NUM> of the slope <NUM> of the docking platform <NUM> is a plane, and the actuating wheels <NUM> of the first robot have a relatively small stretching or compressing range relative to the chassis <NUM>, the actuating wheels <NUM> are substantially coplanar with the front steering wheel <NUM> and the rear steering wheel <NUM>. In a case that the first robot starts to climb the slope, the front steering wheel <NUM> of the first robot drive to the slope <NUM>, and the rear steering wheel <NUM> drive on the ground <NUM>. If the slope <NUM> has a relatively large slope gradient, the front side of the chassis <NUM> lifts higher relative to the ground, which is easy to make the actuating wheels <NUM> hang in the air and unable to exert a grip face on the slope <NUM>, or the actuating wheels <NUM> can contact the slope surface <NUM> but cannot exert a sufficient grip face on the slope surface <NUM> due to the insufficient pressure. This causes the actuating wheels <NUM> of the first robot to slip, so that the first robot cannot drive along the slope <NUM> to the platform body <NUM>. In order to enable the actuating wheels <NUM> of the first robot to exert the sufficient grip face on the slope surface <NUM> of the slope <NUM>, the slope gradient of the slope <NUM> is usually reduced by increasing the length of the slope, which may consume more manufacturing materials and occupy more space, so that there are the problems that the docking platform <NUM> has high manufacturing cost and large space occupation.

Based on this, Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure provides a docking platform. The slope surface of the slope platform along the direction from a slope bottom to a slope top is set as a concave slope surface and a convex slope surface that are smoothly connected to each other, which is beneficial to shorten the length of the slope platform, and may save manufacturing cost and reduce the space occupation.

<FIG> shows a first structural schematic diagram of a docking platform according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure, <FIG> shows a top view of a first structural schematic diagram of a docking platform according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure, and <FIG> shows a side view of a first structural schematic diagram of a docking platform according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 15A to FIG. 15C, the docking platform <NUM> may include: a platform body <NUM> and a slope platform <NUM>. A slope surface 1220A of the slope platform <NUM> includes a concave slope surface <NUM> and a convex slope surface <NUM> that are arranged in a direction from a slope bottom to a slope top. A top edge of the concave slope surface <NUM> is smoothly connected to a bottom edge of the convex slope surface <NUM>; and the slope platform <NUM> is arranged on one side of the platform body <NUM>, so that the slope surface 1220A is smoothly engaged with a top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM>.

For example, the platform body <NUM> may have a three-dimensional shape, such as a three-dimensional rectangle or a three-dimensional square. The top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM> may form a driving channel of the first robot, for example, the driving channel may be distributed along a length direction of the platform body <NUM>. Because the platform body <NUM> has a specific height, in a case that the first robot drives to the top surface <NUM>, it is convenient for the user to perform a transit operation on the carried cargoes. A height of the platform body <NUM> may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an example, the slope surface 1220A of the slope platform <NUM> includes a concave slope surface <NUM> and a convex slope surface <NUM> that are arranged in sequence along a direction from a slope bottom to a slope top. The top edge of the concave slope surface <NUM> is tangent to the bottom edge of the convex slope surface <NUM> for smooth connection.

Optionally, also referring to <FIG>, the bottom edge of the concave slope surface <NUM> may be tangent to the ground, so that the slope gradient of the concave slope surface <NUM> may be gradually increased from <NUM>°; and the top edge of the convex slope surface <NUM> may be tangent to the top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM>, so that the slope gradient of the convex slope surface <NUM> is gradually reduced to <NUM>°.

Specifically, the concave slope surface <NUM> is located on a side of a slope bottom side of the slope platform <NUM> and is concave toward the bottom surface 1220B of the slope platform <NUM>. The slope gradient of the concave slope surface <NUM> gradually increases from <NUM> along the direction from a slope bottom to a slope top, and increases to a preset slope gradient value at the top of the concave slope surface <NUM>. In other words, a tangent value of the concave slope surface <NUM> increases gradually along a vertical height direction of the concave slope surface <NUM>. In this way, the slope gradient of the slope platform <NUM> near the side of the slope bottom may be gradually increased, which is beneficial to shorten the length of the slope platform <NUM> on the side of the slope bottom and save the manufacturing cost.

The convex slope surface <NUM> is located on a side of the slope top of the slope platform <NUM> and protrudes in a direction away from the bottom surface 1220B of the slope platform <NUM>. The slope gradient of the convex slope surface <NUM> gradually decreases from a preset slope gradient value along the direction from a slope bottom to a slope top, and is smoothly engaged with the top surface <NUM> of the slope platform <NUM> at the top of the convex slope surface <NUM>. In other words, a tangent value of the convex slope surface <NUM> decreases gradually along a vertical height direction of the convex slope surface <NUM>. In this way, the concave slope surface <NUM>, the convex slope surface <NUM>, and the platform body <NUM> may be smoothly transitioned, so that the first robot may drive smoothly on the slope platform <NUM> and the platform body <NUM>; and the length of the slope platform <NUM> on the side of the slope top may also be shortened to save manufacturing cost.

Also referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, during the process of the first robot driving along the slope platform <NUM> to the platform body <NUM>, in a case that the front steering wheel <NUM> of the first robot drives to the concave slope surface <NUM>, and the rear steering wheel <NUM> are still driving on the ground <NUM>, the concave slope surface <NUM> may reduce a lifting height of a front side of the chassis <NUM> relative to the ground <NUM> to prevent the actuating wheels <NUM> from being lifted excessively, so that the actuating wheels <NUM> can apply an actuating force to the concave slope surface <NUM> and prevent the actuating wheels <NUM> from slipping.

Also referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in a case that both the front steering wheel <NUM> and the rear steering wheel <NUM> of the first robot are driving on the concave slope surface <NUM>, the actuating wheels <NUM> slightly stretch the suspension mechanism, so that the centers of the actuating wheels <NUM> are slightly moved downward relative to the chassis <NUM>, and the actuating wheels <NUM> can exert the sufficient actuating force on the concave slope surface <NUM> to actuate the first robot to drive towards the convex slope surface <NUM>.

Also referring to <FIG>, <FIG>, in a case that the actuating wheels <NUM> of the first robot actuate the front steering wheel <NUM> to drive on the convex slope surface <NUM> and drive the rear steering wheel <NUM> to drive from the concave slope surface <NUM> to the convex slope surface <NUM>, the centers of the actuating wheels <NUM> gradually move toward a direction close to the chassis <NUM>, and starts to compress the suspension mechanism; and in a case that both the front steering wheel <NUM> and the rear steering wheel <NUM> of the first robot are driving on the convex slope surface <NUM>, the actuating wheels <NUM> slightly compress the suspension mechanism, so that the actuating wheels <NUM> can exert the sufficient actuating force on the convex slope surface <NUM> to actuate the first robot to drive towards the platform body <NUM>.

Also referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in a case that the actuating wheels <NUM> of the first robot actuate the front steering wheel <NUM> to drive on the platform body <NUM> and drive the rear steering wheel <NUM> to drive from the convex slope surface <NUM> to the platform body <NUM>, the centers of the actuating wheels <NUM> gradually move toward the direction close to the chassis <NUM> under the elastic force of the suspension mechanism. Since the convex slope surface <NUM> is smoothly engaged with the top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM>, it may be avoided that the actuating wheels <NUM> cannot apply the sufficient actuating force to the convex slope surface <NUM> due to the excessive compression of the suspension mechanism.

In an embodiment, referring to <FIG>, a projection of the concave slope surface <NUM> in the vertical direction is a first arc (referring to the concave slope surface <NUM> in <FIG>), and a projection of the convex slope surface <NUM> in the vertical direction is the second arc (referring to the convex slope surface <NUM> in <FIG>); and an arc radius of the first arc is greater than or equal to an arc radius of the second arc. For example, the arc radius of the first arc may be between <NUM> to <NUM>, the arc radius of the second arc may be between <NUM> to <NUM>, and the arc radiuses of the first arc and the second arc may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, by setting the arc radius of the first arc to be greater than or equal to the arc radius of the second arc, the slope gradient of the concave slope surface <NUM> may be the same as the slope gradient of the convex slope surface <NUM>, or the slope gradient of the concave slope surface <NUM> is gentler than the slope gradient of the convex slope surface <NUM>, which is beneficial for the first robot to drive smoothly along the concave slope surface <NUM> and the convex slope surface <NUM>.

In an implementation, a length of a first arc is equal to or greater than a length of a second arc. The length of the first arc and the length of the second arc may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the docking platform <NUM> may further include a plurality of support pads <NUM>, and the plurality of support pads <NUM> are arranged at the bottom of the slope platform <NUM> at an interval along the length direction of the slope platform <NUM>.

In an example, the slope platform <NUM> and the plurality of support pads <NUM> may be an integral piece or separate pieces; if the slope platform <NUM> and the plurality of support pads <NUM> are separate pieces, the slope platform <NUM> and the plurality of support pads <NUM> may be combined into an integral piece.

In an example, there may be three support pads <NUM>, and the three support pads <NUM> are respectively disposed on a front side, a middle position, and a rear side of the bottom of the slope platform <NUM>.

In this implementation, a plurality of support pads <NUM> are arranged at the bottom of the slope platform <NUM> along the length direction of the slope platform <NUM> at an interval, so that the slope platform <NUM> may be elevated and an arch portion may be formed between adjacent support pads <NUM>. In this way, the bottom of the support pads <NUM> may be contacted with the ground to reduce a contact area between the bottom of the slope platform <NUM> and the ground, to prevent the slope platform <NUM> from shaking due to uneven ground, so that the slope platform <NUM> can be placed on the ground stably.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the docking platform <NUM> may further include a baffle plate <NUM>. The baffle plate <NUM> is arranged on the top of the platform body <NUM> and located on the side of the platform body <NUM> away from the slope platform <NUM>. For example, the baffle plate <NUM> may be arranged on a side of the top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM> away from the slope platform <NUM>. The baffle plate <NUM> and the platform body <NUM> may be an integral piece or separate pieces. The baffle plate <NUM> may be arranged to protect the first robot and prevent the first robot from falling from the side of the platform body <NUM> away from the slope platform <NUM>.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, a side wall of the platform body <NUM> opposite to the slope platform <NUM> is provided with a clamping groove <NUM>, and a side wall of the slope platform <NUM> opposite to the platform body <NUM> is provided with a clamping strip (not shown in the figure), and the clamping strip is clamped in the clamping groove <NUM>, so that the slope platform <NUM> is clamped with the platform body <NUM>.

In this implementation, the clamping groove <NUM> is arranged on the platform body <NUM> and the clamping strip is arranged on the slope platform <NUM>, so that the platform body <NUM> and the slope platform <NUM> may be clamped into an integral piece, which is convenient for assembly, disassembly, transportation, storage, and the like. It may be understood that the platform body <NUM> and the slope platform <NUM> may also be set as an integral piece according to actual needs, and an arrangement form of the platform body <NUM> and the slope platform <NUM> is not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an implementation, the clamping groove <NUM> is arranged along the length direction of the platform body <NUM>, and the clamping strip is arranged along the width direction of the slope platform <NUM>; there are at least two slope platforms <NUM>, and the clamping strips of two of the slope platforms <NUM> is slidable along the clamping groove <NUM> to adjust a spacing.

In an example, the clamping groove <NUM> is arranged along the length direction of the platform body <NUM> and is located on the side wall opposite to the slope platform <NUM>; the clamping strip is arranged along the width direction of the slope platform <NUM> and is located on the side wall opposite to the platform body <NUM>; the clamping strip is slidable along the clamping groove <NUM>, and may adjust the position of the slope platform <NUM> on the platform body <NUM> to improve the flexibility of an assembly position of the slope platform <NUM>.

In an example, a driving track label of the first robot may be set on the ground, and in a case that there are at least two slope platforms <NUM>, the clamping strips of the slope platforms <NUM> slides along the clamping groove <NUM> of the platform body <NUM> to adjust the spacing between the slope platforms <NUM>, so as to align the slope platforms <NUM> with the driving track label, so that the first robot can drive to the slope platform <NUM> along the driving track label. In addition, the spacing between the slope platforms <NUM> may also be adjusted according to a size of the cargo carried by the first robot, so that the spacing between the slope platforms <NUM> is adapted to the size of the cargo. It should be noted that the number of the slope platforms <NUM> may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, and the number of the slope platforms <NUM> is not limited in the present disclosure.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG>, the top surface <NUM> of the platform body <NUM> forms a driving channel, and slope surfaces 1220A of the two slope platforms <NUM> respectively form a drive-in channel and a drive-out channel; tops of the drive-in channel and the drive-out channel are respectively connected to the driving channels (lines with arrows in the figure show driving directions of the drive-in channel, the driving channel, and the drive-out channel). In this way, the first robot may drive along the drive-in channel to the driving channel on the platform body <NUM>, and drive along the driving channel to the drive-out channel, and then drive out the drive-out channel, which can improve the efficiency of cargo carrying and transit.

In an example, there are three slope platforms <NUM>, slope surfaces 1220A of two of the slope platforms <NUM> may be set as two drive-in channels, and a slope surface 1220A of the other slope platform <NUM> is set as the drive-out channel. The tops of the drive-in channels and the drive-out channel are respectively connected to the driving channel. The number of the drive-in and drive-out channels may be selected and adjusted according to actual needs, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an implementation, the width of the platform body <NUM> is greater than the width of the slope platform <NUM>, so that the first robot transfers a cargo with a larger size on the platform body <NUM>.

In an implementation, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, a platform bracket <NUM> adapted to the shape of the platform body <NUM> is arranged inside the platform body <NUM>, and a slope bracket <NUM> adapted to the shape of the slope platform <NUM> is arranged inside the slope platform <NUM>.

In an example, the platform bracket <NUM> is provided with a platform support plate <NUM> to form the platform body <NUM>; and the slope bracket <NUM> is provided with a slope support plate <NUM> to form the slope platform <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of a workstation according to Embodiment <NUM> of the present disclosure. As shown in <FIG>, the workstation <NUM> may include: a plurality of docking platforms <NUM> according to any one of the foregoing implementations, and the plurality of docking platforms <NUM> are arranged along the length direction of the platform body <NUM>, so that top surfaces <NUM> of the plurality of platform bodies <NUM> are engaged. In this way, it is convenient for the first robot to drive along the top surfaces <NUM> of the plurality of platform bodies <NUM>, and a drive-in channel and a drive-out channel may also be flexibly configured.

Other components of the docking platform <NUM> and the workstation <NUM> in the foregoing embodiments may adopt various technical solutions known to those of ordinary skill in the art now and in the future, which will not be described in detail herein.

Claim 1:
A warehousing apparatus, comprising:
a temporary storage layer board (<NUM>), wherein the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>) is used to provide a temporary storage position;
a plurality of shelves (<NUM>), wherein each of the shelves (<NUM>) comprises at least one storage layer board (<NUM>) and a plurality of columns (<NUM>) arranged at an interval in a horizontal direction, the storage layer board (<NUM>) is used to provide a storage position, and the storage layer board (<NUM>) is arranged at an interval with the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>) in a vertical direction through the columns (<NUM>);
a first robot channel for a first robot (<NUM>) to drive, wherein the first robot (<NUM>) is used to access a cargo on the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>); and
a second robot channel for a second robot (<NUM>) to drive, wherein the second robot (<NUM>) is used to transfer the cargo between the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>) and the storage layer board (<NUM>),
wherein the columns (<NUM>) are arranged on a periphery of the storage layer board (<NUM>), wherein the first robot channel comprises a first driving channel (<NUM>), characterized in that the first driving channel (<NUM>) is disposed between the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>) and the columns (<NUM>),
wherein the temporary storage layer board (<NUM>) is provided with furcal grooves (<NUM>), and each of the furcal grooves (<NUM>) is used to cooperate with a furcal arm (<NUM>) of the first robot (<NUM>).