阅读说明：本技术 货柜及其储物箱调度方法、组合货柜 (Container and method for dispatching storage box thereof and combined container ) 是由 杨建成 王飞 朱烨 于 2021-08-12 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开提供一种货柜及其储物箱调度方法、组合货柜。该货柜,包括：柜体；多个用于放置物品的储物箱；沿所述柜体的第一侧壁的内表面设置的多个用于放置所述储物箱的放置位；第一传送机构,设置于所述放置位的一侧,用于沿第一传送方向移动所述储物箱,其中,所述第一传送方向与多个所述放置位的排列方向一致；以及第二传送机构,设置在所述第一传送机构上,用于承载所述储物箱并沿所述第一传送方向运动,以及在与所述放置位对准时将所述储物箱沿第二传送方向移动到所述放置位中或者从所述放置位中取出。(The disclosure provides a container, a method for scheduling storage boxes of the container and a combined container. This packing cupboard includes: a cabinet body; a plurality of storage boxes for placing articles; a plurality of placing positions for placing the storage box are arranged along the inner surface of the first side wall of the cabinet body; the first conveying mechanism is arranged on one side of the placing positions and used for moving the storage box along a first conveying direction, wherein the first conveying direction is consistent with the arrangement direction of the placing positions; and the second conveying mechanism is arranged on the first conveying mechanism and used for bearing the storage box and moving along the first conveying direction, and moving the storage box into the placing position or taking the storage box out of the placing position along the second conveying direction when the second conveying mechanism is aligned with the placing position.)

1. A container, comprising:

a cabinet body;

a plurality of storage boxes for placing articles;

a plurality of placing positions for placing the storage box are arranged along the inner surface of the first side wall of the cabinet body;

the first conveying mechanism is arranged on one side of the placing positions and used for moving the storage box along a first conveying direction, wherein the first conveying direction is consistent with the arrangement direction of the placing positions; and

and the second conveying mechanism is arranged on the first conveying mechanism and used for bearing the storage box and moving along the first conveying direction, and moving the storage box into the placing position or taking the storage box out of the placing position along the second conveying direction when the second conveying mechanism is aligned with the placing position.

2. The freight container of claim 1, where the placement locations are provided with a mounting bracket on both sides, the mounting bracket is provided with a slot, and the storage tanks are provided with hooks on both sides, and the storage tanks are fixed in the placement locations by snap-fitting the hooks with the slots of the mounting bracket.

3. The freight container of claim 2, where the hook has an L-shaped cross-sectional shape and the slot has a wedge-shaped cross-sectional shape.

4. The freight container of claim 2, where the upper surface of the mounting bracket is provided with a first securing pin, the hook is provided with a first opening, and the first securing pin is snap-fit into the first opening when the storage bin is secured in the stowed position.

5. The freight container of claim 1, where the placement location is further provided with a bracket for supporting the storage compartment when the storage compartment is secured in the placement location.

6. The freight container of claim 5, where the arrangement of the plurality of the placing locations is in a vertical direction, and the brackets of an upper placing location simultaneously serve as roof baffles for an adjacent lower placing location.

7. The freight container of claim 1, where the second transport mechanism includes:

the supporting frame is arranged on the first conveying mechanism and used for moving along the first conveying direction to drive the second conveying mechanism to move along the first conveying direction;

and the movable support is arranged on the support frame and can move along the second conveying direction, and is used for moving the storage box to the placing position or taking the storage box out of the placing position along the second conveying direction when the second conveying mechanism is aligned with the placing position.

8. The freight container of claim 7, where the moving bracket is provided with a second fixing pin on an upper surface, fixing protrusions are provided on both sides of the storage box, a second opening is provided on a lower surface of the fixing protrusions, and the moving bracket is fixed to the storage box by the second fixing pin being engaged with the second opening.

9. The freight container of claim 1, further comprising:

the object taking opening is arranged on a second side wall of the cabinet body, and the second side wall is opposite to the first side wall;

the pushing mechanism is arranged on the position, opposite to the article taking opening, of the first side wall and used for pushing the articles in the storage box out of the article taking opening when the storage box is aligned with the article taking opening.

10. The freight container of claim 9, further comprising:

the fetching baffle is attached to the second side wall and used for shielding or exposing the fetching opening;

the push-pull mechanism is arranged on the second side wall, connected with the object taking baffle and used for pushing out or pulling up the object taking baffle along the second side wall to enable the object taking opening to be shielded or exposed.

11. The freight container of claim 9, where a side of the storage compartment facing the second side wall has a flapper, and the push mechanism is capable of pushing the flapper to extend into the storage compartment to push the contents of the storage compartment out of the access opening.

12. The freight container of claim 10, further comprising a control unit configured to:

receiving an object taking instruction or a storage instruction;

determining a storage box according to the fetching instruction or the storage instruction;

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so that the second conveying mechanism is aligned with a placing position where the storage box is placed;

controlling the second conveying mechanism to take out the storage box from the placing position;

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so that the second conveying mechanism is aligned with the fetching opening;

in response to receiving the fetching instruction, controlling the pushing mechanism to push the articles in the storage box out of the fetching opening; or

In response to the received storage instruction, the push-pull mechanism is controlled to pull the fetching baffle plate so that the fetching opening is exposed.

13. The freight container of claim 12, where the control unit is configured to:

controlling the moving bracket of the second conveying mechanism to move towards the placing position for placing the storage box along the second conveying direction in response to the second conveying mechanism being aligned with the placing position for placing the storage box;

responding to the movement of the movable support to a first target position, controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the movable support to move upwards, and enabling a second fixing pin on the upper surface of the movable support to be clamped and fixed with a second hole formed in the lower surface of a fixing protrusion of the storage box;

continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the movable support to move upwards, so that the first fixing pin of the placing position is separated from the first opening of the storage box; and

and controlling the movable support to move away from a placing position where the storage box is placed along the second conveying direction so that the movable support is retracted into the first conveying mechanism.

14. The freight container of claim 12, where the control unit is configured to:

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism loaded with the storage box so as to align the second conveying mechanism with the vacant placement position;

controlling the second conveying mechanism to move the storage box to the placing position; and

and controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so as to return the second conveying mechanism to the initial position.

15. The freight container of claim 14, where the control unit is configured to:

responding to the alignment of the second conveying mechanism and the vacant placing position, and controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the moving support of the second conveying mechanism to move upwards for a preset distance;

controlling the moving bracket to move towards the empty placing position along the second conveying direction;

responding to the movement of the movable support to a second target position, controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move downwards so as to drive the movable support to move downwards, and enabling the hook of the storage box to be matched with the groove of the placing position in a clamping manner;

continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move downwards so as to drive the movable support to move downwards, so that the second fixing pin of the movable support is separated from the second opening of the storage box; and

and controlling the movable support to move away from a placing position where the storage box is placed along the second conveying direction so that the movable support is retracted into the first conveying mechanism.

16. An assembled container comprising at least two containers according to any one of claims 1 to 15; at least two containers are arranged in parallel and fixedly connected with each other through a connecting mechanism.

17. The modular container of claim 16, wherein at least two of said containers each comprise an access opening, said access openings of said two containers being positioned differently.

18. The method of dispatching the storage compartment of the freight container of claim 1, comprising:

receiving an object taking instruction or a storage instruction;

determining a storage box according to the fetching instruction or the storage instruction;

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so that the second conveying mechanism is aligned with a placing position where the storage box is placed;

controlling the second conveying mechanism to take out the storage box from the placing position;

and controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so as to move the storage box to a specified position.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein controlling the second transfer mechanism to remove the storage bin from the placement location comprises:

controlling the moving bracket of the second conveying mechanism to move towards the placing position for placing the storage box along the second conveying direction in response to the second conveying mechanism being aligned with the placing position for placing the storage box;

responding to the movement of the movable support to a first target position, controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the movable support to move upwards, and enabling a second fixing pin on the upper surface of the movable support to be clamped and fixed with a second hole formed in the lower surface of a fixing protrusion of the storage box;

continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the movable support to move upwards, so that the first fixing pin of the placing position is separated from the first opening of the storage box; and

and controlling the movable support to move away from a placing position where the storage box is placed along the second conveying direction so that the movable support is retracted into the first conveying mechanism.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the designated location is a location corresponding to an access opening of the container; the method further comprises the following steps:

in response to receiving the fetching instruction, controlling the pushing mechanism to push the articles in the storage box out of the fetching opening; or

In response to the received storage instruction, the push-pull mechanism is controlled to pull the fetching baffle plate so that the fetching opening is exposed.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism loaded with the storage box so as to align the second conveying mechanism with the vacant placement position;

controlling the second conveying mechanism to move the storage box to the placing position; and

and controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so as to return the second conveying mechanism to the initial position.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein controlling the second transport mechanism to move the storage bin into the placement position comprises:

responding to the alignment of the second conveying mechanism and the vacant placing position, and controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move upwards so as to drive the moving support of the second conveying mechanism to move upwards for a preset distance;

controlling the moving bracket to move towards the empty placing position along the second conveying direction;

responding to the movement of the movable support to a second target position, controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move downwards so as to drive the movable support to move downwards, and enabling the hook of the storage box to be matched with the groove of the placing position in a clamping manner;

continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism to drive the second conveying mechanism to move downwards so as to drive the movable support to move downwards, so that the second fixing pin of the movable support is separated from the second opening of the storage box; and

and controlling the movable support to move away from a placing position where the storage box is placed along the second conveying direction so that the movable support is retracted into the first conveying mechanism.

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the technical field of machinery, in particular to a container, a storage box scheduling method of the container and a combined container.

Background

The storage cabinet is used for storing various articles. Generally, the storage cabinet needs to store articles in a plurality of positions of the storage cabinet, and when the corresponding articles need to be taken, the articles need to be found in the corresponding positions of the storage cabinet. One convenient way is to use a dispatching mechanism to pick up the articles inside the cabinet. However, since the articles have different shapes and do not have standard shapes, the scheduling mechanism is inconvenient to take the articles. Meanwhile, the dispatching mechanism directly contacts the articles and needs to apply force to the articles to take the articles, so that the articles are easily damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

The disclosure provides a container, a storage box scheduling method thereof and a combined container.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a container comprising:

a cabinet body;

a plurality of storage boxes for placing articles;

a plurality of placing positions for placing the storage box are arranged along the inner surface of the first side wall of the cabinet body;

the first conveying mechanism is arranged on one side of the placing positions and used for moving the storage box along a first conveying direction, wherein the first conveying direction is consistent with the arrangement direction of the placing positions; and

and the second conveying mechanism is arranged on the first conveying mechanism and used for bearing the storage box and moving along the first conveying direction, and moving the storage box into the placing position or taking the storage box out of the placing position along the second conveying direction when the second conveying mechanism is aligned with the placing position.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a modular container comprising at least two containers as described in the first aspect; at least two containers are arranged in parallel and fixedly connected with each other through a connecting mechanism.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for dispatching the storage box of the container as described in the first aspect, comprising:

receiving an object taking instruction or a storage instruction;

determining a storage box according to the fetching instruction or the storage instruction;

controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so that the second conveying mechanism is aligned with a placing position where the storage box is placed;

controlling the second conveying mechanism to take out the storage box from the placing position;

and controlling the first conveying mechanism to move the second conveying mechanism so as to move the storage box to a specified position.

According to the container, the storage box scheduling method and the combined container, the storage box is arranged to store articles, and the problems that articles are difficult to take (different in shapes of the articles) and the articles are easy to damage when the articles are directly taken are solved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure or related technologies, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the present disclosure, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary container provided by embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B shows a schematic view of the internal structure of an exemplary container provided by embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1C shows a schematic view of a storage bin 104a according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 1D shows an enlarged schematic view of the location of the placement locations of the shelves of FIG. 1B.

FIG. 1E shows an enlarged schematic view of the position of the second conveyance mechanism of the rack of FIG. 1B.

Fig. 1F shows a schematic view of an exemplary pushing mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary storage bin scheduling method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A shows a state diagram of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3B shows another state diagram of a shelf according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 3C shows yet another state diagram of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3D illustrates yet another state diagram of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary combination container provided by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a more specific hardware structure diagram of the electronic device provided in this embodiment.

Detailed Description

For the purpose of promoting a better understanding of the objects, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

It is to be noted that technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure should have a general meaning as understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs, unless otherwise defined. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in the embodiments of the disclosure is not intended to indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but rather to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item listed before the word covers the element or item listed after the word and its equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

FIG. 1A shows a schematic of an exemplary container 100 provided by embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1B shows a schematic view of the internal structure of an exemplary container 100 provided by embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a freight container 100 may include a cabinet 102 and a plurality of storage compartments (e.g., storage compartments 104 a-104 c) disposed within the cabinet 102 for holding items. The storage bins 104 a-104 c may be used to store various items and may be moved and dispatched by a corresponding mechanism within the cabinet 102. It is understood that the number of storage tanks disposed in the freight container 100 is not limited to 3, but may be more or less, depending on the size of the freight container 100 and the size of the storage tanks, and the specific number is set as desired and is not limited herein.

The cabinet 102 may include oppositely disposed first and second sidewalls 1022, 1024. A plurality of placement locations (e.g., placement locations 106 a-106 c) for placing storage bins may be provided on the inner surface of the first side wall 1022.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, the placement locations 106 a-106 c may be flanked by mounts 1062 a-1062 c. The fixing brackets 1062a to 1062c may be provided with slots (not shown) for fixing the storage boxes 104a to 104 c. Fig. 1C shows a schematic view of a storage bin 104a according to an embodiment of the disclosure. For example, as shown in fig. 1C, hooks 1042a may be disposed on both sides of the storage box 104 a. FIG. 1D shows an enlarged schematic view of the location of the placement site 106a of the pallet 100 of FIG. 1B. For example, as shown in FIG. 1D, the storage compartment 104a can be secured in the placement location 106a by snap-fitting the hooks 1042a into the slots 1064a of the fixture. Through joint complex mode, be convenient for transport mechanism to the placing and taking of storage tank. In some embodiments, taking the example of FIG. 1C as an example, the cross-sectional shape of the hook 1042a can be L-shaped, and as shown in FIG. 1D, the cross-sectional shape of the slot 1064a can be wedge-shaped. Thus, the slot 1064a has a structure with a wide top and a narrow bottom, so that the hook 1042a can be easily engaged therewith, and when the hook 1042a continues to move downward, the hook can be tightly engaged with the narrow portion of the slot 1064a to be fixed.

In some embodiments, taking fig. 1D as an example, the upper surface of the fixing frame 1062a may be provided with a first fixing pin 1066a, the hook 1042a may be provided with a first hole 1044a, and when the storage box 104a is fixed in the placing position 106a, the first fixing pin 1066a is fastened and fixed with the first hole 1044a, so as to further ensure the position of the storage box 104a in the placing position 106a is fixed, and improve the stability. The number of fixation pins and openings shown in the figures is two, it being understood that the number of fixation pins and openings may also be increased, depending on the actual requirements, e.g. for stability reasons.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1B, the placement locations 106a to 106c may further be provided with brackets 1068a to 1068c, respectively, and when the storage boxes 104a to 104c are fixed in the placement locations 106a to 106c, the brackets 1068a to 1068c are used for supporting the storage boxes 104a to 104c, so as to prevent the storage boxes 104a to 104c from falling from the placement locations 106a to 106 c.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1B, the arrangement of the plurality of placement locations 106 a-106 c is vertical, and the tray (e.g., 1068a) of an upper placement location (e.g., placement location 106a) may also serve as a top stop for an adjacent lower placement location (e.g., placement location 106B). The top flap may provide a raised height of the storage bin in the storage position when the storage bin is placed. The design also saves the inner space of the cabinet 102, so that the structure is compact.

To accomplish the movement and scheduling of the storage bins 104 a-104 c within the container 100, the container 100 can also include a first conveying mechanism 108 and a second conveying mechanism 110, as shown in FIG. 1B. The first transfer mechanism 108 may be disposed on one side of the placement locations 106 a-106 c and may be configured to move the bins 104 a-104 c in the first transfer direction 202. As shown in fig. 1B, the first transfer direction 202 may coincide with the arrangement direction of the plurality of placement bits 106a to 106 c. The second transport mechanism 110, which may be disposed on the first transport mechanism 108, may be configured to carry the bins 104 a-104 c and may be movable in a first transport direction 202, and to move the bins 104 a-104 c into the placement positions 106 a-106 c or to remove the bins 104 a-104 c from the placement positions 106 a-106 c in a second transport direction 204 when aligned with the placement positions 106 a-106 c. Thus, the first conveying mechanism 108 and the second conveying mechanism 110 move the storage boxes 104a to 104c in the first conveying direction 202 and the second conveying direction 204, thereby achieving the purpose of moving and dispatching the storage boxes 104a to 104c among the placement positions 106a to 106c of the container 100.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1B, the first transport mechanism 108 may further include a guide rail 1082 and a traction mechanism 1084. The guide rail 1082 may be used to provide a guide for the second transfer mechanism 110 to move such that the second transfer mechanism 110 can only move in the first transfer direction 202 in the vertical direction. The traction mechanism 1084 may be used to provide motive force for movement of the second conveyance mechanism 110 in the first conveyance direction 202 such that the second conveyance mechanism 110 is capable of moving in the first conveyance direction 202 under the motive force. As shown in fig. 1B, traction mechanism 1084 may include a traction rope/belt to which second conveyance mechanism 110 is fixedly coupled to move second conveyance mechanism 110 in first conveyance direction 202 as the traction rope/belt moves in first conveyance direction 202.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1B, the second transport mechanism 110 may further include a support frame 1102 and a mobile carriage 1104. The support frame 1102 may be disposed on the first conveying mechanism 108 (e.g., disposed on the guide rail 1082 of the first conveying mechanism 108) and may be movable along the first conveying direction 202 to move the second conveying mechanism as a whole along the first conveying direction 202. The moving bracket 1104 may be disposed on the support 1102 and movable in the second conveyance direction 204 and may be used to move the bins 104 a-104 c in the second conveyance direction 204 into the placement locations 106 a-106 c or out of the placement locations 106 a-106 c when the second conveyance mechanism 110 is aligned with the placement locations 106 a-106 c.

FIG. 1E shows an enlarged schematic view of the position of the second conveyance mechanism 110 of the rack 100 of FIG. 1B. As shown in fig. 1E, in some embodiments, the upper surface of the moving bracket 1104 may be provided with a second securing pin 1106. For example, as shown in fig. 1C, fixing protrusions 1046a may be disposed on two sides of the storage box 104a, and a second opening (not shown) may be disposed on a lower surface of the fixing protrusion 1046 a. The movable bracket 1104 can be snap-fit into the second opening via a second securing pin 1106 to secure the storage compartment 104 a. Thus, after the storage box 104a is fixed to the moving bracket 1104, the moving bracket 1104 moves along the second conveying direction 204 to drive the storage box 104a to move. The number of fixation pins and openings shown in the figures is two, it being understood that the number of fixation pins and openings may also be increased, depending on the actual requirements, e.g. for stability reasons.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the container 100 can also include an access opening 112. The access opening 112 may be disposed on the second sidewall 1024 of the cabinet 102 for providing access for a person or machine to enter and exit.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, the container 100 can also include a pushing mechanism 114. The push mechanism 114 may be disposed on the first side wall 1022 at a location opposite the access opening 112 and may be used to push the items in the storage bins 104 a-104 c out of the access opening 112 when the storage bins 104 a-104 c are aligned with the access opening 112. Fig. 1F shows a schematic view of an exemplary pushing mechanism 114, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1F, the pushing mechanism 114 may be a mechanism having a two-stage telescopic structure. Thus, when the pushing mechanism 114 is retracted, the pushing mechanism 114 occupies a smaller space than a structure having only one stage of extension, which is beneficial to the layout of the internal space of the container 100. It is understood that the pushing mechanism 114 with two-stage telescopic structure is only exemplary, and it may be designed as three-stage telescopic structure or more telescopic structure if necessary, and the specific design may be selected according to actual needs.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, the container 100 can also include an access panel 116 and a push-pull mechanism 118. The fetching baffle 116 may be attached to the second sidewall 1024 for blocking or exposing the fetching opening. The push-pull mechanism 118 may be disposed on the second side wall 1024 and connected to the access barrier 116, and may be used to push or pull the access barrier 116 along the second side wall 1024 to block or uncover the access opening 112. When the push-pull mechanism 118 pushes the fetching baffle 116 out along the second side wall 1024, the fetching opening 112 is blocked by the fetching baffle 116, and when the push-pull mechanism 118 pulls the fetching baffle 116 up along the second side wall 1024, the fetching opening 112 is exposed, and a person or a machine can extend into or out of the fetching opening 112.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1C, the side of the storage box 104a facing the second side wall 1024 has a flap 1048a, and the pushing mechanism 114 can push the flap 1050a to extend into the storage box 104a to push the article in the storage box 104a out of the access opening 112. In some embodiments, the movable flap 1048a is a one-way flap, i.e., only movable toward the interior of the storage compartment and not movable toward the exterior of the storage compartment. Thus, articles in the storage box can be prevented from falling off in the moving process.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1A, the exterior surface of the second sidewall 1024 of the container 100 can also provide a display screen 120, a two-dimensional code scanning window 122, a concealed push-to-service door lock 124, and a detachable cabinet docking frame 126. The display 120 can display information about the cargo container 100, such as the storage status of the internal storage bins 104 a-104 c. The two-dimensional code scanning window 122 may be used to scan an externally provided two-dimensional code, which may contain information for authenticating an identity or extracting an item. The concealed push service door lock 124 may be opened when pushed for servicing by a worker. The detachable cabinet docking frame 126 may be used to dock with a robot that delivers items to bring items stored in the storage bins 104 a-104 c of the container 100 into the robot.

In some embodiments, the container 100 can further comprise a control unit (not shown in the figures) for providing control instructions and drive signals to the components of the container 100. For example, the first conveying mechanism 108, the second conveying mechanism 110, the pushing mechanism 114, and the pushing and pulling mechanism 118 may respectively include control motors, and the control unit may provide corresponding control commands or driving signals to the control motors, so that the control motors drive the components to perform corresponding operations.

In some embodiments, the control unit may be utilized to implement the dispatch of the storage bins. FIG. 2 shows a schematic of a method 300 of dispatching storage bins of a freight container 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented by the control unit and may comprise the following steps.

In step 302, the control unit may receive an instruction to fetch or store. Wherein, the fetching instruction can be an instruction to fetch an object stored in a certain storage box of the container 100, and the storing instruction can be an instruction to store an object in a certain storage box of the container 100.

In step 304, the control unit may determine a corresponding target storage box according to the fetching instruction or the storage instruction. For example, when a fetching instruction is received, the fetching instruction may include information of which storage compartment the item to be fetched is stored in, so that the control unit may determine the corresponding target storage compartment. For another example, when the storage command is received, the control unit may confirm that any empty storage box is the target storage box according to information of currently known empty storage boxes.

At step 306, the control unit may control the first transport mechanism 108 (e.g., control a control motor that can drive the traction mechanism 1084) to move the second transport mechanism 110 to align the second transport mechanism 110 with a placement location at which the bin is to be placed (e.g., the placement location 106B at which the bin 104B of fig. 1B is to be placed).

At step 308, the control unit may control the second transfer mechanism 110 to remove a bin (e.g., bin 104B of fig. 1B) from a placement location (e.g., placement location 106B of fig. 1B).

In some embodiments, the control unit may further perform the following steps to implement step 308: responsive to the second transfer mechanism 110 being aligned with a placement location (e.g., placement location 106B of fig. 1B) at which a locker (e.g., locker 104B of fig. 1B) is placed, controlling movement of the moving bracket 1104 in the second transfer direction 204 toward the placement location at which the locker is placed; in response to the moving bracket 1104 moving to the first target position (the position shown in fig. 3A), controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move upwards, so that the second fixing pin 1106 on the upper surface of the moving bracket 1104 is clamped and fixed with the second opening arranged on the lower surface of the fixing protrusion of the storage box, as shown in fig. 3B; continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the movable support 1104 to move upwards, so that the first fixing pin of the placing position is separated from the first opening of the storage box; and controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move away from the placing position of the placing locker in the second conveying direction 204 so that the moving bracket 1104 can be retracted into the first conveying mechanism 108, as shown in fig. 3C. Therefore, the movable support is well aligned and fixed with the storage box, and the storage box is stably taken.

At step 310, the control unit may control the first transport mechanism 108 to move the second transport mechanism 110 to align the second transport mechanism 110 with the access opening 112, as shown in fig. 3D.

In response to receiving the access instruction, the control unit may control the pushing mechanism 114 to push the article in the storage bin out of the access opening 112 at step 312.

In response to receiving the storage command, the control unit may control the push-pull mechanism 118 to pull up the access flap 116 to expose the access opening 112, such that the article can be inserted from the outside to be placed in the storage box at step 314.

After the object taking or storage is completed, the control unit needs to put the storage box back to the original position. Therefore, the control unit may further perform the steps of:

controlling the first transfer mechanism 108 to move the second transfer mechanism 110 carrying the storage box to align the second transfer mechanism 110 with the empty placement position, as shown in fig. 3C;

controlling the second transfer mechanism 110 to move the storage box into the placing position; and

the first transfer mechanism 108 is controlled to move the second transfer mechanism 110 so as to return the second transfer mechanism 110 to the initial position.

In some embodiments, the control unit controls the second transfer mechanism to move the storage box into the placing position, and may be further realized by performing the following steps: in response to the second conveying mechanism 110 being aligned with the vacant placement position, the first conveying mechanism 108 is controlled to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the movable support 1104 of the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards for a predetermined distance (which can be set according to actual needs, and preferably, the hook is higher than the grooved surface); controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move toward the vacant placing position in the second conveying direction 204; in response to the moving bracket 1104 moving to the second target position (the position shown in fig. 3B), controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move downwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move downwards, so that the hook of the storage box is in clamping fit with the slot of the placing position; continuing to control the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move downwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move downwards, so that the second fixing pin of the moving bracket 1104 is separated from the second opening of the storage box, as shown in fig. 3A; and controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move away from the placing position of the placing locker in the second conveying direction 204 so that the moving bracket 1104 can be retracted into the first conveying mechanism 108, as shown in fig. 1B.

By performing the above steps, the control unit completes the dispatching of the storage box.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that, the container provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure realizes the storage of the articles by providing the storage box, and prevents the problem that the articles are difficult to take (due to different shapes of the articles) and the articles are easy to damage when the articles are directly taken, which are easily caused when the articles are directly stored.

Furthermore, the embodiment of the disclosure also provides a better method for dispatching the storage box, so that the storage box dispatching can be better realized.

The embodiment of the disclosure also provides a combined container to solve the problem that the storage capacity of a single container is insufficient.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary packing cabinet 400 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 4, an assembled container 400 can include two containers 100a and 100 b. The containers 100a and 100b are arranged side by side and can be fixedly connected to each other by means of connection means, for example screws. The containers 100a and 100b can be any embodiment or arrangement, combination of embodiments of the containers 100 described previously.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the containers 100a and 100b may include extraction openings 112a and 112b, respectively, and the extraction openings 112a and 112b are disposed at different positions, so that the extraction openings 112a and 112b may be respectively docked with robots (not shown) provided with extraction components having different heights.

It will be appreciated that the modular container 400 can be further augmented with more containers to store more items, depending on the actual needs. When more containers are arranged, the fetching openings of the newly-added containers may be different from the fetching openings 112a and 112b, or may be the same as one of the fetching openings, which may be specifically designed, and thus are not described herein again.

The embodiment of the disclosure also provides a method for better realizing the dispatching of the storage boxes, which is applied to any embodiment of the container 100 or the arrangement and combination of the embodiments. Fig. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary locker scheduling method 300 provided by an embodiment of the disclosure. The method 300 may include the following steps.

In step 302, the control unit of the container 100 can receive an instruction to fetch or store.

In step 304, the control unit may determine a corresponding target storage box according to the fetching instruction or the storage instruction. For example, when a fetching instruction is received, the fetching instruction may include information of which storage compartment the item to be fetched is stored in, so that the control unit may determine the corresponding target storage compartment. For another example, when the storage command is received, the control unit may confirm that any empty storage box is the target storage box according to information of currently known empty storage boxes.

At step 306, the control unit may control the first transport mechanism 108 (e.g., control a control motor that can drive the traction mechanism 1084) to move the second transport mechanism 110 to align the second transport mechanism 110 with a placement location at which the bin is to be placed (e.g., the placement location 106B at which the bin 104B of fig. 1B is to be placed).

At step 308, the control unit may control the second transfer mechanism 110 to remove a bin (e.g., bin 104B of fig. 1B) from a placement location (e.g., placement location 106B of fig. 1B).

In some embodiments, the control unit may further perform the following steps to implement step 308: responsive to the second transfer mechanism 110 being aligned with a placement location (e.g., placement location 106B of fig. 1B) at which a locker (e.g., locker 104B of fig. 1B) is placed, controlling movement of the moving bracket 1104 in the second transfer direction 204 toward the placement location at which the locker is placed; in response to the moving bracket 1104 moving to the first target position (the position shown in fig. 3A), controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move upwards, so that the second fixing pin 1106 on the upper surface of the moving bracket 1104 is clamped and fixed with the second opening arranged on the lower surface of the fixing protrusion of the storage box, as shown in fig. 3B; continuously controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the movable support 1104 to move upwards, so that the first fixing pin of the placing position is separated from the first opening of the storage box; and controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move away from the placing position of the placing locker in the second conveying direction 204 so that the moving bracket 1104 can be retracted into the first conveying mechanism 108, as shown in fig. 3C. Therefore, the movable support is well aligned and fixed with the storage box, and the storage box is stably taken.

At step 310, the control unit may control the first transfer mechanism 108 to move the second transfer mechanism 110 to move the storage bin to a designated position, e.g., a position aligned with the access opening 112, as shown in fig. 3D.

In response to receiving the access instruction, the control unit may control the pushing mechanism to push the article in the storage box out of the access opening at step 312.

In response to receiving the storage command, the control unit may control the push-pull mechanism 118 to pull up the access flap 116 to expose the access opening 112, such that the article can be inserted from the outside to be placed in the storage box at step 314.

After the object taking or storage is completed, the control unit needs to put the storage box back to the original position. Accordingly, the method 300 may further include the steps of:

the control unit may control the first transport mechanism 108 to move the second transport mechanism 110 carrying the bins to align the second transport mechanism 110 with the empty placement position, as shown in fig. 3C;

the control unit may control the second transfer mechanism 110 to move the storage box into the placing position; and

the control unit may control the first transfer mechanism 108 to move the second transfer mechanism 110 to return the second transfer mechanism 110 to the initial position.

In some embodiments, the control unit controls the second transfer mechanism to move the storage box into the placing position, and may be further realized by performing the following steps: in response to the second conveying mechanism 110 being aligned with the vacant placement position, the first conveying mechanism 108 is controlled to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards so as to drive the movable support 1104 of the second conveying mechanism 110 to move upwards for a predetermined distance (which can be set according to actual needs, and preferably, the hook is higher than the grooved surface); controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move toward the vacant placing position in the second conveying direction 204; in response to the moving bracket 1104 moving to the second target position (the position shown in fig. 3B), controlling the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move downwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move downwards, so that the hook of the storage box is in clamping fit with the slot of the placing position; continuing to control the first conveying mechanism 108 to drive the second conveying mechanism 110 to move downwards so as to drive the moving bracket 1104 to move downwards, so that the second fixing pin of the moving bracket 1104 is separated from the second opening of the storage box, as shown in fig. 3A; and controlling the moving bracket 1104 to move away from the placing position of the placing locker in the second conveying direction 204 so that the moving bracket 1104 can be retracted into the first conveying mechanism 108, as shown in fig. 1B.

By performing the above steps, the control unit completes the dispatching of the storage box.

It should be noted that the above describes some embodiments of the disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than in the embodiments described above and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing may also be possible or may be advantageous.

Based on the same inventive concept, corresponding to any of the above-mentioned embodiments of the method, the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the program, the method 300 according to any of the above embodiments is implemented.

Fig. 5 shows a more specific hardware structure diagram of the electronic device 500 provided in this embodiment. The apparatus 500 may include: a processor 502, a memory 504, an input/output interface 506, a communication interface 508, and a bus 510. Wherein the processor 502, memory 504, input/output interface 506, and communication interface 508 are communicatively coupled to each other within the device via bus 510.

The processor 502 may be implemented by a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), a microprocessor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or one or more Integrated circuits, and is configured to execute related programs to implement the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present specification.

The Memory 504 may be implemented in the form of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a static storage device, a dynamic storage device, or the like. The memory 504 may store an operating system and other application programs, and when the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present specification is implemented by software or firmware, the relevant program codes are stored in the memory 504 and called to be executed by the processor 502.

The input/output interface 506 is used for connecting an input/output module to realize information input and output. The i/o module may be configured as a component in a device (not shown) or may be external to the device to provide a corresponding function. The input devices may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a microphone, various sensors, etc., and the output devices may include a display, a speaker, a vibrator, an indicator light, etc.

The communication interface 508 is used for connecting a communication module (not shown in the figure) to realize communication interaction between the device and other devices. The communication module can realize communication in a wired mode (such as USB, network cable and the like) and also can realize communication in a wireless mode (such as mobile network, WIFI, Bluetooth and the like).

Bus 510 includes a path that transfers information between the various components of the device, such as processor 502, memory 504, input/output interface 506, and communication interface 508.

It should be noted that although the above-described device only shows the processor 502, the memory 504, the input/output interface 506, the communication interface 508, and the bus 510, in a specific implementation, the device may also include other components necessary for normal operation. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-described apparatus may also include only those components necessary to implement the embodiments of the present description, and not necessarily all of the components shown in the figures.

The electronic device of the above embodiment is used to implement the method 300 corresponding to any one of the foregoing embodiments, and has the beneficial effects of the corresponding method embodiment, which are not described herein again.

Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the method 300 according to any of the above embodiments, corresponding to any of the above-described embodiment methods.

Computer-readable media of the present embodiments, including both non-transitory and non-transitory, removable and non-removable media, may implement information storage by any method or technology. The information may be computer readable instructions, data structures, modules of a program, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), other types of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device.

The computer instructions stored in the storage medium of the above embodiment are used to enable the computer to execute the method 300 according to any of the above embodiments, and have the beneficial effects of the corresponding method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The present disclosure also provides, based on the same inventive concept, a computer program product comprising a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions thereon, corresponding to any of the embodiment methods 300 described above. In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions are executable by one or more processors to cause the processors to perform the method 300. The processor executing the corresponding steps may belong to the corresponding execution subject corresponding to the corresponding steps in the embodiments of the method 300, and each execution subject may be implemented by using one or more computer devices 500, and when implemented by using a plurality of computer devices 500, the form may be distributed.

The computer program product of the foregoing embodiment is used for enabling a processor to execute the method 300 according to any of the foregoing embodiments, and has the advantages of corresponding method embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the discussion of any embodiment above is meant to be exemplary only, and is not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples; within the idea of the present disclosure, also technical features in the above embodiments or in different embodiments may be combined, steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

In addition, well-known power/ground connections to Integrated Circuit (IC) chips and other components may or may not be shown in the provided figures for simplicity of illustration and discussion, and so as not to obscure the embodiments of the disclosure. Furthermore, devices may be shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring embodiments of the present disclosure, and this also takes into account the fact that specifics with respect to implementation of such block diagram devices are highly dependent upon the platform within which the embodiments of the present disclosure are to be implemented (i.e., specifics should be well within purview of one skilled in the art). Where specific details (e.g., circuits) are set forth in order to describe example embodiments of the disclosure, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without, or with variation of, these specific details. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded as illustrative instead of restrictive.

While the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications, and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description. For example, other memory architectures (e.g., dynamic ram (dram)) may use the discussed embodiments.

The disclosed embodiments are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances which fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalents, improvements, and the like that may be made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.