Cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention disclose a cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system, wherein the cargo handling method comprises: according to the inventory instruction, dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to carry the cargo to the first docking area located in the target lane; controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with the first intelligent forklift docked therewith in the first docking area to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift; controlling the first intelligent forklift to carry the cargo to the target shelf; the target shelf includes a high-level shelf. In this way, the first intelligent forklift does not need to leave the lane in the warehouse, which can not only realize efficient high-level storage and retrieval transportation, but also has high flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of logistics application technology, and in particular to a cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the economy, warehousing technology has been applied to all walks of life, such as finished product warehousing, raw material warehousing, and centralized turnover warehousing in the express and logistics industries. Among them, the warehouse in warehousing technology is used to store goods.

[0003] In the related art, in order to improve space utilization, more and more warehouses use high-level shelves, and use stackers to transport and access goods at high positions. Specifically, the stacker loads the goods and transports the goods to the vicinity of the high-level shelves, and uses a lifting mechanism and a fork mechanism to store the goods on the high-level shelves. However, the above-mentioned transport method has poor transport flexibility due to the structural limitations of the stacker used in the aisle. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems or at least partially solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cargo handling method, comprising:

[0006] According to the inventory instruction, dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to the first docking area located in the target lane;

[0007] Controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with a first intelligent forklift at the first docking area to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift;

[0008] The first intelligent forklift is controlled to transport the goods to a target shelf; the target shelf includes a high-level shelf.

[0009] In some embodiments, dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to a first docking area located in the target lane includes:

[0010] Controlling a first autonomous mobile robot to obtain first position information of a first intelligent forklift docked with the first autonomous mobile robot; wherein the first intelligent forklift is located in a target lane;

[0011] Controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to determine a first docking area according to the first position information of the first intelligent forklift;

[0012] Control the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area.

[0013] In some embodiments, before dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to the first docking area, the method further includes:

[0014] Sending location information of a first docking area to the first autonomous mobile robot;

[0015] Before dispatching the first intelligent forklift to the first docking area, the method further includes:

[0016] The location information of the first docking area is sent to the first intelligent forklift.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cargo handling method further comprises:

[0018] According to the pickup instruction, dispatch a second intelligent forklift located in the target lane to move the goods stored on the target shelf;

[0019] Controlling the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith to dock at a second docking area located in the target lane to transfer the cargo to the second autonomous mobile robot;

[0020] The second autonomous mobile robot is controlled to transport the cargo to a target area outside the lane.

[0021] In some embodiments, controlling the second intelligent forklift to dock with the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith at a second docking area located in the target lane includes:

[0022] Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to obtain second position information of the second intelligent forklift located in the target lane;

[0023] Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to determine a second docking area according to the second position information of the second intelligent forklift;

[0024] Control the second autonomous mobile robot to dock with the second intelligent forklift in the second docking area.

[0025] In some embodiments, before dispatching the second autonomous mobile robot to the second docking area, the method further includes:

[0026] Sending location information of the second docking area to the second autonomous mobile robot;

[0027] Before dispatching the second intelligent forklift to the second docking area, the method further includes:

[0028] The location information of the second docking area is sent to the second intelligent forklift.

[0029] In some embodiments, after controlling the first intelligent forklift to move the goods to the target shelf, the method further includes:

[0030] Update the inventory status information of the goods; wherein the inventory status information of the goods includes at least one of the following: the quantity of goods, the category of goods, the date of entry of goods, and the date of exit of goods.

[0031] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a cargo handling device, comprising:

[0032] A dispatching unit, configured to dispatch a first autonomous mobile robot to transport goods to a first docking area in the lane according to an inventory instruction;

[0033] a first control unit, configured to control the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with a first intelligent forklift docked therewith in the first docking area, so as to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift;

[0034] The second control unit is used to control the first intelligent forklift to transport the goods to a target shelf.

[0035] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a device, comprising: a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps of any of the methods described above when executing the computer program.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic handling system, comprising: at least one autonomous mobile robot, at least one intelligent forklift, and a device as described in any one of the foregoing items; the autonomous mobile robot and the intelligent forklift are respectively communicatively connected to the devices.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the methods described above.

[0038] The cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system of the embodiments of the present invention, by dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to carry the cargo to the first docking area located in the target lane according to the inventory instruction; controlling the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift docked therewith to dock in the first docking area to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift; controlling the first intelligent forklift to carry the cargo to the target shelf; the target shelf includes a high-level shelf. In this way, the autonomous mobile robot can freely and flexibly shuttle between the lane outside and in the lane, and the intelligent forklift can flexibly move in the lane. The first intelligent forklift does not need to leave the lane in the warehouse, which shortens the transportation distance of the first intelligent forklift, allowing the first intelligent forklift to transfer and store more cargo, realizing efficient high-level storage and retrieval transportation, and ensuring high flexibility in picking up and placing cargo on the high-level shelf, and high handling flexibility.

[0039] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1a A schematic diagram of the layout of a warehouse in a transport scenario provided by an embodiment;

[0041] Figure 1b A schematic diagram of the layout of a high-level shelf provided in an embodiment;

[0042] Figure 1c Schematic diagram 1 of a scene of a smart forklift picking up and placing goods provided by an embodiment;

[0043] Figure 1d A schematic diagram of a scene of a smart forklift picking up and placing goods provided in an embodiment Figure 2 ;

[0044] Figure 1e A schematic diagram of the connection of some devices in a transport scenario provided by an embodiment;

[0045] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a cargo handling method provided by an embodiment;

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a cargo handling method provided in another embodiment;

[0047] Figure 4a Schematic diagram 1 of an inventory scenario provided for an embodiment;

[0048] Figure 4b An example of an inventory scenario provided by an embodiment Figure 2 ;

[0049] Figure 4cA first schematic diagram of a pickup scene provided in an embodiment;

[0050] Figure 4d A pickup scenario provided in an embodiment Figure 2 ;

[0051] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cargo handling device provided by an embodiment;

[0052] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided by an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0054] This embodiment provides a cargo handling method, device, equipment and automatic handling system, which uses an autonomous mobile robot with an autonomous mobile function to transport cargo from the storage temporary storage area to the warehouse lane, and transfers the cargo to the intelligent forklift located in the lane by connecting with the autonomous mobile robot, and the intelligent forklift transports the cargo to the high-level shelf and stores it on the high-level shelf. In this way, the autonomous mobile robot can freely and flexibly shuttle between the lane outside and in the lane, the intelligent forklift can move flexibly in the lane, and the intelligent forklift can store the cargo on the high-level shelf without leaving the lane, which can not only realize high-efficiency high-level storage and retrieval transportation, but also ensure high flexibility in picking up and placing cargo on the high-level shelf by using a relatively free and flexible autonomous mobile robot and intelligent forklift for docking and transportation, and the handling flexibility is high.

[0055] The cargo handling method according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for illustration.

[0056] like Figure 1a As shown, the handling scenarios include: high-rise shelves, which are used to store goods. High-rise shelves can be arranged in multiple columns (or rows), such as Figure 1a and Figure 1b As shown in FIG. 1 , the high-level shelves are arranged in multiple rows along the left-right direction in the figure, and the passage between two adjacent rows of high-level shelves is a lane. The high-level shelves include multiple inventory units, and at least some of the multiple inventory units are arranged along the height direction of the high-level shelves, such as Figure 1c and Figure 1d As shown, some inventory units are arranged in the up and down direction in the figure.

[0057] The handling scenarios also include: autonomous mobile robots (Adaptive Multi-Rate, AMR for short) and smart forklifts. The autonomous mobile robots and smart forklifts include multiple vehicles, such as Figure 1a As shown. Among them, the intelligent forklift can adopt an automatic guided vehicle (Automated Guided Vehicle, AGV for short).

[0058] For ease of description, this article takes the example of incoming goods. The autonomous mobile robot is used to transport goods from the temporary storage area to the aisle, and the intelligent forklift is used to connect with the autonomous mobile robot in the aisle to store the goods in the high-level shelves.

[0059] The autonomous mobile robot comprises a body, a universal wheel or other walking mechanism is arranged at the bottom of the body, and a cargo platform is arranged at the top of the body. The structure of the autonomous mobile robot is not described in this embodiment and can be arranged according to actual needs.

[0060] The intelligent forklift includes a body, the bottom of which is provided with a universal wheel or other walking mechanism, a lifting mechanism and a fork mechanism are provided on the body, the lifting mechanism is used to drive the fork mechanism to lift or lower, and the fork mechanism is used to pick up or put down the goods. Figure 1d As shown, the intelligent forklift can lift the goods to the corresponding inventory unit at the high position in the high-level shelf through the lifting mechanism to achieve high-level storage. Among them, the part of the structure of the intelligent forklift not described in this embodiment can be set according to actual needs.

[0061] like Figure 1e As shown, the handling scene also includes a dispatching device, which is used to dispatch the intelligent forklift and the autonomous mobile robot respectively. The autonomous mobile robot and the intelligent forklift can be respectively connected to the same dispatching device for communication; or, the dispatching station includes multiple stations, and the autonomous mobile robot and the intelligent forklift are respectively connected to the corresponding dispatching devices for communication. The handling scene can also include a human-computer interaction terminal, which is used to communicate with the dispatching device and other equipment.

[0062] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a cargo handling method provided by an embodiment. Figure 2 The cargo handling method provided in this embodiment may include the following steps:

[0063] S201. According to the inventory instruction, dispatch a first autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to a first docking area located in a target lane.

[0064] The execution subject of this embodiment is a scheduling device. Alternatively, the execution subject of this embodiment may also be other control devices or processing devices with information processing functions. This embodiment does not limit the execution subject here, and it is just an example. For ease of description, this embodiment will be described by taking the execution subject as a scheduling device as an example.

[0065] When there is a demand for warehousing (ie, inventory demand), after the goods to be stored arrive at the temporary storage area, the on-site staff can trigger the dispatching device through the human-computer interaction terminal to dispatch the first autonomous mobile robot to arrive at the temporary storage area and load the goods.

[0066] Specifically, the on-site staff can enter the cargo information of the goods through the human-computer interaction terminal, and the cargo information may include the quantity, category, storage date, etc. After the on-site staff completes entering the cargo information of the goods, they can send inventory instructions to the dispatching device through the interactive interface of the human-computer interaction terminal.

[0067] The dispatching device dispatches the first autonomous mobile robot to arrive at the temporary storage area and load the goods according to the inventory instruction. The dispatching device may assign the first autonomous mobile robot that is closer to the current location of the goods to perform this inventory task, or the dispatching device may assign the first autonomous mobile robot whose remaining power is higher than a preset value to perform this inventory task, or the dispatching device may assign the first autonomous mobile robot whose idle time is higher than a preset value to perform this inventory task.

[0068] The dispatching device sends a first dispatching instruction to the assigned first autonomous mobile robot, and the first dispatching instruction includes the current location information of the goods to be stored. The first autonomous mobile robot drives to the current location of the goods to be stored according to the current location information of the goods to be stored to load the goods to be stored. Specifically, the goods can be loaded onto the cargo platform of the first autonomous mobile robot by on-site staff or other equipment.

[0069] After the first autonomous mobile robot loads the goods to be stored, it can transport the goods to be stored to the first docking area located in the target lane according to the first dispatch instruction to dock with the first intelligent forklift. The first docking area can be determined before the first autonomous mobile robot starts transporting, or it can be determined during the transport process of the first autonomous mobile robot.

[0070] Before the first autonomous mobile robot starts to transport, the scheduling device can also determine the target lane. In some examples, the scheduling device can determine the target lane according to the cargo information of the goods to be stored (such as the category of the goods) and the state of the inventory unit in the high-level shelf.

[0071] During the specific implementation process, the dispatching device can obtain in advance the correspondence between the category of goods and the location information of the high-level shelves; the high-level shelves corresponding to the same category of goods can be located in the same aisle or in different aisles.

[0072] When determining the target lane, the scheduling device obtains the position information of the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of goods to be stored according to the category of goods to be stored and the correspondence between the category of goods and the position information of the high-level shelves; if it is determined that the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of goods to be stored are located in the same lane, the lane is determined as the target lane; if it is determined that the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of goods to be stored are located in different lanes, the scheduling device can obtain the status of the inventory unit in the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of goods to be stored, and determine the target lane according to the status of the inventory unit in the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of goods to be stored, wherein the status of the inventory unit includes an idle state or an occupied state.

[0073] When determining the target lane according to the state of the inventory units in the high-level shelves corresponding to the category of the goods to be stored, in some examples, after determining the target inventory unit in an idle state, the lane corresponding to the idle inventory unit can be determined as the target lane. In other examples, when there are multiple idle inventory units and they are located in different lanes, the scheduling device can determine the inventory unit that is closer to the current location of the goods and determine the lane corresponding to the inventory unit as the target lane; when there are multiple idle inventory units corresponding to a lane, the scheduling device can determine the lane with a larger number of idle inventory units as the target lane.

[0074] In other examples, the dispatching device may obtain in advance the correspondence between the size of the goods and the position information of the high-level shelf. The dispatching device may determine the position of the corresponding high-level shelf according to the above correspondence, and then determine the target lane.

[0075] In other examples, the target lane may also be determined by on-site staff and sent to the dispatching device via a human-computer interaction terminal.

[0076] S202: Control the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift docked therewith to dock in the first docking area to transfer the goods to the first intelligent forklift.

[0077] The dispatching device can dispatch the first intelligent forklift in the target lane to dock with the first autonomous mobile robot and transfer the goods to achieve docking transportation. In other embodiments, when the first intelligent forklift in the target lane is in a charging state and cannot perform the task, the dispatching device can also dispatch the first intelligent forklift in other lanes to dock with the first autonomous mobile robot in the first docking area.

[0078] In some examples, before transferring the goods, the first autonomous mobile robot can verify the first intelligent forklift, and after the verification is passed, the goods are transferred. Exemplarily, the first autonomous mobile robot obtains the device identification of the first intelligent forklift, and matches it with the device identification of the first intelligent forklift in the received first dispatch instruction. If the two match, the verification is passed; or, the first autonomous mobile robot obtains the task identification of the first intelligent forklift, and matches it with the task identification in the received first dispatch instruction. If the two match, the verification is passed. If the verification fails, the first autonomous mobile robot feeds back error information to the dispatch device, or issues a sound prompt to remind the on-site staff. In other examples, the first intelligent forklift can also verify the first autonomous mobile robot, and the verification process is similar to the above process, which will not be repeated here.

[0079] When transferring goods, the lifting mechanism and fork mechanism of the first intelligent forklift can be used to realize automatic transfer, thereby improving handling efficiency and saving manpower. Exemplarily, the lifting mechanism of the first intelligent forklift lifts or lowers the fork mechanism to be opposite to the cargo platform of the first autonomous mobile robot, and the fork mechanism transfers the goods on the cargo platform of the first autonomous mobile robot to the first intelligent forklift. The specific structure of the first intelligent forklift is not limited in this embodiment and can be set according to actual needs.

[0080] After transferring the goods to the first intelligent forklift, the dispatching device can dispatch the first autonomous mobile robot to perform the next task, or control the first autonomous mobile robot to enter a charging area with a charging pile to charge or wait for the next task.

[0081] S203, dispatching a first intelligent forklift to move the goods to a target shelf; the target shelf includes a high-level shelf.

[0082] The second dispatch instruction sent by the dispatch device to the first intelligent forklift may include the location information of the target shelf. The target shelf may be a high shelf or other types of shelves. This embodiment will be described below by taking the target shelf as a high shelf as an example. The first intelligent forklift transports the goods to the corresponding high shelf according to the location information of the high shelf.

[0083] The second dispatch instruction may also include identification information of an inventory unit for storing goods, wherein the inventory unit for storing goods may be determined by the dispatch unit from inventory units in an air-conditioned state; the first intelligent forklift stores the goods in the corresponding inventory unit according to the identification information of the inventory unit and through the lifting mechanism and the fork mechanism.

[0084] In other embodiments, after the first intelligent forklift transports the goods to the corresponding high-level shelves, the first intelligent forklift may also randomly store the goods in an idle inventory unit.

[0085] In other embodiments, after the first intelligent forklift transports the goods to the corresponding high-level shelf, a robotic arm or other equipment may also store the goods in the inventory unit of the high-level shelf.

[0086] After the goods are stored in the target inventory unit, the dispatching device can dispatch the first intelligent forklift to perform the next task, or control the first intelligent forklift to enter the charging area to charge or wait for the next task. The charging area of ​​the first intelligent forklift and the charging area of ​​the automatic mobile robot can be located in different areas, or the charging area of ​​the first intelligent forklift and the charging area of ​​the automatic mobile robot can also overlap at least partially.

[0087] The cargo handling method provided in this embodiment is to dispatch the first autonomous mobile robot to carry the cargo to the first docking area in the lane according to the inventory instruction, control the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift docked therewith to dock in the first docking area to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift, and dispatch the first intelligent forklift to carry the cargo to the target shelf, which includes the high-level shelf. In this way, the autonomous mobile robot can freely and flexibly shuttle between the lane outside and in the lane, the intelligent forklift can flexibly move in the lane, and the first intelligent forklift does not need to leave the lane in the warehouse, which shortens the transportation distance of the first intelligent forklift, so that the first intelligent forklift can transport and store more cargo, and can realize efficient high-level storage and retrieval transportation. Moreover, by using relatively free and flexible autonomous mobile robots and intelligent forklifts for docking and transportation, it can also ensure high flexibility in picking up and placing cargo on the high-level shelf, and the handling flexibility is high, which can be applied to more handling scenarios.

[0088] In one possible implementation, the first autonomous mobile robot can follow the position of the first intelligent forklift and dock with it, which reduces the restriction on the docking position of the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift and improves flexibility. Specifically, step S201 includes:

[0089] Step a: controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to obtain first position information of a first intelligent forklift docked with the first autonomous mobile robot; wherein the first intelligent forklift is located in a target lane;

[0090] Step b, determining a first docking area according to first position information of a first intelligent forklift;

[0091] Step c: dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area.

[0092] For steps a to c, in some examples, after receiving the inventory instruction, the dispatching device can generate a first dispatching instruction based on the current location information of the goods, the equipment information of the assigned first intelligent forklift, and other information, and send the first dispatching instruction to the first autonomous mobile robot.

[0093] After receiving the first dispatch instruction, the first autonomous mobile robot goes to the location of the goods to load the goods according to the current location information of the goods in the first dispatch instruction. During the loading process, or after the loading is completed, the first autonomous mobile robot obtains the first location information of the first intelligent forklift according to the device information of the first intelligent forklift in the first dispatch instruction, and drives towards the first intelligent forklift to follow the location of the first intelligent forklift.

[0094] In some examples, the first intelligent forklift and the first autonomous mobile robot move toward each other, that is, the first autonomous mobile robot drives toward the first intelligent forklift according to the first dispatch instruction, and the first intelligent forklift drives in the direction of the entrance of the target lane according to the received second dispatch instruction. The first autonomous mobile robot can obtain the first position information of the first intelligent forklift in real time, and when the distance between the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift is less than a set value, the first docking area is determined according to the current position of the first intelligent forklift, for example, the current position of the first intelligent forklift is determined as the first docking area.

[0095] In other examples, the first intelligent forklift does not move, and the first autonomous mobile robot drives toward the first intelligent forklift according to the first dispatch instruction. The first autonomous mobile robot obtains the device information of the first intelligent forklift in the first dispatch instruction, obtains the first position information of the first intelligent forklift, and uses the position corresponding to the first position information of the first intelligent forklift as the first docking area.

[0096] In this example, the first autonomous mobile robot automatically follows the position of the first intelligent forklift, which can reduce data transmission time and improve control accuracy. Of course, in other examples, the first position information of the first intelligent forklift is obtained, and the execution subject of determining the first docking area according to the first position information can also be a dispatching device. The implementation process at this time is similar to the above implementation process and will not be repeated.

[0097] In another possible implementation, the first intelligent forklift and the first autonomous mobile robot are docked in a predetermined first docking area, which helps to reduce the amount of data processing.

[0098] Specifically, before dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to the first docking area, the cargo handling method further includes: sending the location information of the first docking area to the first autonomous mobile robot. Before dispatching the first intelligent forklift to the first docking area, the cargo handling method further includes: sending the location information of the first docking area to the first intelligent forklift.

[0099] Exemplarily, the first dispatch instruction sent by the dispatch device to the first autonomous mobile robot and the second dispatch instruction sent by the dispatch device to the first intelligent forklift respectively include the predetermined location information of the first docking area.

[0100] The first docking area may be a relatively fixed area in the target lane, such as at the exit of the target lane. Alternatively, the first docking area is determined by the dispatching device after receiving the inventory instruction according to the operation status of the first intelligent forklift in the target lane, so as to avoid interference between multiple first intelligent forklifts in the target lane and affect the transfer efficiency.

[0101] In some embodiments, after the first intelligent forklift stores the goods into the high-level shelf, the inventory status information of the goods may also be updated; wherein the inventory status information of the goods includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the goods, the category of the goods, and the warehousing date of the goods.

[0102] For example, taking the category of goods A as an example, before the first intelligent forklift took inventory, the quantity of goods A was 1800, and the quantity of goods A deposited by the first intelligent forklift was 200. Then the quantity of goods A after update is 2000, and the date of deposit of goods A is recorded, which is also the date of the goods leaving the warehouse.

[0103] For another example, if the category of goods is B, before this inventory task, there is no goods B and its corresponding relationship with inventory status information in the data storage unit, then a new corresponding relationship between goods B and inventory status information can be created. If the quantity of goods B deposited by the first intelligent forklift is 100, then the quantity of goods B after update is 100.

[0104] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a cargo handling method provided by another embodiment. Figure 3 In some embodiments, the cargo handling method further includes:

[0105] S301. According to the pickup instruction, dispatch a second intelligent forklift to move the goods stored on the target shelf.

[0106] When there is a demand for outbound delivery (i.e., a demand for picking up goods), the on-site staff sends a pickup instruction to the dispatching device through the human-computer interaction terminal. The dispatching device dispatches the second intelligent forklift to pick up goods from the inventory unit of the high-level shelf according to the pickup instruction. The pickup instruction may include the cargo information of the goods to be picked up, so that the dispatching device can determine the current location of the goods to be picked up according to the cargo information of the goods to be picked up; or, the pickup instruction may include the current location of the goods to be picked up. The first intelligent forklift in the picking process may be the same as the second intelligent forklift in the inventory process, or they may be different.

[0107] In some examples, the dispatching device sends a third dispatching instruction to the second intelligent forklift based on the pick-up instruction. The third dispatching instruction includes cargo information of the cargo to be picked up or location information of the cargo to be picked up. The second intelligent forklift arrives at the current location of the cargo to be picked up according to the third dispatching instruction. The second intelligent forklift can use the lifting mechanism and the fork mechanism to take the cargo from the corresponding inventory unit and transport it to the second docking area.

[0108] In other examples, the scheduling device can also obtain the current location information of the second intelligent forklift, determine the path of the second intelligent forklift according to the current location information of the second intelligent forklift and the location information of the goods to be picked up, and send the path to the second intelligent forklift. The second intelligent forklift arrives at the current location of the goods to be picked up according to the path and picks up the goods.

[0109] S302: Control the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith to dock at a second docking area located in the target lane to transfer the cargo to the second autonomous mobile robot.

[0110] After picking up the goods, the second intelligent forklift transports the picked up goods to the second docking area. The second docking area can be determined before the second intelligent forklift starts to transport the goods, or it can be determined during the transportation process of the second intelligent forklift. The second docking area can be the same as the first docking area during the inventory process, or the second docking area can be different from the first docking area during the inventory process.

[0111] The dispatching device sends a fourth dispatching instruction to the second autonomous mobile robot, and the second autonomous mobile robot moves to the target lane according to the fourth dispatching instruction and docks with the second intelligent forklift. The second intelligent forklift transfers the goods to the second autonomous mobile robot using the lifting mechanism and the fork mechanism to achieve docking and transportation. The first autonomous mobile robot in the picking process and the second autonomous mobile robot in the storage process can be the same or different.

[0112] Before the dispatching device sends the fourth dispatching instruction, the dispatching device may first determine the second autonomous mobile robot that performs the current pickup task. For example, the dispatching device may dispatch the second autonomous mobile robot that is closer to the target lane to dock with the second intelligent forklift, or the dispatching device may dispatch the second autonomous mobile robot whose remaining power is higher than a preset value to dock with the second intelligent forklift, or the dispatching device may dispatch the second autonomous mobile robot whose idle time is higher than a preset value to dock with the second intelligent forklift.

[0113] In addition, before the goods are transferred, the second intelligent forklift can be verified, and after the verification is passed, the goods are transferred. The verification process can be similar to the verification process during the aforementioned inventory, and will not be repeated here.

[0114] S303: Control the second autonomous mobile robot to move the cargo to a target area outside the lane.

[0115] After the goods are transferred to the second autonomous mobile robot, the second autonomous mobile robot transports the goods to the target area according to the location information of the target area in the fourth dispatch instruction. The target area may be a temporary storage area or other area outside the lane. The location information of the target area may be sent to the dispatch device by the on-site staff through the human-computer interaction terminal, or may be determined by the dispatch device according to the on-site related information, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0116] In this embodiment, a relatively low-cost second autonomous mobile robot can be used to transport goods between the temporary storage area outside the alley and the alley. The second intelligent forklift does not need to leave the alley in the warehouse, which shortens the transportation distance of the second intelligent forklift and enables the second intelligent forklift to transfer and store more goods. This not only ensures high flexibility in placing goods on high-level shelves, realizes efficient high-level storage and retrieval, but also reduces transportation costs.

[0117] In one possible implementation, the second autonomous mobile robot follows the position of the second intelligent forklift and docks, which reduces the restriction on the docking position of the second autonomous mobile robot and the second intelligent forklift and improves flexibility. Specifically, step S302 includes:

[0118] Step I: controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to obtain second position information of a second intelligent forklift located in the target lane;

[0119] Step II: controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to determine the second docking area according to the second position information of the second intelligent forklift;

[0120] Step III: Control the second autonomous mobile robot to travel to the second docking area, control the second intelligent forklift to move the goods to the second docking area, and control the second autonomous mobile robot to dock with the second intelligent forklift in the second docking area to transfer the goods to the second autonomous mobile robot.

[0121] For steps I to III, in some examples, after receiving the pickup instruction, the scheduling device can generate a fourth scheduling instruction based on information such as the current location of the goods, equipment information of the assigned second intelligent forklift, and the target area for temporarily storing the goods, and send the fourth scheduling instruction to the second autonomous mobile robot.

[0122] After the second autonomous mobile robot receives the fourth dispatch instruction, the second autonomous mobile robot obtains the second position information of the second intelligent forklift according to the equipment information of the second intelligent forklift in the fourth dispatch instruction, and drives towards the second intelligent forklift to follow the position of the second intelligent forklift.

[0123] The second autonomous mobile robot can obtain the second position information of the second intelligent forklift in real time. When the distance between the second autonomous mobile robot and the second intelligent forklift is less than a set value, the second docking area is determined according to the second position information of the second intelligent forklift at this time, for example, the position of the second intelligent forklift at this time is determined as the second docking area.

[0124] In this example, the second autonomous mobile robot automatically follows the position of the second intelligent forklift, which can reduce data transmission time and improve control accuracy. Of course, in other examples, the second position information of the second intelligent forklift is obtained, and the execution subject of determining the second docking area according to the second position information can also be a dispatching device. The implementation process at this time is similar to the above implementation process and will not be repeated.

[0125] In another possible implementation, the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot are docked at a predetermined second docking area, which helps to reduce the amount of data processing.

[0126] Specifically, before dispatching the second autonomous mobile robot to the second docking area, the cargo handling method further includes: sending the location information of the second docking area to the second autonomous mobile robot. Before dispatching the second intelligent forklift to the second docking area, the cargo handling method further includes: sending the location information of the second docking area to the second intelligent forklift. Exemplarily, the third dispatch instruction sent by the dispatch device to the second intelligent forklift includes the location information of the second docking area, and the fourth dispatch instruction sent by the dispatch device to the second autonomous mobile robot includes the location information of the second docking area.

[0127] The second docking area may be a relatively fixed area in the target lane, such as at the exit of the second target lane. Alternatively, the second docking area is determined by the dispatching device after receiving the pickup instruction according to the operation status of the second intelligent forklift in the target lane, so as to avoid interference between multiple second intelligent forklifts in the target lane and affect the transfer efficiency.

[0128] In some embodiments, after the second intelligent forklift takes the goods out of the high-level shelf, or after the second autonomous mobile robot delivers the goods to the target area, the inventory status information of the goods can also be updated; wherein the inventory status information of the goods includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the goods, the category of the goods, and the date of shipment of the goods.

[0129] For example, taking the category of goods A as an example, before the second intelligent forklift picked up the goods, the quantity of goods A was 2000, and the quantity of goods A taken out by the second intelligent forklift was 100, then the quantity of goods A after update is 1900, and the date of taking out goods A is recorded, which is also the date when the goods are shipped out.

[0130] For another example, if the category of goods is C, before the second intelligent forklift picks up the goods, the quantity of goods C is 100, and the quantity of goods C taken out by the second intelligent forklift is 100, then the quantity of goods C after update is 0, and the date of taking out goods A is recorded, that is, the date of goods leaving the warehouse. At this time, goods C and its corresponding relationship with the inventory status information can be deleted according to actual needs, or the corresponding relationship between goods C and the inventory status information can be retained.

[0131] The following is an example of the implementation process of the cargo handling method provided in this embodiment.

[0132] High-level shelves, charging devices, smart forklifts, autonomous mobile robots and dispatching equipment are pre-configured in the warehouse. Smart forklifts, autonomous mobile robots and dispatching equipment can communicate and connect with dispatching equipment through wireless networks. There are multiple smart forklifts and autonomous mobile robots.

[0133] For the convenience of description, the intelligent forklift and the autonomous mobile robot in the inventory process are respectively referred to as the first intelligent forklift and the first autonomous mobile robot, and the intelligent forklift and the autonomous mobile robot in the picking process are respectively referred to as the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot; the first intelligent forklift and the second intelligent forklift can be the same intelligent forklift or different intelligent forklifts; the first autonomous mobile robot and the second autonomous mobile robot can be the same autonomous mobile robot or different autonomous mobile robots.

[0134] When there is a need for warehousing, after the on-site staff places the pallet (that is, the goods to be stored) in the temporary storage area, the on-site staff sends inventory instructions to the dispatching device through the human-computer interaction terminal. Figure 4a As shown, the dispatching device can dispatch the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to the first docking area, which is the entrance of the lane or a certain position in the lane. Figure 4b As shown, the dispatching device can dispatch the first intelligent forklift in the warehouse to dock and enter the warehouse storage area; specifically, the dispatching device dispatches the first intelligent forklift to dock with the first autonomous mobile robot and transport the pallet to the high-level shelf. After the warehousing is completed, the inventory status is updated.

[0135] When there is a need to ship out of the warehouse, the on-site staff will send a pickup instruction to the dispatching device through the human-computer interaction terminal. Figure 4c As shown, the dispatching device dispatches the second intelligent forklift located in the corresponding lane according to the pickup instruction to transport the goods to the second docking area, and the second docking area is the lane entrance or a certain position in the lane. Figure 4d As shown, the dispatching device also dispatches the second autonomous mobile robot to dock with the second intelligent forklift, and transfers the goods in the second docking area to the temporary storage area. After the outbound delivery is completed, the inventory status is updated.

[0136] In this embodiment, the autonomous mobile robot and the smart forklift are connected for transfer, so that the smart forklift does not leave the aisle, and the smart forklift picks and places goods on the high-level shelves in the aisle, which improves the transfer efficiency, reduces the cost, ensures high flexibility in picking and placing goods on the high-level shelves, and makes the transportation more flexible and applicable to more transportation scenarios.

[0137] The present embodiment provides a cargo handling device, which is used to implement the cargo handling method in any of the foregoing embodiments. The similarities between the present embodiment and the foregoing embodiments will not be repeated herein.

[0138] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cargo handling device provided by an embodiment. Figure 5 The cargo handling device provided in this embodiment includes:

[0139] The dispatching unit 51 is used to dispatch the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to the first docking area located in the lane according to the inventory instruction;

[0140] A first control unit 52 is used to control the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with the first intelligent forklift docked therewith in the first docking area to transfer the goods to the first intelligent forklift;

[0141] The second control unit 53 is used to control the first intelligent forklift to transport the goods to the target shelf.

[0142] In some examples, the scheduling unit 51 is specifically used to:

[0143] Controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to obtain first position information of a first intelligent forklift docked with the first autonomous mobile robot; wherein the first intelligent forklift is located in a target lane;

[0144] Controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to determine a first docking area according to the first position information of the first intelligent forklift;

[0145] Control the first autonomous mobile robot to move the cargo to the first docking area.

[0146] In some embodiments, the cargo handling device further comprises:

[0147] A first sending unit, used to send location information of a first docking area to the first autonomous mobile robot;

[0148] The second sending unit is used to send the location information of the first docking area to the first intelligent forklift.

[0149] In some embodiments, the cargo handling device further comprises:

[0150] The second dispatching unit is used to dispatch the second intelligent forklift located in the target lane to move the goods stored in the target shelf according to the pickup instruction;

[0151] A third control unit is used to control the second intelligent forklift to dock with the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith at a second docking area located in the target lane to transfer the cargo to the second autonomous mobile robot;

[0152] The fourth control unit is used to control the second autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to a target area outside the lane.

[0153] In some embodiments, the third control unit is specifically configured to:

[0154] Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to obtain second position information of a second intelligent forklift located in the target lane;

[0155] Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to determine a second docking area according to the second position information of the second intelligent forklift;

[0156] Control the second autonomous mobile robot to dock with the second intelligent forklift in the second docking area.

[0157] In some embodiments, the cargo handling device further comprises:

[0158] A third sending unit, used to send the location information of the second docking area to the second autonomous mobile robot;

[0159] The fourth sending unit is used to send the location information of the second docking area to the second intelligent forklift.

[0160] In some embodiments, the cargo handling device further comprises:

[0161] The updating unit is used to update the inventory status information of the goods; wherein the inventory status information of the goods includes at least one of the following: the quantity of the goods, the category of the goods, the date of entry of the goods, and the date of exit of the goods.

[0162] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided by an exemplary embodiment. Figure 6 This embodiment also provides a device, which may include: a processor 601, a memory 602, an input device 603, and an output device 604. The number of processors 601 in the device may be one or more. In some embodiments, the processor 601, the memory 602, the input device 603, and the output device 604 may be connected via a bus or other means.

[0163] The memory 602 can be used to store software programs and modules. The processor 601 executes various functional applications and data processing of the device by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 602. The memory 602 can mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store an operating system, at least one application required for a function, etc. In addition, the memory 602 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices. The input device 603 can be used to receive input digital or character information.

[0164] Specifically in this embodiment, the processor 601 will load the executable files corresponding to the processes of one or more applications into the memory 602 according to the following instructions, and the processor 601 will run the applications stored in the memory 602, so as to realize the various functions of the above-mentioned cargo handling method.

[0165] This embodiment also provides an automatic handling system, comprising: at least one autonomous mobile robot, at least one intelligent forklift, and the device in the aforementioned embodiment; the autonomous mobile robot and the intelligent forklift are respectively connected to the device for communication. The autonomous mobile robot comprises: the first autonomous mobile robot and the second autonomous mobile robot in the aforementioned embodiment. The intelligent forklift comprises: the first intelligent forklift and the second intelligent forklift in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0166] This embodiment further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which instructions are stored. When the instructions are executed on a terminal device, the terminal device implements the method for transporting a trolley in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0167] It should be noted that the logic and / or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and can be specifically implemented in any computer-readable medium for use by an instruction execution system, device or apparatus (such as a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or other system that can fetch instructions from an instruction execution system, device or apparatus and execute instructions), or in combination with these instruction execution systems, devices or apparatuses. For the purposes of this specification, "computer-readable medium" can be any device that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transmit a program for use by an instruction execution system, device or apparatus, or in combination with these instruction execution systems, devices or apparatuses. More specific examples of computer-readable media (a non-exhaustive list) include the following: an electrical connection portion with one or more wirings (electronic device), a portable computer disk box (magnetic device), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable and programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber device, and a portable compact disk read-only memory (CDROM). In addition, the computer-readable medium may even be paper or other suitable medium on which the program is printed, since the program may be obtained electronically, for example, by optically scanning the paper or other medium and then editing, interpreting or otherwise processing in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

[0168] It should be understood that the various parts of the present invention can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above-mentioned embodiments, a plurality of steps or methods can be implemented by software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented by hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented by any one of the following technologies known in the art or their combination: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function for a data signal, a dedicated integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.

[0169] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0170] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cargo handling method, characterized in that: include: According to the inventory instruction, dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the goods to the first docking area located in the target lane; Controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with a first intelligent forklift at the first docking area to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift; Controlling the first intelligent forklift to transport the goods to a target shelf; The target shelf includes a high shelf; The step of dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area in the target lane includes: Controlling a first autonomous mobile robot to obtain first position information of a first intelligent forklift docked with the first autonomous mobile robot, so that the first autonomous mobile robot follows the position of the first intelligent forklift; wherein the first intelligent forklift is located in a target lane; When the distance between the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift is less than a set value, controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to determine a first docking area according to the first position information of the first intelligent forklift; Control the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area.

2. The cargo handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to the first docking area, the method further includes: Sending location information of a first docking area to the first autonomous mobile robot; Before dispatching the first intelligent forklift to the first docking area, the method further includes: The location information of the first docking area is sent to the first intelligent forklift.

3. The cargo handling method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: According to the pickup instruction, dispatch a second intelligent forklift located in the target lane to move the goods stored on the target shelf; Controlling the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith to dock at a second docking area located in the target lane to transfer the cargo to the second autonomous mobile robot; The second autonomous mobile robot is controlled to transport the cargo to a target area outside the lane.

4. The cargo handling method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The controlling the second intelligent forklift and the second autonomous mobile robot docked therewith to dock at a second docking area located in the target lane includes: Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to obtain second position information of the second intelligent forklift located in the target lane; Controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to determine a second docking area according to the second position information of the second intelligent forklift; Control the second autonomous mobile robot to dock with the second intelligent forklift in the second docking area.

5. The cargo handling method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Before dispatching the second autonomous mobile robot to the second docking area, the method further includes: Sending location information of the second docking area to the second autonomous mobile robot; Before dispatching the second intelligent forklift to the second docking area, the method further includes: The location information of the second docking area is sent to the second intelligent forklift.

6. The cargo handling method according to claim 3, characterized in that: After controlling the first intelligent forklift to transport the goods to the target shelf, or after controlling the second intelligent forklift to take out the goods stored in the target shelf, the goods transporting method further includes: Update the inventory status information of the goods; wherein the inventory status information of the goods includes at least one of the following: the quantity of goods, the category of goods, the date of entry of goods, and the date of exit of goods.

7. A cargo handling device, characterized in that: include: A dispatching unit, configured to dispatch a first autonomous mobile robot to transport goods to a first docking area in the lane according to an inventory instruction; a first control unit, configured to control the first autonomous mobile robot to dock with a first intelligent forklift docked therewith in the first docking area, so as to transfer the cargo to the first intelligent forklift; A second control unit, used for controlling the first intelligent forklift to transport the goods to a target shelf; The step of dispatching the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area located in the target lane includes: Controlling a first autonomous mobile robot to obtain first position information of a first intelligent forklift docked with the first autonomous mobile robot, so that the first autonomous mobile robot follows the position of the first intelligent forklift; wherein the first intelligent forklift is located in a target lane; When the distance between the first autonomous mobile robot and the first intelligent forklift is less than a set value, controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to determine a first docking area according to the first position information of the first intelligent forklift; Control the first autonomous mobile robot to transport the cargo to the first docking area.

8. A device, characterized in that include: A memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 when executing the computer program.

9. An automatic handling system, characterized in that: include: At least one autonomous mobile robot, at least one intelligent forklift, and the device as claimed in claim 8; The autonomous mobile robot and the intelligent forklift are respectively connected to the equipment for communication.

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