A warehouse material pile deviation detection method, device and system

Abstract

This invention discloses a method, apparatus, and system for detecting deviations in warehouse material stacks. The method includes acquiring scanning data from each surface scanning unit; determining whether there is abnormal data in the scanning data to obtain a determination result; executing a first processing flow if the determination result is yes; and executing a second processing flow if the determination result is no. The method, apparatus, and system for detecting deviations in warehouse material stacks of this invention scan the detection surface using surface scanning units and determine whether there is interference between the stack side and the scanning surface by judging whether there is abnormal data in the scanning data. This allows for the simultaneous detection of deviations in all materials constituting the stack, resulting in high detection efficiency and strong adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deviation detection technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus and system for detecting deviations in the stacking of stored materials. Background Technology

[0002] During warehousing and transportation, it is often necessary to stack stored materials (bins, etc.) before transport. Whether stacking is done by a robotic arm or by manual handling, it is inevitable that there will be deviations in the stacking position. If these deviations are not detected in time, they may lead to the collapse of the stack during operation, causing goods to fall and injure people. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the deviations of the stacked goods.

[0003] In the prior art, patent CN210376689U discloses a detection device for detecting the offset information of rack structural components. This device uses a laser for point detection to check for significant rack tilting and promptly identify the risk of rack tipping. However, when applied to stacking inspection, this point detection method is insufficient for comprehensive detection and cannot rule out risks in other locations.

[0004] Patent CN216189289U discloses an anti-interference laser positioning palletizing machine. Its moving frame and the surface of the lifting palletizing layer are equipped with two or more laser radars. During the palletizing process, the laser emitted by the laser radar is used to calculate the flight distance in space and the relative position of the target sign, avoiding errors caused by slippage and sliding, and also avoiding harmonic interference. This device has large structural limitations on the palletizing device, and it is difficult to detect the stacking process of ordinary palletizing robots, resulting in poor applicability. Moreover, this solution determines whether the items are stacked properly by measuring the distance to determine the position, which has low detection efficiency.

[0005] Patent CN209416286U determines the stack height of an item by combining a photoelectric switch and a reflector, which can make the determined stack height more accurate. However, this solution is still a point detection method, which is not comprehensive, and its purpose is to make the stack height more precise. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a method, device and system for detecting deviations in the stack of stored materials that can comprehensively detect deviations on the sides of the stack.

[0007] Technical solution: To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials, the method comprising:

[0008] The scanning data of each surface scanning unit is acquired; wherein, there are multiple surface scanning units, each used to scan each side of the stack to be inspected; in this step, there are generally four sides of the stack to be inspected, which corresponds to four surface scanning units. The detection surface of each surface scanning unit is a vertical plane, and the four detection surfaces corresponding to the four surface scanning units form a receiving well to accommodate the stack. During inspection, the stack to be inspected is placed in the receiving well.

[0009] Determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data, and obtain the determination result;

[0010] If the judgment result is yes, execute the first processing flow;

[0011] If the judgment result is negative, the second processing flow is executed.

[0012] Furthermore, before acquiring the scan data of each surface scanning unit, the process also includes:

[0013] Obtain the theoretical dimensions of the stack being inspected;

[0014] The target position of each of the surface scanning units is determined based on the theoretical dimensions.

[0015] The adjustment unit corresponding to each of the surface scanning units is driven to operate so that each of the surface scanning units reaches the target position.

[0016] Further, determining the target position of each of the surface scanning units based on the theoretical dimensions includes:

[0017] Calculate the position of the detection surface corresponding to each side based on the theoretical dimensions and the maximum permissible deviation value;

[0018] The position of the surface scanning unit is calculated based on the position of the detection surface.

[0019] Furthermore, before acquiring the scan data of each surface scanning unit, the process also includes:

[0020] The dispatching and transporting device will transport the stack of goods to be inspected to the inspection point;

[0021] Correspondingly, the execution of the second processing flow includes:

[0022] The dispatching and transporting device moves the detected stack out of the detection point and transports it to the target location.

[0023] Furthermore, determining whether the scanned data contains abnormal data includes:

[0024] The system determines whether each distance value in the scanned data falls within a predetermined range; if so, it indicates that the scanned data contains abnormal data. After the surface scanning unit completes one cycle of scanning the detection surface, it obtains a dot matrix data sequence. Each data point in the dot matrix data sequence is a distance value corresponding to a specific angle. The control system's memory pre-stores the numerical range corresponding to each specific angle. The control system determines whether each distance value in the dot matrix data sequence falls within the corresponding numerical range; if so, it indicates that the distance value is abnormal data. If even one abnormal data point exists, it indicates that there is interference between the side of the stack and the detection surface, and the stacking does not meet the requirements.

[0025] Furthermore, the execution of the first processing flow specifically includes:

[0026] The system outputs prompts to the operator. These prompts include event information, the lateral location of the anomaly, and its specific coordinates. The event information indicates a deviation exceeding the acceptable range; the lateral location indicates which side of the stack is affected; and the specific coordinates indicate the detailed location of interference between the stack's side and the detection surface. Additionally, the system can visually output these prompts through a graphical interface and clearly mark the anomaly location on the stack image for easier manual intervention.

[0027] Furthermore, the execution of the first processing flow specifically includes:

[0028] The task information is output to the processing device. Here, the processing device is a palletizing device such as a palletizing robot, and the task information includes the side orientation of the abnormal location and the specific coordinates of the abnormal location.

[0029] A device for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials, comprising:

[0030] The data acquisition module is used to acquire the scanning data of each surface scanning unit. There are multiple surface scanning units, each used to scan each side of the stack to be inspected. Generally, there are four sides of the stack to be inspected, which corresponds to four surface scanning units. The detection surface of each surface scanning unit is a vertical plane. The four detection surfaces of the four surface scanning units form a receiving well to accommodate the stack. During inspection, the stack to be inspected is placed in the receiving well.

[0031] The judgment module is used to determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data and obtain a judgment result;

[0032] The first execution module is used to execute the first processing flow when the judgment result is yes;

[0033] The second execution module is used to execute the second processing flow when the judgment result is negative.

[0034] A storage material stacking deviation detection system includes a surface scanning unit, an adjustment unit, and the aforementioned storage material stacking deviation detection device.

[0035] The number of surface scanning units is equal to the number of sides of the stack being inspected, and the two are configured in a one-to-one correspondence; each surface scanning unit corresponds to an adjustment unit for adjusting its position.

[0036] Furthermore, it also includes the transport device.

[0037] Beneficial effects: The storage material stack deviation detection method, device and system of the present invention scans the detection surface through the surface scanning unit, and judges whether there is abnormal data in the scanning data to determine whether the side of the stack interferes with the scanning surface. It can check the deviation of all materials constituting the stack at one time, with high detection efficiency and strong adaptability. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 A diagram showing the configuration of a warehouse material stacking deviation detection system;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a warehouse material stacking deviation detection system;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the method for detecting stacking deviations of stored materials.

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a warehouse material stacking deviation detection device. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] The storage material stacking deviation detection method of the present invention is based on, for example, Figure 1 The warehouse material stacking deviation detection system shown includes a detection device A, a transport device B, and a control system for implementing the following warehouse material stacking deviation detection method.

[0044] like Figure 2As shown, the detection device A includes a surface scanning unit A01 and an adjustment unit A02. The number of surface scanning units A01 is equal to the number of sides of the stack being detected, and they are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. Each surface scanning unit A01 corresponds to an adjustment unit A02 for adjusting its position. The surface scanning unit A01 can emit detection light (which can be visible or invisible light) and receive the reflected light after the detection light is reflected by an external object. The light-emitting unit of the surface scanning unit A01 can rotate to scan the entire detection surface. Preferably, the surface scanning unit A01 is a lidar, and the adjustment unit A02 is a linear module.

[0045] The transport device B is used to transport the palletized pallets from the palletizing position to the inspection point. The surface scanning unit A01 and adjustment unit A02 of the inspection device A are installed above the inspection point. The transport device B can be in the form of a handling robot, a traction robot, etc. The illustration shows a handling robot, which transports pallets via a transport frame C. The handling robot moves by QR code navigation. QR codes are set on the ground at both the palletizing position and the inspection point. A downward-facing camera is installed on the handling robot.

[0046] In actual operation, the dispatching transport device B moves to the palletizing position via QR code navigation and adjusts its posture based on the position of the QR code in the image captured by the camera. There are two possible scenarios: First, transport device B can bring an empty transport rack C to the palletizing position to receive pallets (the palletizing robot at the palletizing position places the pallet and storage materials onto the transport rack C); second, the palletizing position already has a transport rack C with a pallet on it, carrying stacked pallets. After moving to the palletizing position, transport device B lifts the transport rack C. Then, the dispatching transport device B, carrying the transport rack C with the stacked pallets, moves to the detection point via QR code navigation. The location is determined by the QR code at the detection point, and the posture of transport device B is adjusted based on the position of the QR code in the image captured by the camera. After the detection is completed and passes, the dispatching transport device B leaves the detection point via QR code navigation and proceeds to the target location. At the target location, a forklift removes the pallet from the transport rack C.

[0047] The aforementioned surface scanning unit A01, adjustment unit A02, and carrier device B are all communicatively connected to the control system. Here, "control system" is a general term that may include multiple core units such as processors and memory. Each processor executes its own task, and the processors can communicate and interact with each other. In the system described above, the control system may include a scheduling center that schedules the operation of the carrier device B and a control module that connects the surface scanning unit A01 and the adjustment unit A02. The scheduling center and the control module can communicate and interact with each other.

[0048] Based on the above detection system, such as Figure 3 As shown, the method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials according to the present invention includes the following steps S101-S104:

[0049] Step S101: Obtain scanning data for each surface scanning unit A01; wherein, there are multiple surface scanning units A01, each used to scan each side of the stack being inspected;

[0050] In this step, the number of sides of the stack being inspected is generally four, corresponding to four surface scanning units A01. The detection surface of each surface scanning unit A01 is a vertical plane, and the four detection surfaces of the four surface scanning units A01 form a receiving well to accommodate the stack. During inspection, the stack being inspected is placed within the receiving well. If the stacking meets the requirements, there is a gap between each side of the stack and the detection surface corresponding to that side.

[0051] Step S102: Determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data, and obtain the determination result;

[0052] In this step, determining whether there is abnormal data means determining whether each side of the stack interferes with the detection surface of the corresponding surface scanning unit A01. If interference occurs, the material in the stack will block the detection light emitted by the surface scanning unit A01, which will generate abnormal data.

[0053] Step S103: If the judgment result is yes, execute the first processing flow;

[0054] In this step, the first processing flow can be a process of outputting information or instructions to a human or processing device. If a prompt is output to a human, the output prompt includes event information, the side orientation of the abnormal location, and the specific coordinates of the abnormal location. The event information is that the deviation exceeds the range, the side orientation of the abnormal location indicates which side of the stack has an abnormality, and the specific coordinates of the abnormal location represent the detailed location of the interference between the side of the stack and the detection surface. In addition, the system can intuitively output prompt information through a visual interface and can visually mark the abnormal location in the stack image to facilitate manual handling. If task information is output to a processing device such as a palletizing robot, the task information includes the side orientation of the abnormal location and the specific coordinates of the abnormal location. Subsequently, the palletizing robot can be scheduled to partially destacking and restacking the materials that make up the stack based on the abnormal location.

[0055] Step S104: If the judgment result is negative, execute the second processing flow.

[0056] In this step, since the transport device B is used to move the stack to be inspected into and out of the inspection point, the following step is included before step S101: dispatching the transport device B to transport the stack to be inspected to the inspection point; correspondingly, the second processing flow is specifically: dispatching the transport device B to move the stack to be inspected out of the inspection point and transport it to the target location.

[0057] In the above steps S101-S104, multiple surface scanning units A01 simultaneously scan each detection surface, which can simultaneously detect each side of the stack, providing comprehensive detection and effectively preventing situations such as large deviations or tilting of the stack.

[0058] Because the dimensions and specifications of stored materials vary greatly when entering and leaving the warehouse, the dimensions of the stacked materials after palletizing are generally also different. Therefore, preferably, before obtaining the scanning data of each surface scanning unit A01 in step S101 above, the following steps S201-S203 are also included:

[0059] Step S201: Obtain the theoretical dimensions of the stack to be detected. The theoretical dimensions can be pre-input manually, pre-calculated by the control system and stored in the memory, or retrieved from other systems.

[0060] Step S202: Determine the target position of each of the surface scanning units A01 according to the theoretical dimensions;

[0061] Step S203: Drive the adjustment unit A02 corresponding to each of the surface scanning units A01 to operate, so that each of the surface scanning units A01 reaches the target position.

[0062] In steps S201-S203 above, the position of the surface scanning unit A01 is adjusted by the theoretical size control adjustment unit A02, which can effectively adapt to stacks of different sizes and specifications, making the detection system highly adaptable.

[0063] The step S202 above, which involves determining the target position of each surface scanning unit A01 based on the theoretical dimensions, includes the following steps S301-S302:

[0064] Step S301: Calculate the position of the detection surface corresponding to each side based on the theoretical size and the maximum permissible deviation value;

[0065] Step S302: Calculate the position of the surface scanning unit A01 based on the position of the detection surface.

[0066] The above steps S301-S302 are to obtain the detection surface by shifting the maximum allowable deviation of the side of the ideal stack outward based on the theoretical dimensions, and then determine the position of the surface scanning unit A01 based on the detection surface.

[0067] Prioritize, the step S103 of determining whether the scan data contains abnormal data includes: determining whether each distance value in the scan data falls within a predetermined value range; if so, it indicates that the scan data contains abnormal data. After the surface scanning unit A01 completes one cycle of scanning the detection surface, it obtains a dot matrix data sequence. Each data in the dot matrix data sequence is a distance value corresponding to a specific angle. The control system's memory pre-stores the value range corresponding to each specific angle. The control system determines whether each distance value in the dot matrix data sequence falls within the corresponding value range; if so, it indicates that the distance value is abnormal data. If even one abnormal data point exists, it indicates that there is interference between the side of the stack and the detection surface, and the stacking does not meet the requirements.

[0068] Furthermore, since the aforementioned transport device B inevitably experiences positional deviations when it stops at the stacking position and the detection point, in order to avoid the positional deviations of the transport device B affecting the subsequent detection of the stack, the following steps S401-S402 are included before step S101:

[0069] Step S401: After the transport device B stops at the palletizing position, calculate the first stopping deviation of the transport device B relative to the palletizing position based on the image containing the QR code acquired by the camera on the transport device B.

[0070] Step S402: After the transport device B stops at the detection point, calculate the second stopping deviation of the transport device B relative to the detection point based on the image containing the QR code acquired by the camera on the transport device B.

[0071] Step S403: Obtain the total docking deviation based on the first docking deviation and the second docking deviation, calculate the position compensation value corresponding to each of the surface detection units based on the total docking deviation, and drive each of the adjustment units to operate based on the position compensation value to correct the position of each of the surface detection units.

[0072] By following the steps above, the position of the detection unit is supplemented and corrected once before each stack is inspected, based on the actual situation. This can effectively avoid false detections caused by the positional deviation of the transport device B.

[0073] This invention also provides a storage material stacking deviation detection device 500 (hereinafter referred to as: deviation detection device 500). The deviation detection device 500 may include or be divided into one or more program modules. One or more program modules are stored in a storage medium and executed by one or more processors to complete this invention and realize the above-mentioned deviation detection device 500. The program module referred to in this embodiment of the invention refers to a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing a specific function, which is more suitable than the program itself for describing the execution process of the deviation detection device 500 in the storage medium. The following description will specifically introduce the functions of each program module in this embodiment, such as... Figure 4 As shown, it includes:

[0074] The data acquisition module 501 is used to acquire the scanning data of each surface scanning unit A01; wherein, there are multiple surface scanning units A01, which are used to scan each side of the stack being inspected.

[0075] The judgment module 502 is used to determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data and obtain a judgment result;

[0076] The first execution module 503 is used to execute the first processing flow when the judgment result is yes;

[0077] The second execution module 504 is used to execute the second processing flow when the judgment result is negative.

[0078] Other aspects of the above-mentioned method for detecting stacking deviations of stored materials based on the deviation detection device 500 have been described in detail in previous embodiments. Please refer to the corresponding content in the previous embodiments. They will not be repeated here.

[0079] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials, characterized in that, The method includes: The scanning data of each surface scanning unit is acquired; wherein, there are multiple surface scanning units, each used to scan each side of the stack to be inspected; there are four sides of the stack to be inspected, which corresponds to four surface scanning units. The detection surface of each surface scanning unit is a vertical plane, and the four detection surfaces corresponding to the four surface scanning units form a receiving well to accommodate the stack. During inspection, the stack to be inspected is placed in the receiving well. Determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data, and obtain the determination result; If the judgment result is yes, the first processing flow is executed; the execution of the first processing flow specifically includes: outputting prompt information to the human operator or outputting task information to the processing device; If the judgment result is negative, the second processing flow is executed; Before acquiring the scan data of each surface scanning unit, the process also includes: The dispatching and transporting device transports the stack to be inspected to the inspection point. A QR code is set on the ground at the inspection point, and a downward-facing camera is installed on the transporting device. The dispatching and transporting device moves to the stacking position by navigating through the QR code and adjusts the attitude of the transporting device by the position of the QR code in the image captured by the camera. Correspondingly, the execution of the second processing flow includes: The dispatching and transporting device moves the detected stack of goods out of the detection point and transports it to the target location; Before acquiring the scanning data of each surface scanning unit, the method further includes: after the transport device stops at the palletizing position, calculating a first stopping deviation of the transport device relative to the palletizing position based on the image containing the QR code acquired by the camera on the transport device; after the transport device stops at the detection point, calculating a second stopping deviation of the transport device relative to the detection point based on the image containing the QR code acquired by the camera on the transport device; obtaining a total stopping deviation based on the first stopping deviation and the second stopping deviation, calculating a position compensation value corresponding to each surface scanning unit based on the total stopping deviation, and driving the adjustment unit corresponding to each surface scanning unit to operate and correct the position of each surface scanning unit based on the position compensation value.

2. The method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before acquiring the scan data of each surface scanning unit, the process also includes: Obtain the theoretical dimensions of the stack being inspected; The target position of each of the surface scanning units is determined based on the theoretical dimensions. The adjustment unit corresponding to each of the surface scanning units is driven to operate so that each of the surface scanning units reaches the target position.

3. The method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the target position of each of the surface scanning units based on the theoretical dimensions includes: Calculate the position of the detection surface corresponding to each side based on the theoretical dimensions and the maximum permissible deviation value; The position of the surface scanning unit is calculated based on the position of the detection surface.

4. The method for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of whether the scanned data contains abnormal data includes: Determine whether each distance value contained in the scan data falls within a predetermined range; if so, it indicates that the scan data contains abnormal data.

5. A storage material stacking deviation detection device, used to implement the storage material stacking deviation detection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, It includes: A data acquisition module is used to acquire the scanning data of each surface scanning unit; wherein, there are multiple surface scanning units, each used to scan each side of the stack being inspected; The judgment module is used to determine whether there is abnormal data in the scanned data and obtain a judgment result; The first execution module is used to execute the first processing flow when the judgment result is yes; The second execution module is used to execute the second processing flow when the judgment result is negative.

6. A system for detecting stacking deviation of stored materials, characterized in that, It includes a surface scanning unit, an adjustment unit, and the storage material stacking deviation detection device as described in claim 5; The number of surface scanning units is equal to the number of sides of the stack being inspected, and the two are configured in a one-to-one correspondence; each surface scanning unit corresponds to an adjustment unit for adjusting its position.

7. The storage material stacking deviation detection system according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes the transport equipment.

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