Platoon control method

Abstract

A platoon control method, device, electronic device, and storage medium are provided. The platoon control method is used for controlling a platoon of robots (30), and includes a step (S201) of determining a planned route for each robot (30) in the robot platoon, a step (S202) of determining a following section in the planned route for each following robot based on the planned route of each robot (30), and a step (S203) of transmitting the following section to the corresponding following robot, causing each following robot to enter a following mode at a start point of the following section, follow the preceding vehicle, and reach an aisle corresponding to a target storage position, and / or terminate the following mode at an end point of the following section, reach the target storage position, and perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task, where the planned route of each robot (30) is used to instruct a movement path for the robot (30) when the robot (30) moves to a corresponding target storage position in a rack (50) area and performs a task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on June 30, 2021, application number 202110745074.8, entitled "Formation control method, device, electronic device, and storage medium," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to intelligent control technology, in particular to a platoon control method. By law Regarding. [Background technology]

[0003] In the traditional warehousing industry, it was necessary to spend a large amount of manpower and time costs on transporting and moving luggage. In order to save on manpower costs, autonomous mobile equipment dedicated to transporting luggage has appeared by combining intelligent control technology. These autonomous mobile equipment, also known as robot carts, can autonomously climb racks, pick up luggage, and transport the luggage, greatly improving the efficiency of luggage transportation in warehouses. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] These robot carts usually work independently and can move freely within the work area. As the size of warehouses increases, the use of robot carts also increases. For the system to control each cart in real time, huge computing power is required, which causes excessive load on the system.

[0005] This application is a method for controlling a platoon that solves the problem of a large computational load in a warehouse system. Law provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] As a first aspect, the present application provides a formation control method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one following robot, the method being applied to a leader robot and including the steps of: determining a planned route for each robot in the robot formation, the planned route being for instructing the robot along a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location in a rack area to perform a task; determining a following section in the planned route for each following robot based on the planned route of each robot; and transmitting the following section to the corresponding following robot to cause each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and proceed by following the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or ending the following mode at the end of the following section and reaching the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task, the following section including a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0007] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, with multiple storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot array are all located within the same aisle, and the step of determining a planned route for each robot in the robot array includes the steps of receiving tasks to be performed by the robot array transmitted from a server, the number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot array; assigning tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail on which the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot array; and determining a planned route for the robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task assigned to each robot, and the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle to the vertical rail.

[0008] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, with multiple storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot platoon are all located within the same aisle, the platoon control method further includes a step of receiving a task to be performed by the leader robot transmitted from a server, the task being transmitted by the server after the server assigns a task to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail on which the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed by the robot platoon is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot platoon, the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle of the vertical rail, and the step of determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon includes a step of receiving the planned route for each robot transmitted from the server, the planned route determined by the server based on the depth of the vertical rail corresponding to the task assigned to each robot and the altitude of the target storage position.

[0009] Optionally, the step of assigning tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage location, and the positional order of each robot in the robot formation includes the steps of dividing the robot formation into multiple sub-formations based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, assigning tasks to be performed that correspond to the same vertical rail to one sub-formation, and sequentially assigning, in each sub-formation, tasks to be performed that correspond to a higher corresponding target storage location to robots that are earlier in the sub-formation.

[0010] Optionally, the step of determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of a target storage location corresponding to the task assigned to the robot includes a step of formulating a first route to reach the vertical rail for the robots in each sub-formation based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, and a step of formulating a second route to reach the target storage location for each robot in each sub-formation based on the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed.

[0011] Optionally, the method further includes a step of transmitting driving status information of the vehicle to the following vehicle in real time during the following section, and causing the following vehicle to adjust its turning angle based on the driving status information of the leader robot after a predetermined interval of time, and to proceed by following the leader robot.

[0012] Optionally, the method further includes a step of sharing driving status information of the leader robot in real time via a platoon ad hoc network within the following section, and having each following robot in the platoon adjust its turning angle based on the driving status information of the leader robot after (N-1)T time, and follow the leading vehicle, where N is the position order of each robot in the platoon, and T is a predetermined interval time.

[0013] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at a formation position based on the formation signal; transmitting arrival time information to the server, causing the server to determine the positional order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information, linking the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the positional order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting role identification information to each robot; receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server; and determining this vehicle as the leader robot after the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot is received.

[0014] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the step including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at the formation position based on the formation signal; detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position; if no other robots are present at the formation position, determining this vehicle as the leader robot; and transmitting the vehicle's serial number and role identification information corresponding to the leader robot to the server, and having the server determine the role and position order of each robot within the formation based on the role identification information of this vehicle and the role identification information transmitted from other robots belonging to the same robot formation as this vehicle.

[0015] As a second aspect, the present application provides a formation control method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one following robot, the method being applied to a following robot and including the steps of receiving a planned route transmitted from the leader robot, the planned route being transmitted by the leader robot after determining a planned route for each robot in the robot formation and determining a following section in the planned route for each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, and entering a following mode at the start of the following section and following the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or ending the following mode at the end of the following section to reach the target storage location and perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task, the planned route of each robot being used to instruct a movement path for the robot when going to the corresponding target storage location in the rack area to perform the task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0016] Optionally, the method further includes a step of receiving driving state information transmitted in real time from the leading vehicle within the following section, and updating relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information of the leading vehicle after a predetermined interval of time, and proceeding by following the leading vehicle, and / or a step of transmitting driving state information of the vehicle to the rear vehicle in real time, and causing the rear vehicle to update relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information after a predetermined interval of time, and proceeding by following the leading vehicle.

[0017] Optionally, the step of entering a following mode at the start of the following section and following the leading vehicle to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or ending the following mode at the end of the following section and reaching the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task includes a step of extending the coupling mechanism forward at the start of the following section to achieve coupling with the leading vehicle and following the leading vehicle to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or a step of disconnecting the coupling with the leading vehicle at the end of the following section, retrieving the coupling mechanism, reaching the target storage location and performing a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0018] Optionally, the step of entering a following mode at the start of the following section and following the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position includes the steps of starting to detect the distance to the vehicle in front in real time from the start of the following section using a sensor, and adjusting the movement state of this vehicle in real time based on the detected distance to the vehicle in front and a specified distance range, maintaining the distance to the vehicle in front within a specified distance range, and following the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at a formation position based on the formation signal; transmitting arrival time information to the server, causing the server to determine the positional order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information, linking the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the positional order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting role identification information to each robot; receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server; and determining the vehicle as the following robot after the role identification information corresponding to the following robot is received.

[0020] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at the formation position based on the formation signal; detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position; if other robots are present at the formation position, determining that this vehicle is a following robot; and transmitting the vehicle's serial number and role identification information corresponding to the following robot to the server, and having the server determine the role and position order of each robot within the formation based on the role identification information transmitted from each robot.

[0021] As a third aspect, the present application provides a formation control method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one following robot, the method being applied to a server and including the steps of: determining a planned route for each robot in the robot formation, the planned route being for instructing the robot along a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location in a rack area to perform a task; transmitting the planned route for each robot to the leader robot, causing the leader robot to determine a following section in the planned route for each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, causing each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and proceed by following the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or ending the following mode at the end of the following section and reaching the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task, the following section including a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0022] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, determining a position order in the formation of corresponding robots based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and determining a role in the formation of each robot based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0023] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information; and receiving the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification InformationThe method includes a step of receiving the vehicle serial number and corresponding role identification information transmitted after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a step of determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0024] As a fourth aspect, the present application provides a formation control method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one following robot, the method being applied to a server and including the steps of: determining a planned route for each robot in the robot formation, the planned route being for instructing the robot along a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location in a rack area to perform a task; determining a following section in the planned route for each following robot, the following section including a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically; and transmitting the following section to the corresponding following robot, to cause each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and proceed by following the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0025] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, determining a position order in the formation of corresponding robots based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and determining a role in the formation of each robot based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0026] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information; and receiving the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification Information The method includes a step of receiving the vehicle serial number and corresponding role identification information transmitted after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a step of determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0027] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a platoon control device that includes a planned route determination module for determining a planned route for each robot in a robot platoon, the planned route being for instructing the robot along a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location within a rack area to perform a task; a following section determination module for determining a following section in the planned route of each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, the following section including a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically; and a transmission module for transmitting the following section to the corresponding following robot, so as to cause each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and proceed by following the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0028] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, with multiple storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot array are all located within the same aisle, and the planned route determination module specifically receives tasks to be performed by the robot array sent from a server, a number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot array, assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot array, and is used to determine a planned route for the robots based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task assigned to each robot, and the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle to the vertical rail.

[0029] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, with multiple storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot platoon are all located within the same aisle, the device further includes a receiving module for receiving tasks to be performed by the leader robot transmitted from a server, the tasks being transmitted by the server after the server assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage positions corresponding to the tasks to be performed by the robot platoon are located, the altitude of the target storage positions, and the positional order of each robot in the robot platoon, the depth corresponding to the vertical rail being the distance from the entrance of the aisle to the vertical rail, and the planned route determination module is specifically used to receive the planned routes of each robot transmitted from the server, which are planned routes of each robot determined by the server based on the depth of the vertical rail corresponding to the tasks assigned to each robot and the altitude of the target storage positions.

[0030] Optionally, when the planned route determination module assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage location, and the positional order of each robot in the robot formation, specifically, the planned route determination module is used to divide the robot formation into multiple sub-formations based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, assign tasks to be performed that correspond to the same vertical rail to one sub-formation, and in each sub-formation, sequentially assign tasks to be performed that correspond to a higher target storage location to robots that are further back in the sub-formation.

[0031] Optionally, when determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of a target storage location corresponding to the task assigned to each robot, the planned route determination module is used, in particular, to formulate a first route for each robot in each sub-formation to reach the vertical rail based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, and to formulate a second route for each robot in each sub-formation to reach the target storage location based on the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed.

[0032] Optionally, said Transmitting Module Further, in the following section, the vehicle's driving state information is transmitted in real time to the following vehicle, and the following vehicle is made to adjust the turning angle based on the driving state information of the leader robot after a predetermined interval of time, and proceed while following the leader robot. It is used for this purpose.

[0033] Optionally, the transmission module is further used to share the running status information of the leader robot in real time via the platoon ad hoc network within the following section, so as to allow each following robot in the platoon to adjust its turning angle based on the running status information of the leader robot after (N-1)T time, and to follow the vehicle in front, where N is the position order of each robot in the platoon, and T is a predetermined interval time.

[0034] Optionally, the device further includes a receiving module, a movement module, and a role determination module, wherein the receiving module is used for receiving a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information transmitted from a server, the movement module is used for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, the transmission module is further used for transmitting arrival time information to the server to enable the server to determine the position order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information, combine the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmit role identification information to each robot, the receiving module is further used for receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server, and the role determination module is used for determining the vehicle as the leader robot after the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot is received.

[0035] Optionally, the device further includes a receiving module for receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information, a movement module for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, a detection module for detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position, and a role determination module for determining this vehicle as the leader robot if no other robots are present at the formation position, and the transmission module is further used to transmit the serial number of this vehicle and role identification information corresponding to the leader robot to the server, and to have the server determine the role and position order of each robot within the formation based on the role identification information of this vehicle and the role identification information transmitted from other robots belonging to the same robot formation as this vehicle.

[0036] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a platoon control device that includes a planned route transmitted from a leader robot after the leader robot determines a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon and determines a following section in the planned route for each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, and a following module that enters a following mode at the start of the following section and follows the leading vehicle to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or ends the following mode at the end of the following section and reaches the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task, and the planned route of each robot is used to instruct the robot on a movement path when going to the corresponding target storage location in the rack area to perform the task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0037] Optionally, the receiving module is used to receive driving state information transmitted in real time from the leading vehicle within the following section, and the device further includes a parameter update module for updating relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information of the leading vehicle after a predetermined interval time and proceeding to follow the leading vehicle, and / or the device further includes a transmitting module for transmitting driving state information of the vehicle to the trailing vehicle in real time, causing the trailing vehicle to update relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information after a predetermined interval time and proceeding to follow the leading vehicle.

[0038] Optionally, the following module is specifically used to extend a coupling mechanism forward at the start point of the following section to achieve coupling with the leading vehicle, follow the leading vehicle to proceed to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position, and / or to disconnect the coupling with the leading vehicle at the end point of the following section, retrieve the coupling mechanism, reach the target storage position, and perform a luggage retrieval task or a luggage storage task.

[0039] Optionally, when the following module enters a following mode at the start of the following section and follows the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position, specifically, it starts detecting the distance to the vehicle in front in real time from the start of the following section using a sensor, adjusts the movement state of the vehicle in real time based on the detected distance to the vehicle in front and a specified distance range, maintains the distance to the vehicle in front within a specified distance range, and follows the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position.

[0040] Optionally, the receiving module is further used for receiving a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information transmitted from a server, and the device further includes a movement module and a role determination module, wherein the movement module is used for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, and the transmitting module is further used for transmitting arrival time information to a server to enable the server to determine the position order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information by combining the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmit role identification information to each robot, and the receiving module is further used for receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server, and the role determination module is used for determining the vehicle as a following robot after the role identification information corresponding to the following robot is received.

[0041] Optionally, the receiving module is used to receive a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information, and the device further includes a movement module for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, a detection module for detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position, and a role determination module for determining that this vehicle is a following robot if other robots are present at the formation position, and the transmitting module is further used to transmit the serial number of this vehicle and role identification information corresponding to the following robot to the server, and to allow the server to determine the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information transmitted from each robot.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a platoon control device that includes: a route planning module for determining a planned route for each robot in a robot platoon, which is a planned route for each robot that instructs the robot on a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location within a rack area to perform a task; and a transmission module for transmitting the planned route for each robot to the leader robot, causing the leader robot to determine a following section in the planned route for each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, causing each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or terminate the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task, wherein the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0043] Optionally, the transmitting module is further used to transmit a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, thereby causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, and the device further includes a receiving module for receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, a position determination module for determining the position order of the corresponding robot in the formation based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and a role determination module for determining the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0044] Optionally, the transmission module is further used to transmit a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information, and the device further receives the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification Information the robot includes a receiving module for receiving the serial number of the vehicle and corresponding role identification information transmitted by the robot after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a role determination module for determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a platoon control device that includes a route planning module for determining a planned route for each robot in a robot platoon, the planned route being for instructing the robot along a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location within a rack area to perform a task; a following section determination module for determining a following section in the planned route of each following robot, the following section including a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically; and a transmission module for transmitting the following section to the corresponding following robot, so as to cause each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and proceed by following the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0046] Optionally, the transmitting module is further used to transmit a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, thereby causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, and the device further includes a receiving module for receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, a position determination module for determining the position order of the corresponding robot in the formation based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and a role determination module for determining the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0047] Optionally, the transmission module is further used to transmit a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information, and the device further receives the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification Informationthe robot includes a receiving module for receiving the serial number of the vehicle and corresponding role identification information transmitted by the robot after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a role determination module for determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides an electronic device comprising: a memory for storing program commands; and a processor adapted to execute a method according to the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect by calling and executing the program commands in the memory.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to realize a method according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect.

[0050] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides computer The program product is Including computer programs, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to the first, second, third or fourth aspect is realized.

[0051] The present application provides a platoon control method, a device, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The platoon control method is used for controlling a robot platoon including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, and the method is applied to a leader robot, and includes the steps of: determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon; determining a following section in the planned route for each follower robot based on the planned route for each robot; and transmitting the following section to a corresponding follower robot, so that each follower robot enters a following mode at a start point of the following section and follows a vehicle ahead to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or ends the following mode at an end point of the following section and reaches a target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task, and the planned route for each robot is used to instruct a moving path for the robot when the robot goes to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area to perform a task, and the following section includes a section located on a floor surface and / or a section extending vertically. The scheme of the present application organizes a robot platoon to unify management and control of the robots in the platoon, while giving some management authority to the leader robot. The leader robot determines the following section of each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, and transmits the information of the following section to the corresponding following robot, so that the following robot can enter a following mode in the following section and follow the vehicle in front. The control content of the warehouse system can be reduced, and the calculation load can be lightened. Effect of the Invention

[0052] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the calculation load of a warehouse system from becoming excessive. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0053] In order to more clearly describe the technical means in the present application or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. It is obvious that the drawings below are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0054] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one application scenario provided in this application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a formation control method provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3a] FIG. 3a is an overhead view of a warehouse in one scene provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3b] FIG. 3b is a side view of a rack in one scene provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another formation control method provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a formation control method provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another formation control method provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a formation control device provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of another formation control device provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a structural schematic diagram of another formation control device provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a structural schematic diagram of another formation control device provided in one embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0055] In order to make the purpose, technical means and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical scheme of the present application will be described below in a clear and comprehensive manner in combination with the drawings in the present application. Of course, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and are not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without the need for inventive or creative efforts all belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0056] As the size of warehouses continues to grow, the warehouse floor area is expanding, the number of racks is increasing, and the number of warehouse robots is also increasing. Usually, each robot is managed and controlled independently by the warehouse management system, but with the increase in the number of robots, the system needs to exert huge computing power for management, which causes the system load to become excessive.

[0057] For this purpose, the present application provides a formation control method, device, electronic device, and storage medium. By applying this method, robots can be organized into a formation, and managed and controlled in a unified formation, reducing the computational load of the system. Furthermore, by giving part of the management authority to the leader robot in the formation, the computational load of the system can be further reduced.

[0058] 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario provided in the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the application scenario includes a terminal device 10, a plurality of workstations 20, a plurality of robots 30, a warehouse 40, and a rack 50 for storing a plurality of items in the warehouse.

[0059] The terminal device 10 can be any type of electronic computing platform or device. It is the control center of the entire warehouse system. It has a corresponding storage space or computing power according to actual needs, and provides one or more application services or functions, such as receiving orders, allocating orders, directing orders, controlling robots to perform the tasks of loading and unloading goods, etc.

[0060] The workstation 20 is an integrated equipment for performing shipping operations. According to the actual shipping process or design requirements, one or more different types of operating mechanisms and function modules are installed, such as a put wall for temporarily storing luggage and a robot arm for picking luggage. The number of workstations can be determined by one or more indicators, such as the warehouse's land area, construction costs, luggage flow rate, shipping efficiency, etc. For example, three or more workstations can be installed.

[0061] The robot 30 is an automated device equipped with a travel mechanism that moves between the workstation 20 and the warehouse 40 to transport containers and perform loading and unloading operations. The travel mechanism can employ any suitable type of power system. The robot 30 can load at least one container at a time.

[0062] The warehouse 40 is an area for storing containers. For ease of management, multiple racks 50 can be installed in the warehouse 40, each rack 50 having multiple levels, each level having multiple storage positions used for placing containers, and each container stores at least one type of cargo. Here, a container refers to a container for carrying cargo, and can be a pallet, a box, etc.

[0063] The warehouse system assigns tasks to the robots 30 based on the status of the orders. Based on the tasks, the robots 30 transport containers in designated storage positions in the racks 50 to the workstations 20 or other positions in the warehouse 40, or transport containers in the workstations 20 or other positions in the warehouse 40 to designated storage positions in the racks 50. During the transportation of goods in this situation, the convoy control method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to form a convoy of multiple robots 30, and unified task allocation and management control can be performed for multiple robots 30 in the same convoy.

[0064] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a formation control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method of this embodiment is used to control a robot formation. The robot formation includes a leader robot and at least one follower robot. The method is applied to the leader robot. As shown in FIG. 2, the method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0065] S201: A planned route for each robot in the robot formation is determined.

[0066] The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on the path along which it should travel to reach a corresponding target storage location within a rack area and perform a task.

[0067] In this application, a task refers to a task of retrieving and / or storing luggage. A target storage location refers to a storage location corresponding to a container to be retrieved and / or a container to be stored.

[0068] The planned routes of each robot in the formation may be formulated by the server based on the tasks assigned to each robot, and then transmitted collectively to the leader robot, which then transmits the planned routes of each following robot to the corresponding following robot. Alternatively, the server may formulate the planned routes of each robot based on the tasks assigned to each robot, and then transmit them collectively to the leader robot, while simultaneously transmitting the planned routes of each following robot to the corresponding following robot.

[0069] Alternatively, the server may send task information to be assigned to the leader robot, which then assigns the tasks to be assigned, and in conjunction with the task assignment status, formulate planned routes for each following robot in the formation, and send these to the corresponding following robots.

[0070] Alternatively, the server may transmit the task allocation status to the leader robot, which may then link the task allocation status to formulate planned routes for each following robot in the formation and transmit them to the corresponding following robots.

[0071] Regardless of which of the above allocation methods is adopted, the leader robot ultimately decides the planned route for each robot in the formation.

[0072] S202: Based on the planned route of each robot, a following section in the planned route of each following robot is determined.

[0073] The following section may include a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0074] In the platoon, the robots are lined up in a fixed position order, and the planned route of each following cart may include a route section that is the same as the planned route of the preceding cart. This route section is called the following section. In the following section, the following cart can proceed by following the preceding cart, and the server or the leader cart does not need to manage and control the following cart independently.

[0075] According to the difference in the planned route of each following cart and the difference in the planned route of the leading cart, the following section may include only the section located on the floor surface, or may include both the section located on the floor surface and the section extending vertically. In this application, extending vertically means going straight up or straight down perpendicular to the floor. In other words, in this application, the robot can not only travel on the floor surface, but also travel in the vertical direction of the rack and climb to the target storage position.

[0076] In this application, the term "leading vehicle" refers to the robot in front of a given robot that is adjacent to the given robot in the direction of travel, and the term "rear vehicle" refers to the robot in the rear of a given robot that is adjacent to the given robot in the direction of travel.

[0077] S203: The following section is transmitted to the corresponding following robot, and each following robot is caused to enter a following mode at the start point of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or to end the following mode at the end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0078] The leader robot transmits the determined following section of the planned route for each following robot to the corresponding following robot. In response, each following robot receives the corresponding following section.

[0079] The following section is a single section with a starting point and an end point. When the following robot detects that it has reached the starting point of the following section while traveling, it enters a following mode and follows the vehicle in front, and when it reaches the end point of the following section, it ends the following mode.

[0080] When going to a rack in a warehouse to put in or take out an item, the following process may reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage location. Referring to FIG. 1, the path between two racks 50 is an aisle. The location where the planned route finally arrives is the target storage location.

[0081] In some embodiments, all of the robots in the platoon may assemble at the platoon formation location and then depart together toward the rack area in the warehouse. In such a case, the starting point of the following section is the platoon formation location.

[0082] The method for controlling a robot platoon including a leader robot and at least one follower robot is applied to the leader robot and includes the steps of: determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon; determining a following section in the planned route for each follower robot based on the planned route for each robot; and transmitting the following section to the corresponding follower robot to cause each follower robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage location, and / or terminate the following mode at the end of the following section to reach the target storage location and perform a baggage pick-up task or baggage storage task. The planned route for each robot is used to indicate a movement path for the robot to move to the corresponding target storage location in the rack area to perform the task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor and / or a section extending vertically. The scheme of the present application is to unify management and control of the robots in the platoon by forming a robot platoon, and to give part of the management authority to the leader robot. The leader robot determines the following section for each of the following robots based on the planned route of each robot, and transmits the information of the following section to the corresponding following robot so that the following robot can enter a following mode in the following section and follow the vehicle in front. This reduces the control content of the warehouse system and reduces the calculation load.

[0083] In some embodiments, each rack is equipped with multiple vertical rails for robots to climb, and multiple storage positions are provided corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot array are all located within the same aisle, and the step of determining a planned route for each robot in the robot array includes the steps of receiving tasks to be performed by the robot array transmitted from a server, the number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot array, and assigning a task to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot array, and the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle of the vertical rail, and the planned route for the robot is determined based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task assigned to each robot.

[0084] In order to simplify the process of controlling the formation, when allocating tasks, all the robots in the formation may be assigned tasks in the same passage. In this way, the passage to be reached by each robot in the formation will be the same, making the route planning process simpler and at the same time increasing the proportion of the following section. Specifically, in the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2, a method was explained in which "the server transmits task information to be assigned to the leader robot, the leader robot assigns the tasks to be assigned, and in addition, in conjunction with the task allocation status, the planned route of each following robot for each robot in the formation is formulated and transmitted to the corresponding following robot." In this embodiment, the server transmits the task to be executed to the leader robot in the robot formation, and the leader robot assigns the task to each robot in the formation (including the leader robot itself and other following robots) based on the position of the target storage position corresponding to the task. After that, a route is formulated for each robot based on the position of the target storage position, and each planned route is determined.

[0085] The formation of the robot convoy is controlled by the server as necessary. For example, if containers need to be taken out from 10 target storage positions in the same passage and each robot carries one container, the server searches for 10 free robots and forms the convoy. Furthermore, one of the robots is selected as the leader robot and the 10 tasks to be executed are sent to this leader robot. In this way, it is guaranteed that the number of robots in the convoy matches the number of tasks to be executed. To explain further, the fact that the number of robots in the convoy matches the number of tasks to be executed does not mean that the number of robots in the convoy is "equal" to the number of tasks to be executed, but that the number of containers that the robots in the convoy can carry is equal to or greater than the number of containers corresponding to the tasks to be executed. For example, if a certain robot can carry a maximum of four containers, it can be arranged to carry a different number of containers, from 1 to 4, based on the actual situation.

[0086] In some other embodiments, each rack is equipped with multiple vertical rails for robots to climb, and multiple storage positions are provided corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot platoon are all located within the same aisle, and the method further includes a step of receiving a task to be performed by the leader robot transmitted from a server, the task being transmitted by the server after the server assigns a task to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed by the robot platoon is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot platoon, and the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle of the vertical rail, and the step of determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon includes a step of receiving a planned route for each robot transmitted from the server, and the planned route is determined by the server based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task assigned to each robot.

[0087] Specifically, in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 2, a method was explained in which "the server formulates a plan based on the tasks assigned to each robot and transmits it collectively to the leader robot." In this embodiment, however, the server assigns a task to each robot based on the target storage location corresponding to the task to be executed and the positional order of each robot in the formation, formulates a route for each robot based on the assignment results, determines the planned route for each robot, and transmits them collectively to the leader robot.

[0088] Although the task allocation part is still performed by the server, the server side reduces the management and control of the progress process of the following cart. Correspondingly, the robot side does not need to perform task allocation and route planning, which reduces the energy consumption of the robot, reduces the functional requirements, and effectively reduces costs.

[0089] The step of assigning tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot formation, as presented in the two embodiments above, specifically includes the steps of dividing the robot formation into multiple sub-formations based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, assigning tasks to be performed that correspond to the same vertical rail to one sub-formation, and sequentially assigning tasks to be performed in each sub-formation that correspond to a higher target storage position to a robot that is further forward in the sub-formation.

[0090] The depth of the vertical rail refers to the depth distance from the entrance of the vertical rail passage.

[0091] FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of a scene corresponding to the above two embodiments, which is an overhead view of a warehouse. Between rack A and rack B is an aisle [1] (indicated by the circled number 1 in the figure). FIG. 3b is a side view of rack A as seen from rack B. Rack A has four vertical rails, and four storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail. There are four tasks to be performed, which correspond to the first storage position on vertical rail L1 of rack A, the second storage position on vertical rail L2, the third storage position on vertical rail L3, and the second storage position on vertical rail L4, respectively. The server selects four robots to form a formation. The four robots are named 01, 02, 03, and 04 according to their position order in the formation. In the figure, Line shows the travel lines defined in the warehouse. According to the travel lines defined in the warehouse, the entrance of [1] can be identified as the upper end of [1] in the figure. Then, the vertical rail L1 has the deepest depth, followed by L2, L3, and L4 in that order. Therefore, the task corresponding to the first storage position on L1 is assigned to robot 01, and the task corresponding to the second storage position on vertical rail L2 is assigned to robot 02. Assign the task corresponding to to Robot 02 , a task corresponding to the third storage position on vertical rail L3 is assigned to robot 03, and a task corresponding to the second storage position on vertical rail L4 is assigned to robot 04.

[0092] Therefore, the step of determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task assigned to each robot includes a step of formulating a first route to reach the vertical rail for the robots in each sub-formation based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, and a step of formulating a second route to reach the target storage location for each robot in each sub-formation based on the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed.

[0093] When planning a route, the planning is divided into two stages. The first stage is until the passage entrance is reached. Because all tasks in the entire formation correspond to the same passage, each robot in the formation must reach the passage entrance of the same passage. Therefore, the first route in the first stage is planned uniformly for the entire formation. The second stage is from the passage entrance to the storage position. Because the corresponding storage positions of each robot in the formation are different, the second route in the second stage must be planned for each robot individually.

[0094] As can be seen, in this scenario, the first route is actually a common section through which the entire platoon passes, that is, the first route belongs to the following section. In the process of determining the following following section, the second route can actually be directly analyzed and the first route added to it.

[0095] 3a and 3b, the solid line section is an example of a planned route. The starting point of the planned route is the current location of each robot and is the formation position of the formation. An area may be set in the warehouse as the default formation position of the formation.

[0096] It can be seen that in the planned routes of FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b, the following section of the robot 02 is a1a2, the following section of the robot 03 is b1b2, and the following section of the robot 04 is c1c2.

[0097] In the following section, in order to ensure that following can be achieved, it is necessary to mechanically connect the robot to the front and rear vehicles, or to maintain synchronization of the driving states through communication methods.

[0098] Specifically, in some embodiments, the above method further includes a step of transmitting driving status information of the vehicle to the following vehicle in real time during the following section, and having the following vehicle adjust its turning angle based on the driving status information of the leader robot after a predetermined interval of time, and proceed by following the leader robot.

[0099] The robots in the platoon can share driving status information with the following robot in real time. The leader robot can transmit its driving status information, such as speed, acceleration, and turning angle, to the following robot in real time. The following robot needs to ensure that its speed and acceleration match those of the leader robot, and the turning angle needs to be adjusted after a certain interval of time. The same applies to the other robots in the platoon. There is a certain safety distance between the robots in the platoon, and if the following robot is traveling at the same speed as the leader robot, it will reach the current location of the leader robot after a certain interval of time has passed.

[0100] In some other embodiments, the above method further includes a step of sharing driving status information of the leader robot in real time via a platoon ad hoc network within the following section, and having each following robot in the platoon adjust its turning angle based on the driving status information of the leader robot after (N-1)T time, and follow the leading vehicle, where N is the position order of each robot in the platoon, and T is a predetermined interval time.

[0101] The leader robot in the platoon shares driving status information with all the following robots in real time via the platoon ad hoc network. If the position order of the leader robot in the platoon is set to 1, the position order of the leader robot's following robots in the platoon is 2, and the position orders of the other following robots increase sequentially. As in the above embodiment, each robot cart needs to maintain the same speed and acceleration as the leader robot. However, if the following robot is traveling at the same speed as the leader robot, it will reach the current location of the leader robot after N-1 predetermined intervals, so the turning angle needs to be updated after (N-1)T time.

[0102] In some embodiments, the formation process presented in the above embodiments includes the steps of receiving a formation signal sent from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at the formation position based on the formation signal; sending arrival time information to the server, causing the server to determine the positional order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information, linking the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the positional order of each robot in the formation, and sending role identification information to each robot; receiving the role identification information sent from the server; and determining this vehicle as the leader robot after the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot is received.

[0103] The server transmits a formation signal when necessary. It may search the current working states of all the robots in the warehouse to select the required number of robots, and transmit a formation signal to these robots to prompt them to reach the formation position by the formation time and form a formation. Alternatively, the server may directly transmit a formation signal to all the robots, and each robot may decide whether to form a formation based on its own current working state, and when the number of robots that have reached the formation position reaches the target number, the formation of the formation may be completed.

[0104] After arriving at the formation position, the robot transmits an arrival signal to the server to report its own serial number and arrival time. The server determines the position order of the robot in the formation based on the arrival time of each robot in the formation, and further determines the role of each robot in the formation. The robot that arrives first and is located at the front of the formation is the leader robot, and all others are follower robots. The server further transmits role identification information corresponding to each robot to the corresponding robot. The role identification information may include not only the role information (leader robot or follower robot) but also the position number of the robot in the formation. When the robot receives the role identification information, it can confirm its own position and role in the formation. In this way, the robots can establish a connection and communicate in a targeted manner in the subsequent communication process.

[0105] In some other embodiments, the formation process presented in the above embodiments includes the steps of receiving a formation signal sent from a server, the step including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at the formation position based on the formation signal; detecting whether or not other robots are present at the formation position; determining the vehicle as the leader robot if no other robots are present at the formation position; and sending the vehicle's serial number and role identification information corresponding to the leader robot to the server, and having the server determine the role and position order of each robot within the formation based on the role identification information of the vehicle and the role identification information sent from other robots belonging to the same robot formation as the vehicle.

[0106] In this embodiment, the robot determines its own role. For example, after a certain robot reaches the formation position, it uses an image detection device to determine whether there are other robots at the formation position. If there are no other robots, the robot is the first robot to reach the formation position and is the robot at the front in the formation, that is, the leader robot. On the other hand, if there are already other robots, the robot is a follower robot. After preliminarily determining its role in the formation, it reports the serial number of the robot to the server together with role information. Based on the order of the received report information, the server further determines the specific position order of each follower robot in the formation.

[0107] 4 is a flowchart of a formation control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method of this embodiment is used to control a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one follower robot. The method is applied to the follower robot. As shown in FIG. 4, the method of this embodiment includes the following steps: S401: Receive a planned route sent from the leader robot.

[0108] The planned route is transmitted by the leader robot after determining a planned route for each robot in the robot formation and determining a following section in the planned route for each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, where the planned route for each robot is used to indicate the movement path of the robot when going to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area to perform a task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0109] S402: Entering a following mode at the start point of the following section, following the vehicle ahead and reaching the passage corresponding to the target storage position, and / or ending the following mode at the end point of the following section, reaching the target storage position and executing a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0110] The formation control method of this embodiment has the same or corresponding features as the method of the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2 and achieves the same technical effects, so the implementation will not be described again.

[0111] As described above, in the following section, the robot may be mechanically coupled to the front / rear vehicle to maintain synchronization of the traveling state. Specifically, the following robot extends the coupling mechanism forward at the start point of the following section to achieve coupling with the front vehicle, and follows the front vehicle to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position, and / or cuts off the coupling with the front vehicle at the end point of the following section, retrieves the coupling mechanism, and reaches the target storage position to perform the baggage pick-up task or the baggage storage task.

[0112] This embodiment requires the installation of a corresponding extendable linkage mechanism on the robot to allow it to be linked to other robots back and forth.

[0113] As described above, during the following section, the robots may maintain synchronization of their running states by communication.

[0114] In some embodiments, the above method further includes a step of receiving driving state information transmitted in real time from the leading vehicle within the following section, and after a predetermined interval, updating relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information of the leading vehicle and proceeding by following the leading vehicle, and / or a step of transmitting driving state information of the vehicle to the rear vehicle in real time, and after a predetermined interval, causing the rear vehicle to update relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information and proceeding by following the leading vehicle.

[0115] According to the method of synchronizing with the driving state of the leader robot, the robots in the platoon can share driving state information with the following robot in real time. The following robots can simultaneously receive the driving state information transmitted from the leading robot, and can also simultaneously synchronize their own driving state information with the following robot. The last following robot in the platoon is an exception, and only needs to receive the driving state information transmitted from the leading robot.

[0116] In some other embodiments, the step of entering a following mode at the start of the following section and following the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position includes the steps of starting to detect the distance to the vehicle in front in real time using a sensor from the start of the following section, and adjusting the movement state of this vehicle in real time based on the detected distance to the vehicle in front and a specified distance range, maintaining the distance to the vehicle in front within a specified distance range, and following the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position.

[0117] In this embodiment, it is necessary to install a corresponding distance sensor on the robot to detect the distance to the vehicle in front in real time, and dynamically adjust the moving state parameters such as the speed and direction of the vehicle based on the change in distance.

[0118] In some other implementations, distance sensors may be installed at the front and rear of the robot to simultaneously adjust the distance to the front and rear vehicles.

[0119] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the step including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at a formation position based on the formation signal; transmitting arrival time information to the server, causing the server to determine the positional order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information, linking the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the positional order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting role identification information to each robot; receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server; and determining the vehicle as the following robot after the role identification information corresponding to the following robot is received.

[0120] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of receiving a formation signal transmitted from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information; arriving at the formation position based on the formation signal; detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position; if other robots are present at the formation position, determining that this vehicle is a following robot; and transmitting the vehicle's serial number and role identification information corresponding to the following robot to the server, and having the server determine the role and position order of each robot within the formation based on the role identification information transmitted from each robot.

[0121] The above two types of formation process correspond to the characteristics of the leader cart side, and the explanation in the above embodiment can be referred to, so it will not be explained again.

[0122] In actual operation, two types of robots may be designed, one to act only as a leader robot and execute the leader robot's methods, and the other to act only as a follower robot and execute the follower robot's methods.

[0123] Alternatively, the robots may be designed as one type, so that they can be either commander robots or follower robots, and the specific method to be performed may be determined by the role identification information. The method of determining the role identification information is described in the above embodiment, and can be referred to.

[0124] 5 is a flowchart of a platoon control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method of the present embodiment is used to control a robot platoon including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, and is applied to a server. The method includes the following steps:

[0125] S501: A planned route for each robot in the robot formation is determined.

[0126] The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on the path along which it should travel to reach a corresponding target storage location within a rack area and perform a task.

[0127] S502: The planned route of each robot is transmitted to the leader robot, and the leader robot is caused to determine a following section in the planned route of each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, and each following robot is caused to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0128] The following section may include a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0129] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, determining a position order in the formation of corresponding robots based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and determining a role in the formation of each robot based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0130] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information; and receiving the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification InformationThe method includes a step of receiving the vehicle serial number and corresponding role identification information transmitted after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a step of determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0131] This embodiment is a method executed by the server, which corresponds to the above-mentioned methods of the leader robot and the follower robot, and has the same technical effects, so it will not be described again here.

[0132] 6 is a flowchart of a platoon control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method of the present embodiment is used to control a robot platoon including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, and is applied to a server. The method includes the following steps:

[0133] S601: A planned route for each robot in the robot formation is determined.

[0134] The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on the path along which it should travel to reach a corresponding target storage location within a rack area and perform a task.

[0135] S602: The following section in the planned route of each following robot is determined.

[0136] The following section may include a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0137] S603: The following section is transmitted to the corresponding following robot, and each following robot is caused to enter a following mode at the start point of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or to end the following mode at the end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0138] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, causing the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, determining a position order in the formation of corresponding robots based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and determining a role in the formation of each robot based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting role identification information corresponding to each robot.

[0139] Optionally, the method further includes the steps of transmitting a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information; and receiving the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted from the robot. Role Identification Information The method includes a step of receiving the vehicle serial number and corresponding role identification information transmitted after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle, and a step of determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0140] Optionally, when determining the following section in the planned route of each following robot, specifically, a first route to reach the vertical rail is formulated for the robots in each sub-formation based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, and a second route to reach the target storage position is formulated for each robot in each sub-formation based on the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed.

[0141] This embodiment is a method executed by the server, which corresponds to the above-mentioned methods of the leader robot and the follower robot, and has the same technical effects, so it will not be described again here.

[0142] The difference is that in this embodiment, the server determines the following section, and the robot only needs to execute the following method.

[0143] 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a platoon control device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the platoon control device 700 of this embodiment includes a planned route determination module 701, a following section determination module 702 and a transmission module 703.

[0144] The planned route determination module 701 is used to determine a planned route for each robot in the robot convoy. The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on a movement path when the robot goes to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and performs a task.

[0145] The following section determination module 702 is used to determine a following section in the planned route of each following robot based on the planned route of each robot. The following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending in the vertical direction.

[0146] The transmission module 703 is used to transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, causing each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0147] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, multiple storage positions are provided corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot platoon are all located in the same aisle, and the planned route determination module 701 specifically receives tasks to be performed by the robot platoon sent from a server, the number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot platoon, assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the position order of each robot in the robot platoon, and determines the planned route of the robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage position corresponding to the task assigned to each robot. Note that the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle of the vertical rail.

[0148] Optionally, each rack is provided with multiple vertical rails for the robots to climb, with multiple storage positions corresponding to each vertical rail, and the target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot platoon are all located within the same aisle, the device further includes a receiving module 704 for receiving tasks to be performed by the leader robot transmitted from a server, the tasks being transmitted by the server after the server assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage positions corresponding to the tasks to be performed by the robot platoon are located, the altitude of the target storage positions, and the positional order of each robot in the robot platoon, the depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance from the entrance of the aisle to the vertical rail, and the planned route determination module 701 is specifically used to receive the planned route of each robot transmitted from the server, which is the planned route determined by the server based on the depth of the vertical rail corresponding to the tasks assigned to each robot and the altitude of the target storage positions.

[0149] Optionally, when the planned route determination module 701 assigns tasks to each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, the altitude of the target storage position, and the positional order of each robot in the robot formation, specifically, the planned route determination module 701 is used to divide the robot formation into multiple sub-formations based on the depth of the vertical rail where the target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is located, assign tasks to be performed that correspond to the same vertical rail to one sub-formation, and in each sub-formation, sequentially assign tasks to be performed that correspond to a higher target storage position to a robot that is earlier in the sub-formation.

[0150] Optionally, when determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of the vertical rail and the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task assigned to each robot, the planned route determination module 701 is used, in particular, to formulate a first route for the robots in each sub-formation to reach the vertical rail based on the depth of the vertical rail at which the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed is located, and to formulate a second route for each robot in each sub-formation to reach the target storage location based on the altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed.

[0151] Optionally, said The transmission module 703 Furthermore, in the following section, the vehicle's driving state information is transmitted in real time to the following vehicle, and the following vehicle is made to adjust the turning angle based on the driving state information of the leader robot after a predetermined interval of time, and proceed while following the leader robot. It is used for this purpose.

[0152] Optionally, the transmission module 703 is further used to share the running status information of the leader robot in real time via the platoon ad hoc network within the following section, so as to allow each following robot in the platoon to adjust its turning angle based on the running status information of the leader robot after (N-1)T time, and follow the vehicle in front, where N is the position order of each robot in the platoon, and T is a predetermined interval time.

[0153] Optionally, the receiving module 704 is further used for receiving a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information sent from a server, and the device further includes a movement module 705 and a role determination module 707, wherein the movement module 705 is used for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, and the transmitting module 703 is further used for sending arrival time information to a server to enable the server to combine the arrival time information of other robots in the formation based on the arrival time information to determine the position order of each robot in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and send role identification information to each robot, and the receiving module 704 is further used for receiving the role identification information sent from the server, and the role determination module 707 is used for determining this vehicle as the leader robot after the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot is received.

[0154] Optionally, the receiving module 704 is further used to receive a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information transmitted from a server, and the device further includes a movement module 705 for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, a detection module 706 for detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position, and a role determination module 707 for determining this vehicle as the leader robot if no other robots are present at the formation position, and the transmitting module 703 is further used to transmit the serial number of this vehicle and role identification information corresponding to the leader robot to the server, and to allow the server to determine the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of this vehicle and the role identification information transmitted from other robots belonging to the same robot formation as this vehicle.

[0155] The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to implement the above-mentioned method of the captain robot, and the realization principle and technical effect are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0156] 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a platoon control device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8, the platoon control device 800 of this embodiment includes a receiving module 801 and a following module 802.

[0157] The receiving module 801 is used to receive the planned route transmitted from the leader robot, which is transmitted after the leader robot determines a planned route for each robot in the robot formation and determines a following section in the planned route of each following robot based on the planned route of each robot, and the planned route of each robot is used to indicate the movement path of the robot when going to a corresponding target storage position in the rack area to perform a task, and the following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0158] The following module 802 is used to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage retrieval task or a luggage storage task.

[0159] Optionally, the receiving module 801 is used to receive driving state information transmitted in real time from the leading vehicle within the following section, and the device further includes a parameter update module 803 for updating relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information of the leading vehicle after a predetermined interval time and proceeding to follow the leading vehicle, and / or the device further includes a transmitting module 804 for transmitting driving state information of the vehicle to the trailing vehicle in real time, causing the trailing vehicle to update relevant parameters of the vehicle based on the driving state information after a predetermined interval time and proceeding to follow the leading vehicle.

[0160] Optionally, the following module 802 is specifically used to extend the coupling mechanism forward at the start point of the following section to achieve coupling with the leading vehicle, and follow the leading vehicle to proceed to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to disconnect the coupling with the leading vehicle at the end point of the following section, retrieve the coupling mechanism, and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage retrieval task or a luggage storage task.

[0161] Optionally, when the following module 802 enters a following mode at the start of the following section and follows the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position, specifically, it starts detecting the distance to the vehicle in front in real time from the start of the following section using a sensor, adjusts the movement state of the vehicle in real time based on the detected distance to the vehicle in front and a specified distance range, maintains the distance to the vehicle in front within a specified distance range, and follows the vehicle in front to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position.

[0162] Optionally, the receiving module 801 is further used to receive a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information transmitted from a server, and the device further includes a movement module 805 for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, and the transmitting module 804 is further used to transmit arrival time information to a server, allowing the server to determine the position order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information by combining the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determine the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmit role identification information to each robot, and the receiving module 801 is further used to receive the role identification information transmitted from the server, and the device further includes a role determination module 806 for determining the vehicle as a following robot after role identification information corresponding to the following robot is received.

[0163] Optionally, the receiving module 801 is used to receive a formation signal sent from a server, the formation signal including formation time information and formation position information, and the device further includes a movement module 805 for reaching the formation position based on the formation signal, a detection module 807 for detecting whether other robots are present at the formation position, and a role determination module 806 for determining that this vehicle is a following robot if other robots are present at the formation position, and the transmitting module 804 is further used to transmit the serial number of this vehicle and role identification information corresponding to the following robot to the server, and to allow the server to determine the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information sent from each robot.

[0164] The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to implement the above-mentioned tracking robot method, and its realization principle and technical effect are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0165] In some embodiments, one platoon controller may simultaneously include the modules 700 and 800 described above and be capable of implementing the methods of the leader robot or the follower robot.

[0166] 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a platoon control device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, the platoon control device 900 of this embodiment includes a route planning module 901 and a transmission module 902.

[0167] The route planning module 901 is used to determine a planned route for each robot in the robot fleet. The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage location in a rack area and performing a task.

[0168] The transmission module 902 is used to transmit the planned route of each robot to the leader robot, and to have the leader robot determine a following section in the planned route of each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, and to have each following robot enter a following mode at the start point of the following section and proceed by following the preceding vehicle to reach the passage corresponding to the target storage position, and / or terminate the following mode at the end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task. The following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending vertically.

[0169] Optionally, the transmitting module 902 is further used to transmit a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, so as to cause the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, and the apparatus further includes a receiving module 903 for receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, a position determination module 904 for determining the position order of the corresponding robot in the formation based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and a role determination module 905 for determining the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting corresponding role identification information to each robot.

[0170] Optionally, the transmission module 902 is further used to transmit a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information, and the device further receives the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted by the robot. Role Identification Information the receiving module 903 for receiving the vehicle serial number and corresponding role identification information transmitted by the robot after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the vehicle; and a role determination module 905 for determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0171] The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to implement the above-mentioned server method, and its realization principle and technical effect are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0172] 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a platoon control device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, the platoon control device 100 of this embodiment includes a route planning module 101, a following section determination module 102 and a transmission module 103.

[0173] The route planning module 101 is used to determine a planned route for each robot in the robot fleet. The planned route for each robot is used to instruct the robot on a movement path when going to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and performing a task.

[0174] The following section determination module 102 is used to determine a following section in the planned route of each following robot. The following section includes a section located on the floor surface and / or a section extending in the vertical direction.

[0175] The transmission module 103 is used to transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, causing each following robot to enter a following mode at the start of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach the aisle corresponding to the target storage location, and / or to end the following mode at the end of the following section and reach the target storage location to perform a luggage pick-up task or a luggage storage task.

[0176] Optionally, the transmitting module 103 is further used to transmit a formation signal including formation time information and formation position information to a plurality of robots, so as to cause the robots to reach the formation position based on the formation signal, and the device further includes a receiving module 104 for receiving arrival time information transmitted from the robots, a position determination module 105 for determining the position order of the corresponding robot in the formation based on the arrival time information transmitted from the robots, and a role determination module 106 for determining the role of each robot in the formation based on the position order of each robot in the formation, and transmitting role identification information corresponding to each robot.

[0177] Optionally, the transmitting module 103 is further used for transmitting a platooning signal to a plurality of robots, the platooning signal including platooning time information and platooning position information, and the device further receives the real vehicle serial number and the corresponding real vehicle serial number transmitted by the robot. Role Identification Information the receiving module 104 for receiving the serial number of the main vehicle and corresponding role identification information transmitted by the robot after the robot reaches the formation position based on the formation signal, detects whether other robots are present at the formation position, and determines the role of the main vehicle; and a role determination module 106 for determining the role and position order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of each robot.

[0178] The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to implement the above-mentioned server method, and its realization principle and technical effect are similar, so they will not be described again here.

[0179] 11 is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 11, the electronic device 110 of the present embodiment includes a memory 111 for storing program commands, and a processor 112 for calling and executing the program commands in the memory to perform the method in the above embodiment.

[0180] The present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, realizes the method in the above embodiment.

[0181] The present application further computer The present invention provides a computer program product. but Processor When executed by Methods in the above examples Realized will be done.

[0182] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of each of the above method embodiments can be achieved by hardware related to program instructions. The above program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, the steps of each of the above method embodiments are executed, and the storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.

[0183] Finally, the above examples are used only to explain the technical scheme of the present application, and are not limiting. In addition, the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above examples, but those skilled in the art can understand that the technical scheme described in the above examples can be further modified or equivalently replaced with some or all of the technical features. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the technical scheme to deviate from the scope of the technical scheme of each example of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, the method being applied to the leader robot, determining a planned route for each robot in the robot convoy, the planned route being for instructing the robot on a movement path when the robot travels to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and executes a task; determining a following section in the planned route of each of the following robots based on the planned route of each of the robots; transmitting the following section to a corresponding following robot, and causing each following robot to enter a following mode at a start point of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or terminate the following mode at an end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task; The following section includes a section located on a floor surface and / or a section extending vertically, Each rack is provided with a plurality of vertical rails for the robots to climb, and a plurality of storage positions are provided corresponding to each vertical rail, and target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot array are all located within the same aisle; The step of determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon comprises: receiving tasks to be performed by the robot platoon transmitted from a server, the number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot platoon; assigning tasks to each robot based on a depth of a vertical rail at which a target storage location corresponding to a task to be performed is located, an altitude of the target storage location, and a position sequence of each robot in the robot platoon; determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of a vertical rail corresponding to a task assigned to the robot and the altitude of a target storage location; The depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance of the vertical rail from the passage entrance. Platoon control method.

2. The step of assigning a task to each robot based on a depth of a vertical rail at which a target storage position corresponding to a task to be executed is present, an altitude of the target storage position, and a position sequence of each robot in the robot array includes: Dividing the robot formation into a plurality of sub-formations based on a depth of a vertical rail at which a target storage position corresponding to a task to be performed exists; assigning tasks to be performed corresponding to the same vertical rail to one sub-platoon; In each sub-platoon, a task to be executed that has a higher corresponding target storage position is sequentially assigned to a robot that is further forward in the sub-platoon; The method for controlling a platoon according to claim 1 .

3. determining a planned route for each robot based on a depth of a vertical rail corresponding to a task assigned to each robot and an altitude of a target storage position, Formulating a first route for each of the robots of the sub-platoon to reach the vertical rail based on a depth of the vertical rail where a target storage position corresponding to the task to be performed is present; and in each sub-platoon, developing a second route for each robot to reach the target storage location based on an altitude of the target storage location corresponding to the task to be performed. The formation control method according to claim 2 .

4. A method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, the method being applied to the leader robot, determining a planned route for each robot in the robot convoy, the planned route being for instructing the robot on a movement path when the robot travels to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and executes a task; determining a following section in the planned route of each of the following robots based on the planned route of each of the robots; transmitting the following section to a corresponding following robot, and causing each following robot to enter a following mode at a start point of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or terminate the following mode at an end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task; The following section includes a section located on a floor surface and / or a section extending vertically, The formation control method includes: a step of transmitting driving state information of the vehicle to the following vehicle in real time in the following section, and having the following vehicle adjust a turning angle based on the driving state information of the leader robot after a predetermined interval of time, and proceeding while following the leader robot; or The method further includes a step of sharing information on the running state of the leader robot in real time through a platoon ad-hoc network within the following section, and having each following robot in the platoon adjust its turning angle based on the running state information of the leader robot after (N-1)T time, and follow the vehicle in front, where N is the position order of each robot in the platoon and T is a predetermined interval time. Platoon control method.

5. A method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, the method being applied to the leader robot, determining a planned route for each robot in the robot convoy, the planned route being for instructing the robot on a movement path when the robot travels to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and executes a task; determining a following section in the planned route of each of the following robots based on the planned route of each of the robots; transmitting the following section to a corresponding following robot, and causing each following robot to enter a following mode at a start point of the following section and follow the vehicle in front to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or terminate the following mode at an end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task; The following section includes a section located on a floor surface and / or a section extending vertically, The formation control method includes: receiving a formation formation signal including formation formation time information and formation formation position information transmitted from a server; arriving at a formation position based on the formation signal; the step of transmitting arrival time information to a server, causing the server to determine the positional order of each robot in the formation based on the arrival time information by linking it with the arrival time information of other robots in the formation, determining the role of each robot in the formation based on the positional order of each robot in the formation, transmitting role identification information to each robot, receiving the role identification information transmitted from the server, and determining this vehicle as the leader robot after the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot is received; or the step of detecting whether or not other robots are present at the formation position, determining this vehicle as the leader robot if no other robots are present at the formation position, transmitting the serial number of this vehicle and the role identification information corresponding to the leader robot to the server, and causing the server to determine the role and positional order of each robot in the formation based on the role identification information of this vehicle and the role identification information transmitted from the other robots belonging to the same robot formation as this vehicle. Platoon control method.

6. A robot formation control method for controlling a robot formation including a leader robot and at least one follower robot, the method being applied to a server, determining a planned route for each robot in the robot convoy, the planned route being for instructing the robot on a movement path when the robot travels to a corresponding target storage position in a rack area and executes a task; a step of transmitting the planned route of each robot to the leader robot, and causing the leader robot to determine a following section in the planned route of each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot, or a step of determining a following section in the planned route of each following robot and transmit the following section to the corresponding following robot; and causing each following robot to enter a following mode at a start point of the following section and follow the preceding vehicle to reach an aisle corresponding to the target storage position, and / or causing each following robot to end the following mode at an end point of the following section and reach the target storage position to perform a baggage pick-up task or a baggage storage task, The following section includes a section located on a floor surface and / or a section extending vertically, Each rack is provided with a plurality of vertical rails for the robots to climb, and a plurality of storage positions are provided corresponding to each vertical rail, and target storage positions corresponding to each robot in the robot array are all located within the same aisle; determining a planned route for each robot in the robot platoon includes receiving tasks to be performed by the robot platoon, the number of tasks matching the number of robots in the robot platoon; assigning tasks to each robot based on a depth of a vertical rail at which a target storage location corresponding to a task to be performed is located, an altitude of the target storage location, and a position sequence of each robot in the robot platoon; determining a planned route for each robot based on the depth of a vertical rail corresponding to a task assigned to the robot and the altitude of a target storage location; The depth corresponding to the vertical rail is the distance of the vertical rail from the passage entrance. Platoon control method.

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