Adaptive positioning system and positioning method for stacker and cargo grid in automated stereoscopic warehouse

Abstract

The present invention discloses an adaptive positioning system and positioning method for a stacker and a cargo compartment in an automated stereoscopic warehouse, which solves the problem that the initial positioning and calibration of the stacker and the cargo compartment in the automated stereoscopic warehouse is labor intensive and requires repeated recalibration after operation. A stacker column (6), a stacker cargo platform (5) and a stacker electric controller (7) are respectively arranged on the stacker (4), a digital camera (8) and a vertical laser barcode (9) are respectively arranged on the stacker cargo platform (5), a barcode tape (12) is arranged on the inner side surface of the stacker column, a horizontal laser rangefinder (10) is arranged on the outer side surface of the bottom end of the stacker column (6), a laser reflector (11) is arranged on the top of the stacker walking rail (2), and a detection circular hole (14) is arranged on the crossbeam of the cargo compartment (13); the labor cost in equipment debugging can be reduced, and the stacker can dynamically recalibrate the cargo compartment position in real time and adaptively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a dense storage system, and in particular to a method and a system for autonomously adapting and adjusting the positioning of a stacker to a shelf. Background Art

[0002] The shelves in the automated three-dimensional warehouse are the storage equipment for goods, and the stacker is the core equipment for automatic storage and retrieval of goods in the three-dimensional shelves; after the shelf system, stacker and its walking track in the automated three-dimensional warehouse are installed, the horizontal and vertical positions between the shelves and the stacker for storing and retrieving goods need to be calibrated. The specific process of calibration is as follows: first install a laser barcode positioning device on the stacker loading platform, and paste the barcode tape on the surface of the stacker column in the up and down direction, so that the barcode tape and the laser barcode positioning device are placed in correspondence; install a laser distance measuring device on the outer side of the lower end of the stacker column, and install a reflective adhesive sticker above the outer track at the end of the shelf, so that the reflective adhesive sticker and the laser distance measuring device are placed in correspondence; run the stacker to the reference cargo grid position at the first layer and first column of the shelf, and read the horizontal and vertical position values ​​of the reference cargo grid through the laser distance measuring device and the laser barcode positioning device, and record it in the control system of the stacker, and use the data as the reference coordinate position of the entire shelf system. The stacker control system automatically generates the coordinate position data of all other cargo boxes according to the design data of the shelf and the reference coordinate position value of the reference cargo box, and uses this data as the horizontal and vertical positioning reference for the stacker to store and retrieve goods. The stacker will store and retrieve goods based on this positioning reference; however, there will be mechanical installation errors during the installation of the shelf, so there will always be a certain deviation between the actual reference position of each cargo box and the reference position of the theoretical calculation data generated by the above steps; in order to overcome the mechanical installation error, multiple sampling inspections are generally used in the on-site cargo box positioning to perform secondary verification and correction on the calculated cargo box calibration value; the sampling inspection work is completed by manually measuring the horizontal and vertical spacing between the stacker and the inspected cargo box. If the sampled cargo box exceeds the allowable error, it is necessary to manually correct the above theoretical calculation data. Therefore, it is often necessary to conduct repeated verification and correction on site to truly complete the calibration of the stacker's shelf position; due to the randomness of the sampled cargo compartments, there is a phenomenon that cargo compartments with large installation errors are not sampled; and these cargo compartments that have not been discovered and corrected will become a safety hazard when the stacker accesses goods in the future; in addition, there are problems of high work intensity and great safety hazards in the random inspection and measurement by manually climbing on the shelves; in addition, during the use of the shelves, due to the long-term heavy pressure of the goods, the shelves will also cause deformation, and even the overall settlement of the installation reference surface of the shelf system will occur. Then directly lead to a certain deviation in the position of the shelf columns and beams relative to the initial calibration position. If the deviation is too large, the above-mentioned cargo compartment calibration work needs to be re-performed on site, affecting the normal use of the automated warehouse; how to develop a simple and easy adaptive positioning method for stackers and cargo compartments has become a difficult problem to be solved in the installation and calibration work of large-scale stereoscopic warehouses. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides a self-adaptive positioning system and method for stackers and cargo boxes in an automated stereoscopic warehouse, which solves the technical problems of large workload for initial positioning and calibration of stackers and cargo boxes in an automated stereoscopic warehouse and the possibility of repeated recalibration after operation.

[0004] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0005] The overall concept of the present invention is as follows: an intelligent camera is arranged on the cargo platform of the stacker, and a visual detection circular hole of a standard diameter is arranged at the center of the crossbeam of each cargo compartment of the shelf; first, the stacker calibrates the position of the cargo compartment at the reference position, and then the stacker automatically runs to the next cargo compartment of the shelf in turn, and the horizontal and vertical distance values ​​of the visual detection circular hole on the crossbeam of the cargo compartment relative to the stacker are identified by the intelligent camera, and the adaptive positioning calibration of the stacker and the shelf is performed until the adaptive calibration of all cargo compartments is completed, and the obtained accurate calibration data is recorded in the stacker control system, thereby eliminating the disadvantages and safety hazards in manual verification and random inspection; the present invention can also be put into normal operation of the stacker after only the calibration work of the cargo compartment at the reference position is completed. During the operation, the adaptive calibration and position data recording of each cargo compartment are automatically performed, thereby greatly saving the debugging time of the stacker in the early stage of commissioning. At the same time, the position calibration data of a certain cargo compartment can also be detected and corrected in real time during operation, thereby avoiding repeated manual calibration work caused by deformation of the shelf due to various reasons.

[0006] The invention discloses an adaptive positioning system for a stacker and a cargo grid in an automated stereoscopic warehouse, comprising a stereoscopic shelf, a cargo grid is arranged on the stereoscopic shelf, a stacker running ground rail is arranged on the ground on one side of the stereoscopic shelf, a stacker running overhead rail is arranged just above the stacker running ground rail, a stacker is arranged between the stacker running ground rail and the stacker running overhead rail, a stacker column, a stacker cargo platform and a stacker electric controller are respectively arranged on the stacker, a digital camera and a vertical laser bar code are respectively arranged on the stacker cargo platform, a bar code tape is arranged on the inner side surface of the stacker column, a horizontal laser rangefinder is arranged on the outer side surface of the bottom end of the stacker column, a laser reflector is arranged on the top of the stacker running ground rail; and a detection circular hole is arranged on the crossbeam of the cargo grid.

[0007] An adaptive positioning method for a stacker and a cargo grid adaptive positioning system in an automated stereoscopic warehouse, which method may also be called a complete calibration method, comprises the following steps:

[0008] The first step, which can also be called the initial calibration and calculation link, is to define the first-layer and first-column cargo grid on the three-dimensional shelf as the reference cargo grid in the stacker controller, and define the reference positions of the reference cargo grid in the horizontal and vertical directions as the base points of the entire shelf coordinate system. According to the designed dimensions of the shelf, the horizontal and vertical position coordinate values ​​of each cargo grid are calculated and calibrated, and stored in the stacker controller;

[0009] The second step is the low-speed self-check and correction positioning link, which performs self-check and correction on the position coordinate value of each cargo grid on the three-dimensional shelf: the stacker runs to the cargo grid position in the second column of the first layer at 20% of the rated speed, and determines the measured coordinate value of the cargo grid position in the second column of the first layer through the measurement between the horizontal laser rangefinder and the laser reflector, the image of the detection circular hole set on the crossbeam of the cargo grid by the digital camera, and the vertical laser barcode and the barcode tape set on the inner side of the stacker column, and compares the measured coordinate value with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-check. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-check.

[0010] The third step is a continuous cycle calibration link. Move the stacker to each cargo compartment on the three-dimensional shelf in turn, repeat the steps of the second step, complete the self-inspection and correction of each cargo compartment, and obtain the accurate coordinate value of each cargo compartment on the corrected three-dimensional shelf.

[0011] An adaptive positioning method for a stacker and a cargo grid adaptive positioning system in an automated stereoscopic warehouse comprises the following steps:

[0012] The first step is to define the first row and first column of the three-dimensional shelf as the reference shelf in the stacker controller, and define the reference position of the reference shelf in the horizontal and vertical directions as the base point. According to the designed size of the shelf, the horizontal and vertical position coordinates of each shelf are calculated and calibrated, and stored in the stacker controller;

[0013] The second step is to put the stacker into the storage and retrieval of goods. When the stacker loading platform on the stacker stores or retrieves goods from a certain cargo grid for the first time, first, the coordinate value of the cargo grid is self-checked and corrected, that is, the actual coordinate value of the cargo grid position is determined by measuring between the horizontal laser rangefinder and the laser reflector, using a digital camera to take the image of the detection circular hole set on the crossbeam of the cargo grid, as well as the vertical laser barcode and the barcode tape set on the inner side of the stacker column. The actual measured coordinate value is compared with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-check. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the actual measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-check. Then, the cargo grid is stored or retrieved.

[0014] During positioning and debugging of the shelf equipment of the present invention, only the reference position needs to be specified, and the subsequent positioning test and verification of all cargo compartments can be completed by the stacker, which can not only reduce the labor cost in equipment debugging; the stacker can dynamically recalibrate and adjust the cargo compartment position in real time and adaptively, and the precise coordinate position value of each cargo compartment can be stored in the data record of the adaptive positioning system, so that the shelf installation error and the accumulated deformation data of the shelf after long-term operation can be understood very intuitively, and the data can be fed back to the installation construction inspection personnel and product designers, which can help us further improve the installation management capabilities and optimize the design scheme, forming a virtuous cycle channel from design to installation, and then to closed-loop feedback of equipment operation data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the positioning system on the stacker of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional shelf 1 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0019] A stacker and cargo grid adaptive positioning system in an automated stereoscopic warehouse comprises a stereoscopic shelf 1, a cargo grid 13 is arranged on the stereoscopic shelf 1, a stacker walking ground rail 2 is arranged on the ground on one side of the stereoscopic shelf 1, a stacker walking overhead rail 3 is arranged directly above the stacker walking ground rail 2, a stacker 4 is arranged between the stacker walking ground rail 2 and the stacker walking overhead rail 3, a stacker column 6, a stacker cargo platform 5 and a stacker electric controller 7 are respectively arranged on the stacker 4, a digital camera 8 and a vertical laser barcode 9 are respectively arranged on the stacker cargo platform 5, a barcode tape 12 is arranged on the inner side surface of the stacker column 6, a horizontal laser rangefinder 10 is arranged on the outer side surface of the bottom end of the stacker column 6, a laser reflector 11 is arranged on the top of the stacker walking ground rail 2; and a detection circular hole 14 is arranged on the crossbeam of the cargo grid 13.

[0020] An adaptive positioning method for a stacker and a cargo grid adaptive positioning system in an automated stereoscopic warehouse comprises the following steps:

[0021] The first step is to define the first row and first column of the three-dimensional shelf 1 as the reference shelf in the stacker controller 7, and define the reference position of the reference shelf in the horizontal and vertical directions as the base point of the entire shelf coordinate system. According to the designed size of the shelf, the horizontal and vertical position coordinate values ​​of each shelf are calculated and calibrated, and stored in the stacker controller 7;

[0022] The second step is to perform self-check and correction on the position coordinate values ​​of each cargo grid 13 on the three-dimensional shelf 1: the stacker 4 runs to the cargo grid position in the second column of the first layer at 20% of the rated speed, and determines the measured coordinate value of the cargo grid position in the second column of the first layer by measuring between the horizontal laser rangefinder 10 and the laser reflector 11, and by using the digital camera 8 to image the detection circular hole 14 set on the crossbeam of the cargo grid, and the vertical laser barcode 9 and the barcode tape 12 set on the inner side of the stacker column 6, and compare the measured coordinate value with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-check. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-check.

[0023] The third step is to move the stacker 4 to each cargo compartment on the three-dimensional shelf 1 in turn, repeat the steps of the second step, complete the self-inspection and correction of each cargo compartment, and obtain the accurate coordinate value of each cargo compartment on the three-dimensional shelf 1 after correction.

[0024] An adaptive positioning method for a stacker and a cargo grid adaptive positioning system in an automated stereoscopic warehouse comprises the following steps:

[0025] The first step is to define the first row and first column of the three-dimensional shelf 1 as the reference shelf in the stacker controller 7, and define the reference position of the reference shelf in the horizontal and vertical directions as the base point. According to the designed size of the shelf, the horizontal and vertical position coordinate values ​​of each shelf are calculated and calibrated, and stored in the stacker controller 7;

[0026] The second step is to put the stacker 4 into the storage and retrieval of goods. When the stacker loading platform 5 on the stacker 4 stores or retrieves goods from a certain cargo compartment for the first time, first, the coordinate value of the cargo compartment is self-checked and corrected, that is, through the measurement between the horizontal laser rangefinder 10 and the laser reflector 11, the image of the detection circular hole 14 set on the crossbeam of the cargo compartment is measured by the digital camera 8, and the vertical laser bar code 9 and the bar code tape 12 set on the inner side of the stacker column 6 are used to determine the measured coordinate value of the cargo compartment position, and the measured coordinate value is compared with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-checking. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-checking; then, the cargo compartment is stored or retrieved.

[0027] In the low-speed self-check and correction positioning link: when the calculated coordinate value of the three-dimensional shelf 1 is calibrated, the stacker can run to the corresponding cargo grid of the adjacent column of the reference column (reference column + 1) at 20% of the maximum required speed without changing the reference layer, calculate the coordinate position of the cargo grid, generate a trigger signal after stopping, and the enabled camera 8 can be a smart camera with recognition function. The smart camera 8 takes a picture of the center position of the identification detection circular hole 14 on the cargo grid, and obtains the deviation from the calibrated center position of the smart camera itself. After analysis and processing, the processing result is fed back to the stacker electronic controller 7 in the form of a four-quadrant coordinate system. The adaptive positioning system will feedback the horizontal and vertical deviation values ​​​​and the corresponding calculated coordinate values ​​from the smart camera. Add up to get the corrected cargo grid coordinate value and save the data in the stacker electronic controller; if the deviation value is ≤ the allowable error value required for stacker positioning, the four-quadrant output signals integrated in the smart camera are all connected, and the coordinate correction and positioning of a single cargo grid is completed; if the deviation value is greater than the allowable error value required for stacker positioning, the adaptive positioning system calculates the corrected measured coordinate value through the measurement value between the horizontal laser rangefinder 10 and the laser reflector 11, the measurement value between the vertical laser bar code 9 and the bar code tape 12 on the inner side of the stacker column 6, and the image deviation value of the smart camera 8 relative to the detection circular hole 14 of the cargo grid crossbeam, replaces the coordinate value calculated in the first step, and uses it as the self-check corrected coordinate value.

Claims

1. An adaptive positioning method for an adaptive positioning system of a stacker and a cargo grid in an automated three-dimensional warehouse, comprising a three-dimensional shelf (1), a cargo grid (13) being arranged on the three-dimensional shelf (1), a stacker walking ground rail (2) being arranged on the ground on one side of the three-dimensional shelf (1), a stacker walking overhead rail (3) being arranged directly above the stacker walking ground rail (2), a stacker (4) being arranged between the stacker walking ground rail (2) and the stacker walking overhead rail (3), a stacker column (6), a stacker cargo platform (5) and a stacker electric controller (7) being arranged on the stacker (4), characterized in that: A camera (8) and a vertical laser barcode (9) are respectively arranged on a stacker loading platform (5); a barcode tape (12) is arranged on the inner side of a stacker column (6); a horizontal laser rangefinder (10) is arranged on the outer side of the bottom end of the stacker column (6); a laser reflector (11) is arranged on the top of the stacker walking rail (2); a detection circular hole (14) is arranged on the crossbeam of the cargo grid (13), and the following steps are also included: The first step is to define the first column of the first layer of the three-dimensional shelf (1) as a reference shelf in the stacker controller (7), define the reference position of the reference shelf in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction as the base point of the entire shelf coordinate system, calculate and calibrate the horizontal and vertical position coordinate values ​​of each shelf according to the designed dimensions of the shelf, and store them in the stacker controller (7); The second step is a low-speed self-checking and positioning correction link, in which the position coordinate value of each cargo box (13) on the three-dimensional shelf (1) is self-checked and corrected: the stacker (4) runs to the cargo box position of the second column of the first layer at 20% of the rated speed, and the measured coordinate value of the cargo box position of the second column of the first layer is determined by measuring between the horizontal laser rangefinder (10) and the laser reflector (11), and by using the image of the detection circular hole (14) provided on the crossbeam of the cargo box by the digital camera (8), as well as the vertical laser barcode (9) and the barcode tape (12) provided on the inner side of the stacker column (6). The measured coordinate value is compared with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-checking. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-checking. The third step is to move the stacker (4) to each cargo compartment on the three-dimensional shelf (1) in turn, repeat the steps of the second step, complete the self-inspection and correction of each cargo compartment, and obtain the corrected accurate coordinate value of each cargo compartment on the three-dimensional shelf (1).

2. The method for adaptive positioning of a stacker and a cargo grid in an automated stereoscopic warehouse according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: The first step is to define the first column of the first layer of the three-dimensional shelf (1) as a reference shelf in the stacker controller (7), define the reference position of the reference shelf in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction as a base point, calculate and calibrate the horizontal and vertical position coordinates of each shelf according to the designed dimensions of the shelf, and store them in the stacker controller (7); The second step is to put the stacker (4) into the operation of storing and retrieving goods. When the stacker loading platform (5) on the stacker (4) stores and retrieves goods from a certain cargo compartment for the first time, first, the coordinate value of the cargo compartment is self-checked and corrected. That is, the measured coordinate value of the cargo compartment position is determined by measuring between the horizontal laser rangefinder (10) and the laser reflector (11), by using the digital camera (8) to image the detection circular hole (14) provided on the crossbeam of the cargo compartment, and by using the vertical laser barcode (9) and the barcode tape (12) provided on the inner side of the stacker column (6). The measured coordinate value is compared with the coordinate value calculated in the first step. If the deviation value is less than or equal to the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is used as the coordinate value after self-checking. If the deviation value is greater than the error value allowed by the stacker positioning, the coordinate value calculated in the first step is replaced by the measured coordinate value and used as the coordinate value after self-checking. Then, the goods can be stored and retrieved from the cargo compartment.

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