A food delivery robot dispatching method and system

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a meal delivery robot scheduling method and system. The method comprises the following steps: determining at least one target robot from candidate robots according to a robot scheduling request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; wherein the robot scheduling request is generated by a catering management platform according to catering order information and dish making progress, and is sent to the robot management platform; a robot meal taking request is generated for the target robot, and the robot meal taking request is fed back to the catering management platform, so as to instruct the catering management platform to determine target dishes associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal taking request. The technical solution of the application realizes data sharing between the robot management platform and the restaurant management platform, improves the automation degree and efficiency of robot scheduling, and reduces labor costs.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of computer application, and particularly relate to a meal delivery robot scheduling method and system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous development of the economy and society, people's living standards are continuously improving. At the same time, the acceleration of the pace of life makes more and more people choose to dine out, promoting the development of the catering industry. The catering industry is gradually changing from the traditional labor-intensive service mode to the intelligent and automated service mode.

[0003] At present, many restaurants use robots to replace waiters to complete meal delivery work, and use a catering management platform to handle restaurant business such as assisting customers to place orders, which improves the degree of automation of catering services to a certain extent. However, the robot management platform and the restaurant management platform are independent of each other, and the two cannot share data. The scheduling of robots still needs the participation of personnel, and the degree of automation needs to be improved. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a meal delivery robot scheduling method and system, which can break through the information barrier between the robot management platform and the restaurant management platform, realize data sharing between the robot management platform and the restaurant management platform, and achieve the purpose of improving the degree of automation and efficiency of robot scheduling and reducing labor costs.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a meal delivery robot scheduling method, executed by a robot management platform, comprising:

[0006] determining at least one target robot from the candidate robots according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots; wherein the robot scheduling request is generated by a catering management platform according to catering order information and dish preparation progress, and is sent to the robot management platform;

[0007] generating a robot meal pickup request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform, for instructing the catering management platform to determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request.

[0008] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a meal delivery robot scheduling method, executed by a catering management platform, comprising:

[0009] generate a robot dispatch request according to the catering order information and the dish preparation progress, and send the robot dispatch request to a robot management platform, to instruct the robot management platform to perform the following: determine at least one target robot among candidate robots according to the robot dispatch request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; generate a robot meal pickup request for the target robot, and feed back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform;

[0010] determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request, and have the target robot deliver the target dish.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a meal delivery robot dispatch system, which comprises a robot management platform and a catering management platform; wherein the catering management platform and the robot management platform are in communication connection;

[0012] The catering management platform is configured to generate a robot dispatch request according to catering order information and dish preparation progress, and send the robot dispatch request to a robot management platform.

[0013] The robot management platform is configured to determine at least one target robot among candidate robots according to the robot dispatch request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; generate a robot meal pickup request for the target robot, and feed back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform.

[0014] The catering management platform is further configured to determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request, and have the target robot deliver the target dish.

[0015] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application determines at least one target robot among candidate robots according to the robot dispatch request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; wherein the robot dispatch request is generated by a catering management platform according to catering order information and dish preparation progress, and is sent to a robot management platform; a robot meal pickup request is generated for the target robot, and the robot meal pickup request is fed back to the catering management platform, to instruct the catering management platform to determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request. This breaks the information barrier between the robot management platform and the catering management platform, realizes data sharing between the two, improves the degree of automation and efficiency of robot dispatch, and reduces labor costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1is a flowchart of a meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment One of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 is a flowchart of another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment Two of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 is a flowchart of yet another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment Three of the present application;

[0019] Figure 4 is a flowchart of yet another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment Four of the present application;

[0020] Figure 5 is a flowchart of yet another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment Five of the present application;

[0021] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a meal delivery robot scheduling system provided by Embodiment Six of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, but not to limit the present application. In addition, it should be noted that, for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the present application are shown in the drawings, but not all the structures.

[0023] Before the example embodiments are discussed in more detail, it should be mentioned that some of the example embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowcharts depict the steps in a sequential order, many of the steps can be performed in parallel, concurrently or at the same time. In addition, the order of the steps can be rearranged. The processes can be terminated when their operations are completed, but can also have additional steps not included in the flowcharts. The processes can correspond to methods, functions, routines, subroutines, subprograms, etc.

[0024] Embodiment One

[0025] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment One of the present application. This embodiment can be applicable to the case where the meal delivery robot is scheduled by the information interaction between the robot management platform and the catering management platform. The method can be executed by the robot management platform, which can be realized by software and / or hardware, and can be integrated in an electronic device running the meal delivery robot scheduling system.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1 , the meal delivery robot scheduling method comprises:

[0027] S110, determining at least one target robot from the candidate robots according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots; wherein the robot scheduling request is generated by the catering management platform according to the catering order information and the dish making progress, and is sent to the robot management platform.

[0028] The robot scheduling request is generated when the catering management platform has a dish delivery demand, and is used to instruct the robot management platform to allocate a delivery robot for the catering management platform. Optionally, the robot scheduling request includes at least one of the target dish category, the target dish quantity and the target dish pickup location.

[0029] The robot scheduling request is generated by the catering management platform according to the catering order information and the dish making progress, wherein the catering order information is the dish ordering information of the customer in the catering management platform, and can include the ordered dish, the ordering time, the order number, the number of diners and the dining table, etc. The dish making progress refers to the making progress of the ordered dish, and optionally includes the expected making completion time. The making progress of the dish can be directly reported to the catering management platform by the kitchen staff, or can be automatically determined by the catering management platform. Optionally, the catering management platform generates the robot scheduling request in advance according to the expected making completion time of the dish in the dish making progress.

[0030] The catering management platform sends the generated robot scheduling request to the robot management platform, and the robot management platform allocates a delivery robot for the catering management platform according to the robot scheduling request in combination with the real-time working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the delivery robot after receiving the robot scheduling request.

[0031] The candidate robot refers to a pre-configured delivery robot in the robot management platform, which can be dispatched by the robot management platform. The working state of the candidate robot refers to the working state of the candidate robot at the current time, which can include at least one of the busy state, the idle state, the offline state and the abnormal state. Optionally, the working state of the candidate robot is actively reported to the robot management platform by the candidate robot at a certain time interval, or is actively obtained by the robot management platform from the candidate robot through a robot working state reporting instruction. The current position refers to the geographical position of the candidate robot at the current time, and the current position of the candidate robot can be determined by the robot management platform according to the positioning device configured on the candidate robot, or can be reported to the robot management platform by the candidate robot at a certain time interval or according to a position reporting instruction sent by the robot management platform. The delivery device attribute refers to the attribute information of the delivery device configured on the candidate robot, and can include the number of storage trays, the model of the storage tray and the distance between the storage trays.

[0032] The working state of the candidate robot determines whether the candidate robot can be dispatched at the current time; the current position of the candidate robot determines the time for the candidate robot to reach the designated meal pickup position to some extent; the delivery device attribute is related to the types and quantities of the dishes that can be delivered by the meal delivery robot, and therefore the number of target robots can be determined by referring to the delivery device attribute. The target robot is generated from the candidate robot, and is a candidate robot designated by the robot management platform to execute a target meal pickup task. The target meal pickup task is associated with the robot dispatch request.

[0033] The number of target robots is related to the robot delivery device attribute and the types and quantities of the dishes to be picked up, which is not limited here and is determined according to actual conditions.

[0034] S120, generating a robot meal pickup request for the target robot and feeding back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform, to instruct the catering management platform to determine the target dishes associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request.

[0035] The robot meal pickup request is generated by the robot management platform and fed back to the catering management platform as a response of the robot management platform to the robot dispatch request.

[0036] Optionally, before feeding back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform, the robot management platform generates a meal pickup task execution instruction according to the robot meal pickup request and issues the meal pickup task execution instruction to the target robot, wherein the meal pickup task execution instruction includes a meal pickup position and a meal pickup time. After receiving the meal pickup task execution instruction, the target robot goes to the meal pickup position to execute the meal pickup task according to the meal pickup task execution instruction.

[0037] The catering management platform determines the target dishes associated with the target robot in response to receiving the robot meal pickup request. The process of associating the target dishes to the target robot is actually a process of configuring target dish information for the target robot, and a process of distributing the dishes to be picked up to a specific meal delivery robot, wherein the target dish information includes target table information to which the target dishes belong, target dish names, target dish types, and the like.

[0038] The catering management platform determines the target dishes associated with the target robot in response to receiving the robot meal pickup request. Specifically, after the target robot reaches the meal pickup position, the target dishes already picked up by the target robot can be associated to the target robot through a back-of-house terminal. Specifically, the back-of-house terminal reports the dish association information of the target robot to the catering management platform, and the association of the target dishes to the target robot is realized at the catering management platform. After the target dishes are associated to the target robot, the delivery endpoint of the target robot is also determined. The target robot executes a delivery task of the target dishes.

[0039] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application breaks the information barrier between the robot management platform and the catering management platform, realizes data sharing between the two, improves the degree of automation and efficiency of robot scheduling, and reduces labor costs.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, after the robot management platform generates the robot meal taking request for the target robot and feeds back the robot meal taking request to the catering management platform, the method further comprises: monitoring the working state and the current position of the target robot according to a target robot state monitoring request; wherein the target robot state monitoring request is generated by the catering management platform according to target table information of the target dish in the catering order information and meal taking completion time, and is sent to the robot management platform; determining the delivery state of the target dish according to the current position of the target robot and the target table information, and sending the delivery state of the target dish to the catering management platform.

[0041] The target robot state monitoring request is generated by the catering management platform and sent to the robot management platform, and is used to request the robot management platform to monitor the target robot. The target robot state monitoring request is generated according to the target table information of the target dish in the catering order information and the meal taking completion time. The target table to which the target dish belongs is the terminal point of the delivery of the target dish. The meal taking completion time can be the time when the target dish is associated with the target robot. The meal taking completion time is also the start time of the delivery of the target dish. Optionally, the meal taking completion time is used as the time node for the robot management platform to start monitoring the target robot, and the meal taking completion time can be used to calculate the delivery duration of the target dish.

[0042] The robot management platform receives the target robot state monitoring request sent by the catering management platform, monitors the working state and current position of the target robot, and specifically, the robot management platform polls the working state and current position of the target robot at a set time interval. The set time interval is determined according to actual conditions, which is not limited here. It can be understood that the shorter the set time interval, the higher the density of the monitoring data obtained in a period of time, and the better the monitoring effect, but the robot management platform will also occupy more computing resources.

[0043] According to the current position of the target robot and the target table information, the delivery state of the target dish is determined, wherein the delivery state can include: in delivery and already delivered. Specifically, the distance between the current position of the target robot and the target table is calculated, and whether the target dish has been delivered is determined according to the distance between the two.

[0044] The robot management platform sends the delivery state of the target dish to the catering platform, realizes information sharing of the dish delivery state, and optionally, after receiving the delivery state of the target dish, the catering management platform can display the delivery state of the dish in real time through the display arranged at the target table, realize the visualization of the dish delivery state, and improve the user experience.

[0045] The robot management platform of the present application monitors the working state and current position of the target robot after the target robot completes the dish taking, determines the delivery state of the dish according to the distance between the current position and the target table, and feeds back the delivery state of the dish to the catering management platform, realizes effective monitoring of the working state of the robot and tracking of the dish delivery state, can timely find the abnormal situation that may occur in the dish delivery process of the target robot, and ensures that the dish is delivered in time and safely.

[0046] Embodiment two

[0047] Figure 2 is a flowchart of another dish delivery robot scheduling method provided by the second embodiment of the present application. The present embodiment is further optimized on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment. The specific optimization is that according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, current position and delivery device attribute of the candidate robot, at least one target robot is determined in each candidate robot, including: according to the dish type and dish quantity in the robot scheduling request and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot, the expected specification and expected quantity of the target robot are determined; according to the target dish taking position information in the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot, the target robot with the expected specification and the expected quantity of the delivery device attribute is selected from the candidate robot.

[0048] As Figure 2As shown, the meal delivery robot scheduling method comprises:

[0049] S210, according to the meal type and the number of meals in the robot scheduling request and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot, determine the expected specification and the expected number of target robots; wherein the robot scheduling request is generated by the catering management platform according to the catering order information and the meal preparation progress, and sent to the robot management platform.

[0050] Wherein, the meal type and the number of meals in the robot scheduling request refer to the type and number of meals to be delivered. The delivery device attribute of the candidate robot refers to the specification of the delivery device configured by the meal delivery robot, such as the number of layers of the storage tray, the height of the storage tray layer and the size of the storage tray and other parameters. The delivery device attribute of the candidate robot is pre-configured in the robot management system and is associated with a specific meal delivery robot. In the case of a meal delivery robot, its delivery device attribute is also determined.

[0051] The expected specification of the target robot is actually determined according to the expected specification of the meal delivery robot delivery device. The expected specification of the delivery device is closely related to the type and number of meals to be delivered. The type of meal determines the size of the storage tray in the delivery device. Generally speaking, when designing meals, restaurants will also determine the container for holding meals, that is, in the case of a determined meal type, the size of the container for holding meals is known. For example, compared with cold dishes, soup pot dishes often choose large volume and deep containers to hold. According to the type of meal, the expected size of the storage tray can be determined, and the type of meal combined with the number of meals can determine the expected size of the storage tray and the expected number of storage trays of the corresponding size. According to the size of the storage tray and the number of storage trays of the corresponding size, the expected specification and the expected number of target robots can be determined.

[0052] S220, according to the target pickup location information in the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot, select the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots.

[0053] Wherein, the target pickup location information includes the pickup location that the meal delivery robot needs to go to, and the pickup location can be the dish outlet as an example.

[0054] The robot management platform determines the candidate robot closest to the target pickup location according to the target pickup location information and the current position in the robot scheduling request, and further combines the working state of the candidate robot and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot to select the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots.

[0055] S230, generating a robot meal taking request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot meal taking request to the catering management platform, so as to instruct the catering management platform to determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal taking request.

[0056] In an optional embodiment, an activity broadcast instruction is generated according to the robot activity broadcast request, and the activity broadcast instruction is sent to the target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction; wherein the robot activity broadcast request is generated and sent to the robot management platform by the catering management platform.

[0057] Wherein, the robot activity broadcast request is generated by the catering management platform and sent to the robot management platform, and the robot activity broadcast request is generated by the catering management platform when the restaurant has an activity broadcast demand. The restaurant can use the target robot to promote new dishes and promote sales activities, etc.

[0058] The robot management platform receives the robot activity broadcast request sent by the catering management platform, generates an activity broadcast instruction according to the robot activity broadcast request, and issues the activity broadcast instruction to the target robot, instructing the target robot to broadcast. In this way, the additional value of the meal delivery robot can be fully utilized, and the user experience can be improved.

[0059] The technical scheme provided by the embodiments of the application determines the expected specification and expected number of target robots according to the dish type and dish quantity in the robot scheduling request and the delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; and selects the target robots of the expected number of delivery device attributes of the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the target meal taking position information in the robot scheduling request and the working state, current position and delivery device attributes of each candidate robot. The target robots are selected in a fine-grained manner, which can improve the occupancy rate of the meal delivery robot's storage tray, thereby improving the dish delivery efficiency and the robot scheduling efficiency.

[0060] Embodiment three

[0061] Figure 3is a flowchart of another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided in Embodiment Three of the present application. The present embodiment is further optimized on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments. The specific optimization is that, according to the target pick-up location information in the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot, a target robot of the expected number of delivery device attributes of the expected specification is selected from the candidate robots, including: selecting a first number of candidate robots from the candidate robots according to the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up location in the robot scheduling request, and determining the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the expected number; selecting the target robot of the expected number of the delivery device attribute of the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification.

[0062] As shown in Figure 3 the meal delivery robot scheduling method includes:

[0063] S310, according to the dish category and the dish quantity in the robot scheduling request and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot, determining the expected specification and the expected number of the target robot.

[0064] S320, selecting a first number of candidate robots from the candidate robots according to the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up location in the robot scheduling request, and determining the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the expected number.

[0065] The distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up location in the robot scheduling request determines the time cost and energy loss of the candidate robot to reach the target pick-up location. Under the same conditions, the distance between the current position of the candidate robot and the target pick-up location is taken as the primary consideration for selecting the target robot, which can improve the energy utilization rate of the meal delivery robot and improve the scheduling efficiency of the meal delivery robot.

[0066] The robot management platform selects a first number of candidate robots from the candidate robots according to the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up location in the robot scheduling request, specifically, the robot management platform can sort the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up location in ascending order of numerical value, and select a first number of candidate robots therefrom. Wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the expected number.

[0067] S330, selecting the target robot of the expected number of the delivery device attribute of the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification.

[0068] The robot management platform selects a target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes as the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification. In this way, the robot that cannot meet the delivery requirements in terms of the working state or the delivery device attributes can be eliminated from the candidate robots, so that the selected target robot is the robot that meets the delivery requirements and has the optimal distance in the selected range.

[0069] In an optional embodiment, the working state includes the remaining service time and the service destination. Correspondingly, selecting the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes as the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification includes: selecting a robot with an idle state as the working state and the expected specification of the number of layers and the type of the delivery tray as the delivery device attribute as the target robot from the candidate robots, and determining the selected number of the target robots; if the selected number of the target robots is less than the expected number, selecting the remaining number of target robots from the candidate robots based on the preset robot selection rule according to the remaining service time and the service destination of each candidate robot, the expected completion time of the target dish in the robot dispatch request and the target pickup location, and the number of layers and the type of the delivery tray of each candidate robot; and the remaining number is the difference between the expected number and the selected number.

[0070] In the process of selecting the target robot, the robot management platform preferentially selects a robot with an idle state as the working state and the expected specification of the number of layers and the type of the delivery tray as the delivery device attribute as the target robot from the candidate robots, and determines the selected number of the target robots.

[0071] If the selected number of the target robots is less than the expected number, it indicates that the working state or the delivery device attributes of the remaining candidate robots cannot meet the delivery requirements. It is necessary to expand the selection range of the target robots, specifically, to expand the selection range of the target robots from the candidate robots to the remaining candidate robots.

[0072] In the case that the candidate robot is in the dish delivery state, the working state of the candidate robot is the busy state, and the working state further includes the remaining service time and the service destination.

[0073] The robot management platform selects the target robot from the candidate robots based on a preset robot selection rule according to the remaining service time of each candidate robot and the service destination, the expected preparation completion time of the target dish in the robot scheduling request and the target pick-up location, and the number of layers and the model of the storage tray of each candidate robot, wherein the remaining number is the difference between the expected number and the selected number. The delivery device attribute is a key element for selecting the target robot, and the number of layers and the model of the storage tray according to the delivery device attribute can accurately determine the number of target robots.

[0074] The preset robot selection rule is specified and configured in the robot management platform by a related technical person in advance. The preset robot selection rule can be delivery device attribute and time priority, the service end time is determined according to the remaining service time, the target robot is selected according to the time difference between the service end time and the expected preparation completion time of the target dish, specifically, a robot with an expected specification and a small time difference can be selected as a target robot. The preset robot selection rule can also be or delivery device attribute and distance priority, the target robot is selected according to the distance between the selected service destination and the target pick-up location, specifically, a robot with an expected specification and a short distance can be selected as a target robot, and after the target robot completes the previous delivery task, it directly goes to the target pick-up location to perform the current dish delivery task. The preset robot selection rule can also be, or by assigning different weights to the time difference, distance and delivery device attribute, a mathematical relationship is established.

[0075] The present application considers the case that the number of robots in the alternative robot state and the delivery device attribute meet the expected requirements, and selects the target robot from the candidate robots based on the preset robot selection rule according to the relative relationship between the remaining service time of the candidate robot and the service destination and the expected preparation completion time of the dish and the target pick-up location, and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot. The scheduling efficiency and the delivery efficiency of the robot are improved.

[0076] S340, generating a robot pick-up request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot pick-up request to the catering management platform, for instructing the catering management platform to determine the target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot pick-up request.

[0077] The technical scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application selects a first number of candidate robots from candidate robots according to the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pick-up position in the robot scheduling request, and determines the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; selects a target robot with an expected number of delivery device attributes with an expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification. In the process of determining the target robot by the robot management platform in the present application, the distance between the current position of the meal delivery robot and the target pick-up position is taken as the primary factor for selecting the target robot, which takes into account the time cost and energy loss of the meal delivery robot reaching the target pick-up position. In this way, the energy utilization rate of the meal delivery robot can be improved, and the scheduling efficiency of the meal delivery robot can be improved.

[0078] Embodiment Four

[0079] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a meal delivery robot scheduling method provided in Embodiment Four of the present application. The present embodiment can be applied to the case where the meal delivery robot is scheduled through information interaction between the robot management platform and the catering management platform. The method can be executed by the catering management platform, which can be realized by software and / or hardware, and can be integrated into an electronic device running a meal delivery robot scheduling system.

[0080] As shown in Figure 4 , the meal delivery robot scheduling method comprises:

[0081] S410, generating a robot scheduling request according to the catering order information and the dish preparation progress, and sending the robot scheduling request to the robot management platform, to instruct the robot management platform to perform the following: determining at least one target robot from the candidate robots according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; generating a robot pick-up request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot pick-up request to the catering management platform.

[0082] The catering management platform generates a robot scheduling request according to the catering order information and the dish preparation progress, and sends the robot scheduling request to the robot management platform. The robot management platform determines at least one target robot from the candidate robots according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; the robot management platform generates a robot pick-up request for the target robot, and feeds back the robot pick-up request to the catering management platform.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, before generating the robot dispatch request according to the catering order information and the dish preparation progress, the method further comprises: determining an expected preparation time length of a candidate dish in the catering order information according to an association between a candidate dish type and a standard preparation time length; determining a recommended preparation order of the candidate dish according to a dish quantity of each candidate dish in the catering order information, a customer ordering time, and the expected preparation time length; and determining a dish preparation progress of each candidate dish in the catering order according to the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish and an actual dish preparation time, wherein the dish preparation progress comprises an expected preparation completion time.

[0084] The association between the candidate dish type and the standard preparation time length is pre-constructed by a relevant technical personnel according to an actual situation of the restaurant and is configured in the catering management platform. The candidate dish type is a type of dish that can be prepared by the restaurant. Generally speaking, the preparation time length of each type of dish is relatively fixed. The standard preparation time length of a dish can be determined according to an average preparation time length of the type of dish. The candidate dish in the catering order information refers to a dish ordered by a customer. The catering management platform determines the expected preparation time length of the candidate dish in the catering order information according to the association between the candidate dish type and the standard preparation time length.

[0085] The catering management platform determines the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish according to the dish quantity of each candidate dish in the catering order information, the customer ordering time, and the expected preparation time length. The customer ordering time is used to distinguish the order of customers. The dish quantity refers to the quantity of dishes of the same type.

[0086] Optionally, the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish is determined according to the customer ordering time first principle, in combination with the expected preparation time and the quantity of the candidate dish. For example, a dish with an early customer ordering time, a large dish quantity, and a short expected preparation time length is placed in front, and a dish with a late customer ordering time, a small dish quantity, and a long expected preparation time length is placed behind, to form the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish.

[0087] The catering management platform determines the dish preparation progress of each candidate dish in the catering order according to the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish and the actual dish preparation time. The actual dish preparation time refers to a time when the kitchen actually starts to prepare the candidate dish. In the case where the recommended preparation order of the candidate dish and the standard preparation time length of the candidate dish are known, the expected preparation completion time of each candidate dish can be determined according to the actual dish preparation time. In this way, the automation degree of the catering service process is further improved.

[0088] S420, in response to the robot dish taking request, determining a target dish associated with the target robot, and delivering the target dish by the target robot.

[0089] The catering management platform, in response to receiving the robot meal taking request sent by the robot management platform, determines a target dish associated with the target robot after the target completes taking the meal, and the target robot delivers the target dish.

[0090] The technical scheme provided in the embodiments of the present application breaks the information barrier between the robot management platform and the catering management platform, realizes data sharing between the two, improves the degree of automation and efficiency of robot scheduling, and reduces labor costs.

[0091] Embodiment Five

[0092] Figure 5 is a flowchart of another meal delivery robot scheduling method provided by Embodiment Five of the present application. This embodiment is further optimized on the basis of the above-mentioned embodiments. The specific optimization is that after determining the target dish associated with the target robot, the method further includes: obtaining the meal taking completion time of the target dish; generating a target robot state monitoring request according to the target table information of the target dish in the catering order information and the meal taking completion time, and sending the target robot state monitoring request to the robot management platform to enable the robot management platform to determine the delivery state of the target dish according to the target table information and the meal taking completion time; and receiving the delivery state of the target dish from the robot management platform.

[0093] As shown in Figure 5 the meal delivery robot scheduling method includes:

[0094] S510, generating a robot scheduling request according to catering order information and dish making progress, and sending the robot scheduling request to a robot management platform, for instructing the robot management platform to perform the following: determining at least one target robot among each candidate robot according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, current position and delivery device attribute of the candidate robot; generating a robot meal taking request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot meal taking request to the catering management platform.

[0095] S520, in response to the robot meal taking request, determining the target dish associated with the target robot, and delivering the target dish by the target robot.

[0096] S530, obtaining the meal taking completion time of the target dish.

[0097] The target dish meal taking completion time refers to the time when the target dish is associated with the target robot. The association of the target dish with the target robot can be completed through the kitchen terminal, and the kitchen terminal reports the dish association information of the target robot to the catering management platform, and the association of the target dish with the target robot is realized in the catering management platform. The catering management platform associates the target dish with the target robot as the meal taking completion time of the target dish.

[0098] S540, according to the target table information of the target dish in the catering order information and the meal taking completion time, generating a target robot state monitoring request, and sending the target robot state monitoring request to the robot management platform to make the robot management platform determine the delivery state of the target dish according to the target table information and the meal taking completion time.

[0099] The catering management platform generates a target robot state monitoring request according to the target table information of the target dish in the catering order information and the meal taking completion time, and sends the target robot state monitoring request to the robot management platform. The robot management platform monitors the working state and current position of the target robot according to the target robot state monitoring request. The robot management platform determines the delivery state of the target dish according to the current position of the target robot and the target table information, and sends the delivery state of the target dish to the catering management platform.

[0100] S550, receiving the delivery state of the target dish from the robot management platform.

[0101] The catering management platform receives the delivery state of the target dish from the robot management platform.

[0102] In an optional embodiment, the method further comprises: generating a robot activity broadcast request;

[0103] The activity broadcast request is sent to the robot management platform, so that the robot management platform generates an activity broadcast instruction according to the robot activity broadcast request, and sends the activity broadcast instruction to the target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction.

[0104] The catering management platform generates an activity broadcast request according to the restaurant activity broadcast demand, and sends the activity broadcast request to the robot management platform. The robot activity broadcast request includes broadcast content and broadcast time.

[0105] The robot management platform generates an activity announcement instruction according to the robot activity announcement request, and sends the activity announcement instruction to the target robot. The activity announcement instruction also includes announcement content and announcement time. For example, the activity announcement content can be promotion of new dishes or promotion of a promotion activity. After receiving the activity announcement instruction, the target robot announces according to the activity announcement instruction. In this way, the additional value of the food delivery robot can be fully utilized, and the user experience can be improved.

[0106] In an optional embodiment, the robot activity announcement request is generated according to customer attribute information associated with the target dish.

[0107] The robot activity announcement request can also be generated by the catering management platform according to customer attribute information and sent to the robot management platform. Here, the robot activity announcement request is used to request the robot management platform to issue a user interaction instruction to the target robot to instruct the target robot to interact with the customer after reaching the target table. The customer attribute information can include customer name, customer birthday, and the like.

[0108] Optionally, the robot activity announcement request is generated by the catering management platform when the customer dines in the store on the customer's birthday. The target robot interacts with the customer dining at the target table according to the user interaction instruction, including but not limited to asking the customer whether to play a birthday wish, and playing the birthday wish after receiving the customer's positive reply. It can also announce the take-out voice, for example, XXX, please take the meal. In this way, the interest of the customer during the meal can be increased, and the user dining experience can be improved.

[0109] The application obtains the take-out completion time of the target dish through the catering management platform; generates a target robot state monitoring request according to the target table information to which the target dish belongs in the catering order information and the take-out completion time, and sends the target robot state monitoring request to the robot management platform to make the robot management platform determine the delivery state of the target dish according to the target table information and the take-out completion time; receives the delivery state of the target dish from the robot management platform. Effective monitoring of the robot working state and tracking of the dish delivery state are realized, abnormal situations that may occur in the dish delivery process of the target robot can be found in time, and the dishes can be ensured to be delivered in time and safely.

[0110] Embodiment six

[0111] Figure 6The embodiment six provides a meal delivery robot scheduling system. The embodiment can be applied to information interaction between a robot management platform and a catering management platform, and scheduling of meal delivery robots. The embodiment can be integrated into an electronic device running the meal delivery robot scheduling system.

[0112] The system comprises a robot management platform 610 and a catering management platform 620. The catering management platform 620 and the robot management platform 610 are in communication connection.

[0113] The catering management platform 620 is configured to generate a robot scheduling request according to catering order information and dish preparation progress, and send the robot scheduling request to the robot management platform 610.

[0114] The robot management platform 610 is configured to determine at least one target robot from candidate robots according to the robot scheduling request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots, generate a robot meal pickup request for the target robot, and feed back the robot meal pickup request to the catering management platform 620.

[0115] The catering management platform 620 is further configured to determine a target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal pickup request, and perform delivery of the target dish by the target robot.

[0116] The technical scheme provided by the embodiment breaks the information barrier between the robot management platform and the catering management platform, realizes data sharing between the two platforms, improves the automation degree and efficiency of robot scheduling, and reduces labor costs.

[0117] Optionally, the robot management platform 610, in execution of determining at least one target robot from the candidate robots according to the robot dispatch request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots, is specifically configured to: determine the expected specification and the expected number of target robots according to the food category and the food quantity in the robot dispatch request and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots; and select the expected number of target robots with the expected specification of the delivery device attribute from the candidate robots according to the target pickup location information in the robot dispatch request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots.

[0118] Optionally, the robot management platform 610, in execution of selecting the expected number of target robots with the expected specification of the delivery device attribute from the candidate robots according to the target pickup location information in the robot dispatch request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robots, is specifically configured to: select a first number of candidate robots according to the distance between the current position of each candidate robot and the target pickup location in the robot dispatch request, and determine the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the expected number; and select the expected number of target robots with the expected specification of the delivery device attribute from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification.

[0119] Optionally, the working state includes: remaining service time and service destination.

[0120] Correspondingly, the robot management platform 610, in execution of selecting the expected number of target robots with the expected specification of the delivery device attribute from the candidate robots according to the working state and the expected specification, is specifically configured to: select a robot with an idle state of the working state and the expected specification of the number of layers and the type of the delivery device attribute as a target robot from the candidate robots, and determine the selected number of target robots; and if the selected number of target robots is less than the expected number, select a remaining number of target robots from the candidate robots based on a preset robot selection rule according to the remaining service time and the service destination of each candidate robot, the expected preparation completion time of target food in the robot dispatch request and the target pickup location, and the number of layers and the type of the delivery device attribute of each candidate robot; wherein the remaining number is the difference between the expected number and the selected number.

[0121] Optionally, after the robot management platform 610 generates the robot meal taking request for the target robot and feeds back the robot meal taking request to the catering management platform 620, the robot management platform 610 is specifically configured to monitor the working state and the current position of the target robot according to a target robot state monitoring request, wherein the target robot state monitoring request is generated by the catering management platform 620 according to target table information and a meal taking completion time of the target dish in the catering order information, and is sent to the robot management platform 610; the delivery state of the target dish is determined according to the current position of the target robot and the target table information, and the delivery state of the target dish is sent to the catering management platform 620.

[0122] Optionally, the robot management platform 610 is further configured to generate an activity broadcast instruction according to the robot activity broadcast request and send the activity broadcast instruction to the target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction; wherein the robot activity broadcast request is generated by the catering management platform 620 and sent to the robot management platform 610.

[0123] Optionally, after determining the target dish associated with the target robot, the catering management platform 620 is specifically configured to obtain a meal taking completion time of the target dish; generate a target robot state monitoring request according to target table information and the meal taking completion time of the target dish in the catering order information, and send the target robot state monitoring request to the robot management platform 610 so that the robot management platform 610 determines the delivery state of the target dish according to the target table information and the meal taking completion time; receive the delivery state of the target dish from the robot management platform 610.

[0124] Optionally, before the catering management platform 620 generates the robot scheduling request according to the catering order information and the dish making progress, the catering management platform 620 is specifically configured to determine an expected making time of a candidate dish in the catering order information according to an association relationship between the candidate dish type and the standard making time; determine a recommended making order of the candidate dish according to the dish quantity of each candidate dish in the catering order information, the customer ordering time and the expected making time; determine the dish making progress of each candidate dish in the catering order according to the recommended making order of the candidate dish and the dish actual making time; wherein the dish making progress includes an expected making completion time.

[0125] Optionally, the catering management platform 620 is further configured to generate a robot activity broadcast request, and send the activity broadcast request to the robot management platform 610, so that the robot management platform 610 generates an activity broadcast instruction according to the robot activity broadcast request, and sends the activity broadcast instruction to a target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction.

[0126] Optionally, when generating the robot activity broadcast request, the catering management platform 620 is specifically configured to generate the robot activity broadcast request according to customer attribute information associated with a target dish, and the customer attribute information includes birthday information.

[0127] It should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and the technical principles applied. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and those skilled in the art can make various obvious changes, re-adjustments and substitutions without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, although the present application has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and can include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present application, and the scope of the present application is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for scheduling food delivery robots, characterized in that, The method is executed by a robot management platform, and comprises: determining at least one target robot from candidate robots according to a robot dispatch request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; wherein the robot dispatch request is generated by a catering management platform according to catering order information and dish making progress, and is sent to the robot management platform; the robot dispatch request is used to instruct the robot management platform to allocate a dish delivery robot for the catering management platform; the catering management platform is used to configure target dish information for the target robot, so as to allocate dishes to be taken to a specific dish delivery robot; the delivery device attribute refers to a delivery device specification configured by the dish delivery robot; the delivery device attribute comprises at least one of a number of layers of a storage tray, a model of the storage tray and a distance between the storage trays; the delivery device attribute is related to a type and a number of dishes that can be delivered by the dish delivery robot; the delivery device attribute is used to determine an expected specification and an expected number of the target robot; generating a robot dish taking request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot dish taking request to the catering management platform, so as to instruct the catering management platform to determine target dishes associated with the target robot in response to the robot dish taking request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, determining at least one target robot from candidate robots according to a robot dispatch request and working states, current positions and delivery device attributes of the candidate robots, comprises: determining an expected specification and an expected number of a target robot according to a type and a number of dishes in the robot dispatch request and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot; selecting the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots according to target dish taking position information in the robot dispatch request and the working states, the current positions and the delivery device attributes of the candidate robots.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, selecting the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots according to target dish taking position information in the robot dispatch request and the working states, the current positions and the delivery device attributes of the candidate robots, comprises: selecting a first number of candidate robots from the candidate robots according to distances between the current positions of the candidate robots and target dish taking positions in the robot dispatch request, and determining delivery device attributes of the candidate robots; wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the expected number; selecting the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working states and the expected specification.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, wherein, the working state comprises a remaining service time and a service destination; accordingly, selecting the target robot with the expected number of delivery device attributes with the expected specification from the candidate robots according to the working states and the expected specification, comprises: selecting, as the target robot, a robot with an idle state in the working states and an expected specification in the delivery device attributes, and determining a selected number of the target robots; If the selected number of target robots is less than the expected number, based on a preset robot selection rule, a remaining number of target robots is selected from the candidate robots according to the remaining service time and the service destination of each candidate robot, the expected preparation completion time of the target dish in the robot scheduling request and the target pick-up location, and the number of layers and the model of the storage tray of each candidate robot; wherein the remaining number is the difference between the expected number and the selected number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, After generating the robot pick-up request for the target robot and feeding back the robot pick-up request to the catering management platform, the method further comprises: monitoring the working state and the current position of the target robot according to a target robot state monitoring request; wherein the target robot state monitoring request is generated by the catering management platform according to the target table information and the pick-up completion time of the target dish in the catering order information, and is sent to the robot management platform; determining the delivery status of the target dish according to the current position of the target robot and the target table information, and sending the delivery status of the target dish to the catering management platform.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: generating an activity broadcast instruction according to a robot activity broadcast request, and sending the activity broadcast instruction to the target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction; wherein the robot activity broadcast request is generated by the catering management platform and sent to the robot management platform. 7.A method for dispatching a meal delivery robot, characterized by, executed by the catering management platform, the method comprises: generating a robot scheduling request according to catering order information and dish preparation progress, and sending the robot scheduling request to the robot management platform, for instructing the robot management platform to perform the following: determining at least one target robot from each candidate robot according to the robot scheduling request and the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot; generating a robot pick-up request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot pick-up request to the catering management platform; the robot scheduling request is used to instruct the robot management platform to allocate a delivery robot for the catering management platform; in response to the robot pick-up request, determining the target dish associated with the target robot, and delivering the target dish by the target robot; the catering management platform is used to configure target dish information for the target robot, so as to allocate the to-be-picked dish to a specific delivery robot; wherein the delivery device attribute refers to the delivery device specification configured by the delivery robot; the delivery device attribute includes at least one of the number of layers of the storage tray, the model of the storage tray and the distance between the storage trays; the delivery device attribute is related to the type and quantity of dishes that can be delivered by the delivery robot; the delivery device attribute is used to determine the expected specification and the expected number of target robots.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, After determining the target dish associated with the target robot, the method further comprises: obtaining the pick-up completion time of the target dish; According to the target table information and the meal taking completion time of the target dish in the catering order information, a target robot state monitoring request is generated, and the target robot state monitoring request is sent to the robot management platform to enable the robot management platform to determine the delivery state of the target dish according to the target table information and the meal taking completion time. The delivery state of the target dish is received from the robot management platform.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, Before generating the robot scheduling request according to the catering order information and the dish making progress, the method further comprises: According to the association between the candidate dish type and the standard making time, the expected making time of the candidate dish in the catering order information is determined. According to the dish quantity, the customer ordering time and the expected making time of each candidate dish in the catering order information, the recommended making order of the candidate dish is determined. According to the recommended making order of the candidate dish and the dish actual making time, the dish making progress of each candidate dish in the catering order is determined; wherein the dish making progress includes the expected making completion time.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further comprises: Generating a robot activity broadcast request; The robot activity broadcast request is sent to the robot management platform, so that the robot management platform generates an activity broadcast instruction according to the robot activity broadcast request, and sends the activity broadcast instruction to the target robot, so that the target robot broadcasts according to the activity broadcast instruction.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The generation of the robot activity broadcast request comprises: According to the customer attribute information associated with the target dish, a robot activity broadcast request is generated; the customer attribute information includes birthday information.

12. A food delivery robot dispatch system, characterized by, The system comprises a robot management platform and a catering management platform; wherein the catering management platform and the robot management platform are in communication connection; The catering management platform is used for generating a robot scheduling request according to the catering order information and the dish making progress, and sending the robot scheduling request to the robot management platform; the robot scheduling request is used for indicating the request of the robot management platform for allocating a delivery robot for the catering management platform; The robot management platform is used for determining at least one target robot in each candidate robot according to the robot scheduling request, the working state, the current position and the delivery device attribute of the candidate robot; generating a robot meal taking request for the target robot, and feeding back the robot meal taking request to the catering management platform; wherein the delivery device attribute refers to the delivery device specification configured by the delivery robot; the delivery device attribute comprises at least one of the number of storage trays, the model of storage trays and the distance between storage trays; the delivery device attribute is related to the type and quantity of dishes that can be delivered by the delivery robot; the delivery device attribute is used to determine the expected specification and the expected quantity of the target robot; The catering management platform is also used for determining the target dish associated with the target robot in response to the robot meal taking request, and delivering the target dish by the target robot; the catering management platform is used for configuring the target dish information for the target robot, so as to allocate the dishes to be taken to the specific delivery robot.

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