Fork collision handling method, device, robot, equipment, medium and product

Abstract

The present application provides a fork collision handling method, device, robot, equipment, medium and product, the method comprising: when a collision of the robot's forks is detected, determining the collision type; determining the fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type; handling the fork collision according to the fork collision handling strategy. In the present application, when a fork collision is detected, the collision type of the fork collision is first determined, then the fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the determined collision type, and finally, the fork collision event is handled according to the determined fork collision handling strategy. Compared to the practice of the robot continuing to control the fork to perform actions, the present application can handle the fork collision event according to the collision type when a fork collision occurs, thereby effectively protecting the fork, preventing damage to the fork, and reducing equipment maintenance costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and in particular to a fork collision processing method, device, robot, equipment, medium and product. Background Art

[0002] With the development of intelligent warehousing technology, warehouses usually use robots to carry out the handling and storage of goods. Compared with manual processing methods, robots are more efficient in handling goods.

[0003] In the prior art, robots used for cargo handling and other processing are usually provided with a fork for picking up goods. The robot can control the fork to perform actions such as extension and rotation, so that the fork can take out goods in different directions, or place goods in different positions on the shelf.

[0004] However, when there are obstacles around the robot, the fork is prone to collide with the obstacle. At this time, if the robot continues to control the fork to perform the action, it is easy to cause damage to the fork, thereby increasing the equipment maintenance cost. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a fork collision processing method, device, robot, equipment, medium and product, which can effectively protect the fork, prevent the fork from being damaged, and reduce equipment maintenance costs.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a fork collision processing method, comprising:

[0007] When a collision is detected between the robot's forks, the type of collision is determined;

[0008] Determine the fork collision handling strategy based on the collision type;

[0009] The fork collision is handled according to the fork collision handling strategy.

[0010] In some embodiments, the collision types include a telescopic arm extended collision and a telescopic arm not extended collision.

[0011] In some embodiments, the collision type is a collision caused by the telescopic arm not being extended, and determining the fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type includes:

[0012] Determine a first collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or,

[0013] determining a second collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0014] Wherein, the first collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero;

[0015] The second collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the fork is loaded with goods, the first collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type;

[0017] When the cargo fork is not loaded with cargo, the second collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type.

[0018] In some embodiments, the collision type is a telescopic arm extension collision, and determining a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type includes:

[0019] Determine a third collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or,

[0020] Determine a fourth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or,

[0021] Determine a fifth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or,

[0022] determining a sixth collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0023] Wherein, the third collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero;

[0024] The fourth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state;

[0025] The fifth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to stop driving the telescopic arm to be telescopic, so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state;

[0026] The sixth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate so that the fork is in a free rotation state, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract to stop driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state.

[0027] In some embodiments, when the fork is loaded with goods, the third collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type;

[0028] When the cargo fork is not loaded with cargo, the fourth collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type, or the fifth collision handling strategy is determined, or the sixth collision handling strategy is determined.

[0029] In some embodiments, the robot's fork collision is determined in at least one of the following ways:

[0030] The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a first preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the first preset threshold reaches a first preset duration; or,

[0031] The reduction range of the movement speed of the fork reaches a second preset threshold; or,

[0032] The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a third preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the third preset threshold reaches a second preset duration, and the decrease amplitude of the movement speed of the fork reaches a fourth preset threshold; or,

[0033] The pressure variation detected by the pressure sensor provided on the fork reaches a fifth preset threshold;

[0034] The driving element includes at least one of a first driving element for driving the fork to rotate, a second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract, and a third driving element for driving the fork to lift and lower.

[0035] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0036] After the robot's fork is detected to have collided, the collided obstacle is identified, and the obstacle is processed according to the identification result.

[0037] In some embodiments, the processing of the obstacle according to the recognition result includes:

[0038] When the obstacle is cargo, determining the cargo type of the obstacle according to the recognition result;

[0039] According to the cargo type of the obstacle, the obstacle is moved to a corresponding cargo storage location.

[0040] In some embodiments, it also includes:

[0041] When it is detected that the fork is about to collide, a fork collision avoidance strategy is executed.

[0042] In some embodiments, it is determined that the robot's forks are about to collide as follows:

[0043] Based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle, and the current movement state of the fork, it is determined that the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork.

[0044] In some embodiments, executing the fork collision avoidance strategy includes:

[0045] According to the position of the obstacle, the position of the fork is adjusted so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle.

[0046] In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the fork according to the position of the obstacle so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle includes:

[0047] When the obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, the movement path of the fork is adjusted so that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork; or,

[0048] When the obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, the fork is controlled to move along the movement path to a preset position, and obstacle prompt information is output, wherein the preset position is a position on the movement path that is a preset distance away from the obstacle.

[0049] In a second aspect, the present application provides a fork collision handling device, comprising:

[0050] A type determination module, used to determine the type of collision when a collision is detected between the forks of the robot;

[0051] A strategy determination module is used to determine a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0052] The collision processing module is used to process the fork collision according to the fork collision processing strategy.

[0053] In a third aspect, the present application provides a robot, comprising: a fork, and the fork collision handling device mentioned above.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer device, comprising: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the fork collision processing method described above when executing the program.

[0055] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the above-mentioned fork collision processing method.

[0056] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the above-mentioned fork collision processing method when executed by a processor.

[0057] The fork collision handling method, device, robot, equipment, medium and product provided in the present application include: when a collision of the robot's forks is detected, determining the collision type; determining the fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type; handling the fork collision according to the fork collision handling strategy. In the present application, when a fork collision is detected, the collision type of the fork collision is first determined, and then the fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the determined collision type. Finally, the fork collision event is handled according to the determined fork collision handling strategy. Compared with the practice of the robot continuing to control the fork to perform actions, the present application can handle the fork collision event according to the collision type when a fork collision occurs, thereby effectively protecting the fork, preventing the fork from being damaged, and reducing equipment maintenance costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 1 A diagram of an application scenario of the fork collision processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the structure of a robot provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 2B For this application Figure 2A A schematic structural diagram of a fork in the illustrated embodiment;

[0062] Figure 2C For this application Figure 2A A schematic structural diagram of a fork in the illustrated embodiment;

[0063] Figure 2D For this application Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the structure of another fork in the embodiment shown;

[0064] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a fork collision processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 4 This is an example diagram of the positional relationship between the fork and the obstacle in the embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 5a This is a schematic diagram of the control terminal controlling the fork to avoid obstacles;

[0067] Figure 5b Another schematic diagram of the control terminal controlling the fork to avoid obstacles;

[0068] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a fork collision handling device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a computer device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] The above drawings show clear embodiments of the present disclosure, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way, but to illustrate the concepts of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0072] The application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application are explained below:

[0073] Figure 1 An application scenario diagram of the fork collision processing method provided in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the fork collision handling method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be run on a robot, or on an electronic device such as a computer, a server, etc. It can also be executed by a warehouse management device or by other devices in the warehousing system. The intelligent warehousing system 100 uses a robot 110 to extract and / or store goods on a shelf 120, and uses a warehouse management device 130 to perform path planning, status monitoring and scheduling on the robot 110, so that the robot 110 moves to a set position to extract or store goods. The warehouse management device 130 also stores the storage information of each storage location of the shelf 120 and the basic information of the goods, so as to facilitate warehouse management. When there is an order task in the warehousing system 100, the robot 110 moves one or more goods 121 corresponding to the order task and located on the shelf 120 to the conveying operation table area 140 to complete the order task.

[0074] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of the structure of a robot provided in one embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 2AAs shown, the robot 80 includes a mobile chassis 83, a storage shelf 82, a fork 84, and a lifting assembly 81. The storage shelf 82, the fork 84, and the lifting assembly 81 are all installed on the mobile chassis 83, and a plurality of storage units are arranged on the storage shelf 82. The lifting assembly 81 includes a third driving element, which can be used to drive the fork 84 to move up and down, so that the fork 84 is aligned with any storage unit on the storage shelf 82, or with the shelf and / or the goods. The fork 84 can be rotated with the vertical direction as the axis to adjust the direction so as to align with the storage unit, or with the shelf and / or the goods. The fork 84 is used to load or unload goods so as to carry out the transportation of goods between the shelf and the storage unit.

[0075] Exemplarily, the storage shelf 82 may be selectively configured or not configured. When the storage shelf 82 is not configured, the goods are stored in the accommodating space of the fork 84 while the robot 80 is moving the goods.

[0076] The robot 80 in the above embodiment can execute the steps involving fork collision processing in the fork collision processing method provided in any embodiment of the present application to protect the robot fork and avoid damage to the fork.

[0077] When the robot 80 performs the task of storing goods, the robot 80 moves to the location of the storage space where the goods are designated, and moves the target object from the storage unit of the robot body 81 to the shelf by adjusting components, such as a rotating mechanism, in cooperation with the fork 84.

[0078] For example, Figure 2B For this application Figure 2A A schematic structural diagram of a fork in the illustrated embodiment.

[0079] Exemplarily, the fork 84 is mounted on the bracket 86 via a rotating mechanism 85, and the rotating mechanism 85 is connected to a first driving element 87, and the first driving element 87 is used to drive the rotating mechanism 85 to drive the fork 84 to rotate relative to the bracket 86 around a vertical axis to align with the storage unit, or to align with the shelf and / or the goods. The fork 84 is used to carry goods between the storage unit and the shelf. If the fork 84 is not aligned with the shelf and / or the goods, the first driving element 87 can drive the rotating mechanism 85 to drive the fork 84 to rotate relative to the bracket 86 to ensure that the fork 84 is aligned with the shelf and / or the goods.

[0080] For example, Figure 2C For this application Figure 2A Please refer to the structural diagram of a fork in the embodiment shown in the figure. Figure 2B Facilitates understanding. Figure 2CAs shown, the fork 84 includes a pallet 841 and a telescopic arm assembly. The pallet 841 is used to place goods and can be a horizontally arranged flat plate. The telescopic arm assembly is used to push the goods placed on the pallet 841 out of the pallet 841 or pull the goods to the pallet 841. The telescopic arm assembly includes a telescopic arm 843, a fixed push rod 842 and a movable push rod 844. The telescopic arm 843 includes a left telescopic arm and a right telescopic arm. The telescopic arm 843 can be extended horizontally. The telescopic arm 843 is located on one side of the pallet 841 in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the telescopic arm 843 and parallel to the pallet 841. The telescopic arm 843 is powered by a second driving element and transmitted by a sprocket mechanism. According to actual conditions, the sprocket mechanism can be replaced by a pulley mechanism, a screw mechanism or other transmission mechanism. The fixed push rod 842 and the movable push rod 844 are both installed on the telescopic arm 843, and the fixed push rod 842 and the movable push rod 844 can be extended together with the telescopic arm 843. The fixed push rod 842 and the pallet 841 are located on the same side of the telescopic arm 843. When the telescopic arm 843 is extended, the fixed push rod 842 is used to push the goods from the pallet 841. The movable push rod 844 can be retracted into the telescopic arm 843. When the movable push rod 844 is not retracted into the telescopic arm 843, the movable push rod 844, the fixed push rod 842 and the pallet 841 are all located on the same side of the telescopic arm 843, and the movable push rod 844 is located in the extension direction of the fixed push rod 842 along the telescopic arm 843. The movable push rod 844 can be directly driven by a motor, and according to actual conditions, power can also be transmitted through a transmission mechanism such as a gear set, a connecting rod mechanism, etc. When the movable push rod 844 is not retracted into the telescopic arm and the telescopic arm 843 is retracted, the movable push rod 844 is used to pull the goods to the pallet 841.

[0081] Exemplarily, the fixed push rod 842 of the fork 84 can be designed with a finger rod structure similar to the movable push rod 844 .

[0082] Exemplarily, the fork 84 can be designed as a structure in which the spacing width of the telescopic arm assembly is adjustable. When storing / retrieving goods, the spacing width of the telescopic arm assembly can be adjusted according to the size of the goods.

[0083] Exemplarily, the cargo fork 84 may also include a steering structure, such as a turntable, which may be used to change the orientation of the cargo placed on its pallet 841 . Figure 2D For this application Figure 2A The structural diagram of another fork in the embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 2D and Figure 2C It can be seen that the fork 84 can also include a steering structure, that is, Figure 2D The turntable 845 in the tray can be used to change the orientation of the goods placed on its pallet 841.

[0084] In the prior art, the robot can control the fork to rotate through the first drive element, control the telescopic arm of the fork to extend and retract through the second drive element, and control the fork to lift and lower through the third drive element, wherein the first drive element, the second drive element and the third drive element can specifically be a motor, a motor (such as a hydraulic motor, etc.), a cylinder, etc. However, during the above movement process, if there are obstacles around the robot, it is easy for the fork to collide with the obstacle. After the collision, if the robot continues to control the fork to rotate, extend or lift, it is easy to cause damage to the fork, thereby increasing the equipment maintenance cost.

[0085] Based on this, the main concept of this application is that the robot can perform collision detection on the fork. When the fork collision is detected, the collision type of the fork collision can be determined according to whether the telescopic arm is currently in the extended state, and then the fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the determined collision type. Finally, the fork collision event is handled according to the determined fork collision handling strategy. Compared with the practice of the robot continuing to control the fork to perform rotation, extension or lifting actions, the present application can handle the fork collision event according to the collision type when the fork collision occurs, thereby effectively protecting the fork, preventing the fork from being damaged, and reducing equipment maintenance costs.

[0086] The technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0087] It is understood that the processing steps of the fork collision processing method in the present application can be performed by a terminal, an electronic device (such as a computer or a server) or Figure 1 The warehouse management device shown is implemented as shown. Wherein, the terminal can specifically be a control terminal arranged inside the robot for controlling the robot.

[0088] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a fork collision processing method provided in an embodiment of the present application is provided, and an explanation is given by taking the fork collision processing method applied to a control terminal of a robot as an example. Figure 3 As shown, the method mainly includes the following steps:

[0089] S100, when a collision is detected between the forks of the robot, determining the type of collision;

[0090] When the control terminal detects that the fork of the robot has collided, it can first determine the collision type of the fork based on the current state of the structure included in the fork. The structure included in the fork can be, for example, a telescopic arm, and the current state of the telescopic arm includes the telescopic arm being in an extended state or a non-extended state. Among them, different states of the telescopic arm can be used to push the goods placed on the pallet out of the pallet or pull the goods onto the pallet.

[0091] S200, determining a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0092] After determining the collision type, the control terminal further determines the corresponding fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type. Specifically, for different collision types, the corresponding fork collision handling strategies are different.

[0093] S300: Processing a fork collision according to a fork collision processing strategy.

[0094] After determining the fork collision handling strategy, the control terminal handles the fork collision event according to the determined fork collision handling strategy. For different collision types, the corresponding fork collision handling strategies are different, and accordingly, the handling of the fork collision event is also different.

[0095] This embodiment provides a fork collision processing method. When a fork collision is detected, the collision type of the fork collision is first determined, and then the fork collision processing strategy is determined according to the determined collision type. Finally, the fork collision event is processed according to the determined fork collision processing strategy. Compared with the practice of the robot continuing to control the fork to perform actions, the present application can process the fork collision event according to the collision type when a fork collision occurs, thereby effectively protecting the fork, preventing the fork from being damaged, and reducing the equipment maintenance cost.

[0096] In some embodiments, the collision types include a telescopic arm extended collision and a telescopic arm not extended collision.

[0097] Specifically, when the control terminal detects that the fork has collided, if the telescopic arm is in an extended state, the collision type is determined to be a telescopic arm extended collision; if the telescopic arm is not extended, the collision type is determined to be a telescopic arm not extended collision. Thus, by determining the collision type according to the working state of the telescopic arm, it is easy to determine the fork collision handling strategy to protect the fork.

[0098] In some embodiments, the collision type is a collision caused by the telescopic arm not being extended, and determining a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type includes: determining a first collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or determining a second collision handling strategy according to the collision type.

[0099] Among them, the first collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero;

[0100] The second collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state.

[0101] When the control terminal detects that the fork has collided, if the telescopic arm is not extended, the collision type is determined to be a collision when the telescopic arm is not extended. At this time, the control terminal can determine that the fork collision handling strategy is the first collision handling strategy or the second collision handling strategy.

[0102] Specifically, the first collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to zero, specifically, reducing the movement speed of the fork to zero in a short time by emergency braking or the like. The movement speed of the fork may specifically include the lifting speed, telescopic movement speed, and rotation speed of the fork. The movement speed of the fork is zero, that is, the lifting speed, telescopic movement speed, and rotation speed of the fork are zero, that is, the control terminal controls the fork to be in a stationary state at this time, thereby preventing the fork from further colliding with the obstacle.

[0103] The second collision handling strategy is based on the first collision handling strategy, and further controls the first driving element used to drive the fork to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state. The free rotation state means that if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the fork can rotate along a fixed rotation axis under the action of the external force to relieve the external force. Therefore, even if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the external force can be relieved by free rotation to avoid damage to the fork, and finally the fork and the robot are in a steady state.

[0104] In some embodiments, the control terminal may determine whether the fork collision handling strategy is the first collision handling strategy or the second collision handling strategy according to whether the fork is loaded with goods.

[0105] Specifically, when it is determined that the fork is currently loaded with goods, the control terminal determines that the fork collision handling strategy is the first collision handling strategy, that is, the control terminal controls the fork to be in a stationary state. On the one hand, it can avoid the fork from further colliding with obstacles. On the other hand, if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the fork can still maintain a stationary state, thereby avoiding the situation where the state of the fork changes due to external force and causes the goods to fall, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods.

[0106] For example, if the fork is loaded with fragile items such as glass products, by controlling the fork to maintain a stationary state, it can be avoided that the fragile items fall due to external force, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods.

[0107] In addition, when it is determined that the fork is not currently loaded with goods, the control terminal determines that the fork collision handling strategy is the second collision handling strategy, that is, the fork is in a free rotation state at this time. Since the fork is not currently loaded with goods, even if the fork rotates under the action of external force, the goods will not fall, thereby avoiding property losses.

[0108] In some embodiments, when the forks are loaded with goods, the control terminal may also determine whether the fork collision handling strategy is the first collision handling strategy or the second collision handling strategy according to the weight of the goods loaded in the forks.

[0109] Specifically, a sensor may be provided on the robot's pallet to obtain the weight data of the cargo loaded by the fork, and the sensor may send the measured weight data to the control terminal. After obtaining the weight data of the cargo, the control terminal compares the weight data of the cargo with the preset weight. If the weight data of the cargo exceeds the preset weight, it means that the cargo is heavy, and even if the fork rotates under the action of external force, the cargo is not likely to fall. Therefore, the control terminal may determine that the collision handling strategy is the second collision handling strategy, that is, the fork can be in a free rotation state.

[0110] In addition, if the weight data of the goods does not exceed the preset weight, it means that the goods are light. When the fork rotates under the action of external force, the goods are easy to fall. Therefore, the control terminal can determine that the collision handling strategy is the first collision handling strategy, that is, control the fork to be in a stationary state.

[0111] In this embodiment, the control terminal determines the first collision handling strategy or the second collision handling strategy according to the collision type. Specifically, it can be determined according to whether the fork is currently loaded with goods. In this way, damage to the fork can be avoided and the goods can be prevented from falling, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods and avoiding property losses.

[0112] In some embodiments, the collision type is a telescopic arm extension collision, and a fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type, including: determining a third collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determining a fourth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determining a fifth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determining a sixth collision handling strategy according to the collision type.

[0113] The third collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero.

[0114] The fourth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state.

[0115] The fifth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to telescope to stop driving the telescopic arm to telescope, so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state.

[0116] The sixth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, controlling the first driving element used to drive the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate so that the fork is in a free rotation state, and controlling the second driving element used to drive the telescopic arm to extend and retract to stop driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state.

[0117] Specifically, when the control terminal detects that the fork has collided, if the telescopic arm is in an extended state, the collision type is determined to be a telescopic arm extension collision. At this time, the control terminal can determine that the fork collision processing strategy is the third collision processing strategy, or the fourth collision processing strategy, or the fifth collision processing strategy, or the sixth collision processing strategy.

[0118] Specifically, the third collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero. Since the telescopic arm is used to push the goods placed on the pallet out of the pallet or pull the goods onto the pallet, when the telescopic arm's telescopic speed is zero, the fork will not move in the telescopic direction, thereby preventing the fork from further colliding with the obstacle.

[0119] The fourth collision handling strategy is based on the third collision handling strategy, and further controls the first driving element used to drive the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state. The free rotation state means that if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the fork can rotate along a fixed rotation axis under the action of the external force to relieve the external force. Therefore, even if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the external force can be relieved by free rotation to avoid damage to the fork, and finally the fork and the robot are in a steady state.

[0120] The fifth collision handling strategy is based on the third collision handling strategy, and further controls the second driving element used to drive the telescopic arm to stop driving the telescopic arm to be extended and extended, so that the telescopic arm is in a free extension state. The free extension state means that if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the telescopic arm in the fork can be extended and moved along the extension direction under the action of the external force to relieve the external force. Therefore, even if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the external force can be relieved by moving in the extension direction to avoid damage to the fork, and finally the fork and the robot are in a steady state.

[0121] The sixth collision handling strategy is based on the third collision handling strategy, further controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract to stop driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract, so that the telescopic arm is in a free extension state. Thus, even if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, the external force can be alleviated by free rotation and by moving in the extension direction to avoid damage to the fork, and finally the fork and the robot are in a steady state.

[0122] In some embodiments, the control terminal may determine that the fork collision handling strategy is the third collision handling strategy, the fourth collision handling strategy, the fifth collision handling strategy, or the sixth collision handling strategy according to whether the fork is loaded with goods.

[0123] Specifically, when it is determined that the fork is currently loaded with cargo, the control terminal determines that the fork collision handling strategy is the third collision handling strategy, that is, the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm of the control terminal is zero. On the one hand, it can avoid the fork from further colliding with obstacles. On the other hand, if the fork continues to be subjected to external force, when the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm is zero, the fork will not move in the telescopic direction, thereby avoiding the situation where the fork moves due to external force and causes the cargo to fall, thereby ensuring the safety of the cargo.

[0124] For example, if the fork carries fragile items such as glass products, by controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, it can be avoided that the fork moves due to external force and causes the goods to fall, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods.

[0125] In addition, when it is determined that the fork is not currently loaded with goods, the control terminal determines that the fork collision handling strategy is the fourth collision handling strategy, or the fifth collision handling strategy, or the sixth collision handling strategy, that is, at this time, the fork is in a free rotation state, or the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state, or the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state while the fork is in a free rotation state. Since the fork is currently not loaded with goods, even if the fork rotates under the action of external force and / or moves in the telescopic direction of the telescopic arm, the goods will not fall, thereby avoiding property losses.

[0126] Optionally, when it is determined that the fork is not currently loaded with cargo, the control terminal may determine a fork collision handling strategy according to the direction of the external force applied to the fork when the collision occurs.

[0127] Specifically, multiple pressure sensors can be arranged in various directions of the fork. When a collision occurs, the control terminal can determine the direction of the external force applied to the fork based on the pressure data of the multiple pressure sensors, and then determine the fork collision handling strategy based on the direction of the external force.

[0128] Among them, when there is only one direction of external force, and the direction of the external force is the same as the rotation direction of the fork, the control terminal can determine that the fork collision handling strategy is the fourth collision handling strategy, that is, the fork is in a free rotation state at this time, so that the fork can rotate freely under the action of the external force to alleviate the external force.

[0129] In addition, when there is only one direction of external force, and the direction of the external force is the same as the telescopic movement direction of the telescopic arm, the control terminal can determine that the fork collision handling strategy is the fifth collision handling strategy, that is, the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state at this time, so that the telescopic arm can freely extend and retract under the action of the external force to alleviate the external force.

[0130] In addition, when there is an external force in the same direction as the rotation direction of the fork and an external force in the same direction as the telescopic movement direction of the telescopic arm at the same time, the control terminal can determine that the fork collision handling strategy is the sixth collision handling strategy, that is, the fork is in a free rotation state and the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state. Thus, the fork can rotate freely under the action of the external force and the telescopic arm can be freely telescoped under the action of the external force, so as to alleviate the external force.

[0131] It is understood that the direction of the external force is the same as the rotation direction of the fork, specifically, the two directions may be exactly the same, or the angle between the two directions may be lower than a preset angle. The direction of the external force is the same as the telescopic movement direction of the telescopic arm.

[0132] In this embodiment, the control terminal determines the third collision handling strategy, the fourth collision handling strategy, the fifth collision handling strategy, or the sixth collision handling strategy according to the collision type. Specifically, the collision handling strategy to be adopted can be determined according to whether the fork is currently loaded with goods. In this way, damage to the fork can be avoided and the goods can be prevented from falling, thereby ensuring the safety of the goods.

[0133] In some embodiments, the collision of the robot's fork is determined in at least one of the following ways: the increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a first preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the first preset threshold reaches a first preset time length; or, the decrease amplitude of the movement speed of the fork reaches a second preset threshold; or, the increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a third preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the third preset threshold reaches a second preset time length, and the decrease amplitude of the movement speed of the fork reaches a fourth preset threshold; or, the change amplitude of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor arranged on the fork reaches a fifth preset threshold.

[0134] The driving element includes at least one of a first driving element for driving the fork to rotate, a second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract, and a third driving element for driving the fork to lift and lower.

[0135] Specifically, the movement types of the fork may include rotation, telescopic movement of the telescopic arm, and lifting. When controlling the movement state of the fork, the control terminal may control the fork to rotate by controlling the first driving element, control the telescopic movement of the telescopic arm of the fork by controlling the second driving element, and control the lifting and lowering of the fork by controlling the third driving element.

[0136] When the control terminal controls the fork to rotate normally, move telescopically or lift normally, the working current of each driving element is a normal working value. If the fork collides with an obstacle, the fork will be affected by external force (from the obstacle) during normal rotation, telescopic movement or normal lifting. At this time, in order to overcome the external force, the driving element needs a larger working current, that is, the working current will increase to a certain extent. Therefore, when the increase in the working current reaches the first preset threshold and the duration of reaching the first preset threshold reaches the first preset duration, it can be determined that the fork has collided. Therefore, by detecting the change in the working current of the driving element, it can be determined whether the robot's fork has collided. In addition, by setting the duration condition, it can be avoided that the control terminal mistakenly believes that the fork has collided due to unexpected events such as sudden current changes, thereby improving the accuracy of the fork collision detection results.

[0137] In addition, during the normal rotation, telescopic movement or lifting of the fork, the movement speed of the fork is a normal speed value, and if the fork collides with an obstacle, the fork will be subjected to an external force (from the obstacle) during the normal rotation, telescopic movement or lifting, and the movement speed of the fork will decrease. Therefore, when the reduction in the movement speed of the fork reaches a second preset threshold, it can be determined that the fork has collided. Thus, by detecting the change in the movement speed of the fork, it can be determined whether the fork of the robot has collided.

[0138] In addition, whether the forks have collided can be detected by combining the changes in the working current of the driving element and the changes in the movement speed of the forks. Specifically, when the increase in the working current of the driving element reaches a third preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the third preset threshold reaches a second preset time, and the decrease in the movement speed of the forks reaches a fourth preset threshold, it can be determined that the forks have collided.

[0139] Among them, the third preset threshold may be the same as or different from the first preset threshold; the second preset duration may be the same as or different from the first preset duration; and the fourth preset threshold may be the same as or different from the second preset threshold.

[0140] In addition, a pressure sensor may be provided on the fork. When the fork is rotating normally, telescopically moving normally, or lifting normally, if the fork collides with an obstacle, the obstacle will first contact the pressure sensor provided on the fork. Under the action of external force (from the obstacle), the pressure detected by the pressure sensor will change. Therefore, when the change amplitude of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor reaches the fifth preset threshold, it can be determined that the fork has collided. Thus, by detecting the change of the pressure detected by the pressure sensor provided on the fork, it can be determined whether the fork of the robot has collided.

[0141] In this embodiment, the control terminal can perform collision detection through changes in the working current of the driving element, changes in the movement speed of the fork, and changes in the pressure detected by the pressure sensor, so as to accurately detect whether the fork has collided, so as to facilitate fork collision processing and protect the fork.

[0142] In some embodiments, the method further includes: after detecting that the robot's fork has collided, identifying the collided obstacle, and processing the obstacle according to the identification result.

[0143] Specifically, after detecting that the robot's fork has collided, the control terminal can not only handle the fork collision event according to the fork collision handling strategy, but also identify information such as the type of obstacle, and handle the obstacle according to the obstacle identification result, thereby avoiding the obstacle from colliding with other robots and ensuring the safety of the robot or the obstacle.

[0144] For example, the control terminal can call a camera set on the robot to capture an image of the obstacle, and then identify the obstacle through target recognition technology to obtain an obstacle recognition result. It is understandable that the control terminal can also identify obstacles in other ways, such as identifying the electronic tags of goods through radio frequency identification technology (RFID), etc., which is not specifically limited here.

[0145] In some embodiments, the obstacle is processed according to the recognition result, including: when the obstacle is cargo, determining the cargo type of the obstacle according to the recognition result; and moving the obstacle to a corresponding cargo storage location according to the cargo type of the obstacle.

[0146] Specifically, after the control terminal identifies the obstacle, if it determines that the obstacle is cargo, it further determines the cargo type of the obstacle based on the identification result, and determines the cargo storage location corresponding to the cargo. Thus, the control terminal controls the robot to move the cargo to the corresponding cargo storage location. While handling the obstacle, the rationality of cargo storage can also be guaranteed.

[0147] In some embodiments, the method further includes: executing a fork collision avoidance strategy when it is detected that the forks are about to collide.

[0148] Specifically, the control terminal can also detect whether the fork will collide during the operation of the robot, and when it is detected that the fork is about to collide, execute the fork collision avoidance strategy to avoid the fork collision and play the role of protecting the fork in advance.

[0149] In some embodiments, it is determined that the robot's fork is about to collide in the following manner: based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle and the current motion state of the fork, it is determined that the obstacle is on the motion path of the fork.

[0150] Specifically, the robot is equipped with a sensor for distance measurement, such as a photoelectric sensor, a distance sensor or an ultrasonic radar sensor, etc. The control terminal can obtain the distance between the fork and the obstacle through the distance measurement sensor. Then, combined with the current motion state of the fork, the control terminal can obtain the motion path of the fork, and finally, based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle and the motion path of the fork, determine whether the obstacle is on the motion path of the fork.

[0151] If the control terminal determines that the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, it means that the fork will collide with the obstacle when moving according to the current movement path. In this case, the control terminal can execute the fork collision avoidance strategy.

[0152] If the control terminal determines that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork, it means that the fork will not collide with the obstacle when moving along the current movement path. In this case, the control terminal does not need to execute the fork collision avoidance strategy.

[0153] The current motion state of the fork may be rotation, telescopic movement, or lifting, etc. Correspondingly, the path of the fork may be a rotation path, a telescopic movement path, or a lifting path, etc. of the fork.

[0154] For example, Figure 4 : is an example diagram of the positional relationship between the fork and the obstacle in the embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 4As shown, the robot 10 is provided with a fork 11 (for ease of understanding, other structures are not shown), and the fork 11 can be raised and lowered within the height range AB in the figure and telescopically moved within the length range CD in the figure under the control of the control terminal. In addition, the figure includes four obstacles, namely 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d.

[0155] Specifically, the control terminal can control the fork 11 to move upward (ie, rise) along the direction of B→A to the position of the fork 11a through the third driving element. The position of the fork 11a is the highest position of the fork 11.

[0156] During the rising process, the movement path of the fork 11 is from the current position of the fork 11 to the position of the fork 11a. At this time, for the obstacle 20a, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20a is on the movement path of the fork 11 based on the distance between the fork 11 and the obstacle 20a and the current movement state of the fork. Therefore, the control terminal can confirm that the fork 11 is about to collide with the obstacle 20a.

[0157] As for the obstacle 20b, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20b is not on the movement path of the fork 11 based on the distance between the fork 11 and the obstacle 20b and the current movement state of the fork. Therefore, the control terminal can confirm that the fork 11 will not collide with the obstacle 20b.

[0158] In addition, the control terminal can also control the fork 11 to move downward (ie, descend) along the direction A→B to the position of the fork 11b through the third driving element. The position of the fork 11b is the lowest position of the fork 11.

[0159] In addition, the control terminal can control the telescopic arm of the fork 11 to telescopically move in the direction of C→D through the second driving element, so that the fork 11 moves to the position of the fork 11d, and the position of the fork 11d is the farthest position of the telescopic movement of the fork 11. At this time, for the obstacle 20c, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20c is on the movement path of the fork 11 based on the distance between the fork 11 and the obstacle 20c and the current movement state of the fork. Therefore, the control terminal can confirm that the fork 11 is about to collide with the obstacle 20c.

[0160] As for the obstacle 20d, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20d is not on the movement path of the fork 11 based on the distance between the fork 11 and the obstacle 20d and the current movement state of the fork. Therefore, the control terminal can confirm that the fork 11 will not collide with the obstacle 20d.

[0161] In this embodiment, when the control terminal determines that the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle and the current movement state of the fork, it can be determined that the robot's fork is about to collide, so as to execute the fork collision avoidance strategy to avoid the collision between the fork and the obstacle, thereby protecting the fork in advance.

[0162] In some embodiments, executing the fork collision avoidance strategy includes: adjusting the position of the fork according to the position of the obstacle so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle.

[0163] Specifically, when the control terminal determines that the obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, the position of the fork can be adjusted according to the position of the obstacle, thereby preventing the fork from colliding with the obstacle during movement, so as to protect the fork in advance.

[0164] In some embodiments, the position of the fork is adjusted according to the position of the obstacle so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle, including: when the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, the movement path of the fork is adjusted so that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork; or when the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, the fork is controlled to move along the movement path to a preset position and obstacle prompt information is output, wherein the preset position is a position on the movement path that is a preset distance from the obstacle.

[0165] When the control terminal determines that the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, it can adjust the movement path of the fork so that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork. As a result, the fork will not collide with the obstacle during the movement, thereby avoiding the obstacle and realizing automatic obstacle avoidance.

[0166] Specifically, when the control terminal adjusts the movement path of the fork, it may include adjusting the position of the robot, that is, controlling the mobile chassis of the robot to move. Since the fork is set on the robot, when the position of the robot changes, the movement path of the fork will also change, thereby playing a role in avoiding obstacles.

[0167] For example, Figure 5a The schematic diagram of the control terminal controlling the fork to avoid obstacles is shown in the figure. Figure 5aAs shown, during the process of picking up goods by the robot 10, the control terminal controls the movement path of the fork 11 to be ABC, wherein AB is the movement path for controlling the fork 11 to be raised and lowered (specifically, rising), and BC is the movement path for controlling the telescopic arm of the fork 11 to be telescoped (specifically, extending). However, due to the existence of the obstacle 20, and the obstacle 20 is located on the BC movement path, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20 will collide with the fork 11. Therefore, the control terminal can control the robot 10 to move its position, for example, the robot after the position movement is the robot 10' in the figure, and correspondingly, the fork after the position movement is the fork 11' in the figure, so that the fork 11' can move according to the movement path of A'-B'-C' in the figure to perform the picking process, and can smoothly avoid the obstacle 20.

[0168] In addition, when the control terminal determines that an obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, it can also control the fork to move along the movement path to a preset position at a preset distance from the obstacle, and output obstacle prompt information to remind relevant personnel to deal with the obstacle. After the obstacle is dealt with, the control terminal can control the fork to continue to move along the original movement path.

[0169] For example, Figure 5b Another schematic diagram of the control terminal controlling the fork to avoid obstacles, such as Figure 5b As shown, during the picking process of the robot 10, the control terminal controls the movement path of the fork 11 to be ABC, wherein AB is the movement path for controlling the fork 11 to be lifted (specifically, to rise), and BC is the movement path for controlling the telescopic arm of the fork 11 to be extended (specifically, to extend). However, due to the existence of the obstacle 20, and the obstacle 20 is located on the BC movement path, the control terminal determines that the obstacle 20 will collide with the fork 11. Therefore, the control terminal can control the fork 11 to first move to the position of point D at a preset distance from the obstacle in the figure, and output the obstacle prompt information. Then, after the obstacle is processed, the fork 11 is controlled to move from point D to point C. Alternatively, after the fork 11 moves to the position of point D at a preset distance from the obstacle in the figure, the robot moves the obstacle 20 to its own storage unit, and then controls the fork 11 to move to point C, thereby avoiding the collision between the fork and the obstacle to protect the fork.

[0170] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts in the above-described embodiments are sequentially displayed according to the indications of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed sequentially in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear description in this article, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in order, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the figure may include a plurality of sub-steps or a plurality of stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily to be carried out sequentially, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0171] In some embodiments, a fork collision handling device is provided.

[0172] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a fork collision handling device provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the device comprises:

[0173] The type determination module 100 is used to determine the type of collision when a collision is detected between the forks of the robot;

[0174] A strategy determination module 200, for determining a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0175] The collision processing module 300 is used to process the fork collision according to the fork collision processing strategy.

[0176] The specific definition of the fork collision processing device can be found in the definition of the fork collision processing method above, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the above-mentioned fork collision processing device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware and a combination thereof. The above-mentioned modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0177] The present application provides a fork collision handling device. When a fork collision is detected, the device first determines the collision type of the fork, then determines the fork collision handling strategy according to the determined collision type, and finally handles the fork collision event according to the determined fork collision handling strategy. Compared with the practice of the robot continuing to control the fork to perform actions, the present application can handle the fork collision event according to the collision type when a fork collision occurs, thereby effectively protecting the fork, preventing the fork from being damaged, and reducing equipment maintenance costs.

[0178] In some embodiments, the collision types include a telescopic arm extended collision and a telescopic arm not extended collision.

[0179] In some embodiments, the strategy determination module 200 is specifically used to: determine a first collision handling strategy according to the collision type when the collision type is a collision in which the telescopic arm is not extended; or determine a second collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0180] Among them, the first collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero;

[0181] The second collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state.

[0182] In some embodiments, the strategy determination module 200 is specifically used to: determine a first collision handling strategy according to the collision type when the fork is loaded with goods; and determine a second collision handling strategy according to the collision type when the fork is not loaded with goods.

[0183] In some embodiments, the strategy determination module 200 is specifically used to: when the collision type is a telescopic arm extension collision, determine a third collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determine a fourth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determine a fifth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determine a sixth collision handling strategy according to the collision type;

[0184] Among them, the third collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero;

[0185] The fourth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state;

[0186] The fifth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to stop driving the telescopic arm to be telescopic, so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state;

[0187] The sixth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, controlling the first driving element used to drive the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate so that the fork is in a free rotation state, and controlling the second driving element used to drive the telescopic arm to extend and retract to stop driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state.

[0188] In some embodiments, the strategy determination module 200 is specifically used to: determine a third collision handling strategy according to the collision type when the fork is loaded with goods; when the fork is not loaded with goods, determine a fourth collision handling strategy according to the collision type, or determine a fifth collision handling strategy, or determine a sixth collision handling strategy.

[0189] In some embodiments, the robot's fork collision is determined in at least one of the following ways:

[0190] The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a first preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the first preset threshold reaches a first preset duration; or,

[0191] The reduction in the movement speed of the fork reaches a second preset threshold; or,

[0192] The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a third preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the third preset threshold reaches a second preset duration, and the decrease amplitude of the movement speed of the fork reaches a fourth preset threshold; or,

[0193] The pressure variation detected by the pressure sensor provided on the fork reaches a fifth preset threshold value;

[0194] The driving element includes at least one of a first driving element for driving the fork to rotate, a second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract, and a third driving element for driving the fork to lift and lower.

[0195] In some embodiments, the fork collision processing device further includes: an obstacle processing module, which is used to identify the collision obstacle after detecting that the robot's fork has collided, and process the obstacle according to the identification result.

[0196] In some embodiments, the obstacle processing module is specifically used to: when the obstacle is cargo, determine the cargo type of the obstacle according to the recognition result; and move the obstacle to a corresponding cargo storage location according to the cargo type of the obstacle.

[0197] In some embodiments, the fork collision processing device further includes: a collision avoidance module, which is used to execute a fork collision avoidance strategy when it is detected that the forks are about to collide.

[0198] In some embodiments, it is determined that the robot's forks are about to collide as follows:

[0199] Based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle, and the current motion state of the fork, it is determined that the obstacle is on the motion path of the fork.

[0200] In some embodiments, the collision avoidance module is specifically used to: adjust the position of the fork according to the position of the obstacle so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle.

[0201] In some embodiments, the collision avoidance module is specifically used to: when an obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, adjust the movement path of the fork so that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork; or, when an obstacle is on the movement path of the fork, control the fork to move along the movement path to a preset position, and output obstacle prompt information, wherein the preset position is a position on the movement path that is a preset distance from the obstacle.

[0202] In some embodiments, a robot is provided, comprising: a fork, and the fork collision handling device described above.

[0203] In some embodiments, a computer device is provided, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a computer device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, the computer device includes: a memory 71, a processor 72 and a computer program stored in the memory 71 and executable on the processor 72. When the processor 72 executes the program, the fork collision processing method described above is implemented.

[0204] The memory and the processor are electrically connected directly or indirectly to achieve data transmission or interaction. For example, these elements can be electrically connected to each other through one or more communication buses or signal lines, such as through a bus connection. The memory stores computer-executable instructions for implementing the data access control method, including at least one software function module that can be stored in the memory in the form of software or firmware. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory.

[0205] The memory may be, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc. The memory is used to store programs, and the processor executes the programs after receiving the execution instructions. Furthermore, the software programs and modules in the above-mentioned memory may also include an operating system, which may include various software components and / or drivers for managing system tasks (such as memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.), and may communicate with various hardware or software components to provide an operating environment for other software components.

[0206] The processor may be an integrated circuit chip having the ability to process signals. The above-mentioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc. The disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0207] In some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which computer-executable instructions are stored. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the fork collision processing method as described above.

[0208] In some embodiments, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the fork collision processing method as described above when executed by a processor.

[0209] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

[0210] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the application disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0211] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for handling fork collision, characterized in that: include: When a collision is detected between the forks of the robot, the type of collision is determined according to the working state of the telescopic arm on the forks; Determine the fork collision handling strategy based on the collision type; The fork collision is handled according to the fork collision handling strategy.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The collision types include a telescopic arm extended collision and a telescopic arm not extended collision.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The collision type is a collision caused by the telescopic arm not being extended, and the fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type, including: Determine a first collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determining a second collision handling strategy according to the collision type; Wherein, the first collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero; The second collision handling strategy includes: controlling the movement speed of the fork to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that When the fork is loaded with goods, determining the first collision handling strategy according to the collision type; When the cargo fork is not loaded with cargo, the second collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The collision type is a telescopic arm extension collision, and the fork collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type, including: Determine a third collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, Determine a fourth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, Determine a fifth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; or, determining a sixth collision handling strategy according to the collision type; Wherein, the third collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero; The fourth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic speed of the telescopic arm to be zero, and controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate, so that the fork is in a free rotation state; The fifth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to stop driving the telescopic arm to be telescopic, so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state; The sixth collision handling strategy includes: controlling the telescopic arm's telescopic speed to zero, controlling the first driving element for driving the fork to rotate to stop driving the fork to rotate so that the fork is in a free rotation state, and controlling the second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract to stop driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract so that the telescopic arm is in a free telescopic state.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that When the fork is loaded with goods, determining the third collision handling strategy according to the collision type; When the cargo fork is not loaded with cargo, the fourth collision handling strategy is determined according to the collision type, or the fifth collision handling strategy is determined, or the sixth collision handling strategy is determined.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Determine whether the robot's fork has collided in at least one of the following ways: The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a first preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the first preset threshold reaches a first preset duration; or, The reduction range of the movement speed of the fork reaches a second preset threshold; or, The increase amplitude of the working current of the driving element reaches a third preset threshold, and the duration of reaching the third preset threshold reaches a second preset duration, and the decrease amplitude of the movement speed of the fork reaches a fourth preset threshold; or, The pressure variation detected by the pressure sensor provided on the fork reaches a fifth preset threshold; The driving element includes at least one of a first driving element for driving the fork to rotate, a second driving element for driving the telescopic arm to extend and retract, and a third driving element for driving the fork to lift and lower.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Also includes: After the robot's fork is detected to have collided, the collided obstacle is identified, and the obstacle is processed according to the identification result.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The processing of the obstacle according to the recognition result includes: When the obstacle is cargo, determining the cargo type of the obstacle according to the recognition result; According to the cargo type of the obstacle, the obstacle is moved to a corresponding cargo storage location.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Also includes: When it is detected that the fork is about to collide, a fork collision avoidance strategy is executed.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Determine if the robot's forks are about to collide as follows: Based on the distance between the fork and the obstacle, and the current movement state of the fork, it is determined that the obstacle is on the movement path of the fork.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The execution of the fork collision avoidance strategy includes: According to the position of the obstacle, the position of the fork is adjusted so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The step of adjusting the position of the fork according to the position of the obstacle so that the fork does not collide with the obstacle comprises: When the obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, the movement path of the fork is adjusted so that the obstacle is not on the movement path of the fork; or, When the obstacle is located on the movement path of the fork, the fork is controlled to move along the movement path to a preset position, and obstacle prompt information is output, wherein the preset position is a position on the movement path that is a preset distance away from the obstacle.

14. A fork collision handling device, characterized in that: include: A type determination module, for determining the type of collision according to the working state of the telescopic arm on the fork when a collision of the fork of the robot is detected; A strategy determination module is used to determine a fork collision handling strategy according to the collision type; The collision processing module is used to process the fork collision according to the fork collision processing strategy.

15. A robot, characterized in that: include: A fork, and a fork collision handling device as claimed in claim 14.

16. A computer device, characterized in that: include: A memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the program, the fork collision processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, they are used to implement the fork collision processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

18. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the fork collision processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 13 is implemented.

Images