Robot control method and apparatus, goods handling system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a robot control method and device, a cargo handling system, and a computer readable storage medium. The robot includes a liftable movable fork for picking and placing cargo and at least one backpack for temporarily storing cargo. The robot control method includes: controlling the robot to move to a first cargo picking stop position, the first cargo picking stop position being a stop position for the robot to pick at least one first target cargo; controlling the robot to pick up the at least one first target cargo at the first cargo picking stop position using the fork, wherein picking up the at least one first target cargo using the fork includes picking up and loading one of the at least one first target cargo onto the fork using the fork; and in the case where picking up the at least one first target cargo at the first cargo picking stop position is completed, controlling the robot to move to a target position, wherein the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target cargo during movement of the robot to the target position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of computer, and in particular, to a robot control method and device, a goods carrying system, and a computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] The multi-layer magazine robot is a device carrying a backpack and a fork. In the related art, the robot is controlled to stop at a goods taking stop position, and at the goods taking stop position, the fork is used to take out and load goods into the backpack, and then the robot with only the backpack loaded with goods is controlled to move to a goods placing stop position. SUMMARY

[0003] In the related art, even when the robot is fully loaded with goods, that is, the backpack is fully loaded with goods, the fork is still idle, and the components of the robot cannot be fully utilized.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a solution, which can improve the goods carrying capacity and efficiency of the robot.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a robot control method is provided, wherein the robot includes a liftable fork and at least one backpack, the fork is used to take and place goods, and each backpack is used to temporarily store goods. The robot control method includes: controlling the robot to move to a first goods taking stop position, the first goods taking stop position being a stop position for the robot to take out at least one first target goods; controlling the robot to take out the at least one first target goods at the first goods taking stop position by using the fork, wherein taking out the at least one first target goods by using the fork includes: taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the fork by using the fork; and in the case that taking out the at least one first target goods at the first goods taking stop position is completed, controlling the robot to move to a target position, wherein during the robot moving to the target position, the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target goods.

[0006] In some embodiments, the target location includes a loading docking location corresponding to the at least one first target cargo, the loading docking location being a docking location where the robot places at least one first target cargo. The robot control method further includes: when the robot moves to the loading docking location, controlling the forks to place the first target cargo loaded on the forks into the cargo position corresponding to the loading docking location; after placing the first target cargo loaded on the forks into the cargo position corresponding to the loading docking location, if the robot's basket is loaded with cargo, controlling the forks to remove the first target cargo loaded in the basket from the basket and placing the removed first target cargo into the cargo position corresponding to the loading docking location.

[0007] In some embodiments, when the robot's basket is idle, the target location includes a second retrieval docking position, which is a docking position for retrieving at least one second target item. The robot control method further includes: controlling the forks to load the first target item loaded on the forks into the idle basket; and when the robot moves to the second retrieval docking position, controlling the robot to retrieve the at least one second target item at the second retrieval docking position using the forks, wherein retrieving the at least one second target item using the forks includes: retrieving and loading one of the at least one second target item onto the forks using the forks.

[0008] In some embodiments, removing the at least one second target cargo using the forks further includes: removing and loading other second target cargo, besides the second target cargo loaded on the forks, into an empty basket using the forks.

[0009] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises: in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the first time, sending the loading condition information of the basket of the robot at the first time; receiving task information of the carrying task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the basket of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time including location information of the first goods pickup stop position, goods information of the at least one first target goods, and location information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time; in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to the specified docking type, in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, sending the loading condition information of the basket and the forks of the robot at the second time, the loading condition information of the basket and the forks of the robot at the second time being used to determine task information of the carrying task corresponding to the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time including location information of the second goods pickup stop position, goods information of the at least one second target goods, and location information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the second time.

[0010] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises: obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information including a correspondence between a goods drop-off stop position and whether to simultaneously use a basket and forks for goods loading; and in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to the specified docking type and the configuration information indicates that the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time simultaneously uses a basket and forks for goods loading, in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, sending the loading condition information of the basket and the forks of the robot at the second time.

[0011] In some embodiments, taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods into the forks using the forks comprises: in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods belongs to the specified docking type, taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods into the forks using the forks.

[0012] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises: obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information comprising a correspondence between a put-away stop position and whether to simultaneously use the basket and the forks to load the goods; and wherein, in a case where a type of goods docking at the put-away stop position belongs to a designated docking type and the configuration information indicates that the put-away stop position simultaneously uses the basket and the forks to load the goods, one of the at least one first target goods is taken out and loaded to the forks by using the forks.

[0013] In some embodiments, taking out the at least one first target goods by using the forks further comprises: taking out and loading other first target goods of the at least one first target goods, except for the one loaded to the forks, to an idle basket of the robot by using the forks.

[0014] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises: in response to receiving a request to obtain the loading condition of the robot at a first time, sending loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time; and receiving task information of a handling task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time comprising position information of the first put-away stop position and goods information of the at least one first target goods, and position information of the target position.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a robot control device is provided, comprising: a first control module configured to control a robot to move to a first put-away stop position, the first put-away stop position being a stop position for the robot to take out at least one first target goods, the robot comprising a liftable movable fork and at least one basket, the fork being used to take and place goods, and each basket being used to temporarily store goods; a second control module configured to control the robot to take out the at least one first target goods by using the fork at the first put-away stop position, wherein taking out the at least one first target goods by using the fork comprises taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the fork by using the fork; and a third control module configured to control the robot to move to a target position after completing the taking out of the at least one first target goods at the first put-away stop position, wherein the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target goods during the movement of the robot to the target position.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a robot control device is provided, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the robot control method of any of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a goods carrying system, comprising: a robot control device configured to perform the robot control method according to any of the above embodiments.

[0018] In some embodiments, the goods carrying system further comprises: a task processing device configured to send a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot to the robot control device at a first time; the robot control device is configured to send the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time to the task processing device in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the first time; and the task processing device is further configured to determine the task information of the carrying task corresponding to the first time according to the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time comprising the location information of the first goods pickup stop position and the goods information of at least one first target goods, and the location information of the target position.

[0019] In some embodiments, the task information corresponding to the first time further comprises the location information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods, the target position comprising a second goods pickup stop position, the second goods pickup stop position being a stop position for picking up at least one second target goods; the task processing device is further configured to send a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot to the robot control device at a second time later than the first time; the robot control device is further configured to, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods belongs to a specified docking type, send the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time to the task processing device in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the second time; and the task processing device is further configured to determine the task information of the carrying task corresponding to the second time according to the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time comprising the location information of the second goods pickup stop position and the goods information of at least one second target goods, and the location information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one second target goods.

[0020] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executed by a processor to implement the robot control method according to any of the above embodiments.

[0021] In the above embodiments, the goods carrying capacity and efficiency of the robot can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0023] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood and appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the following drawings of which:

[0024] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a robot control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a robot control apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a robot control apparatus according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a cargo handling system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 6 is a block diagram of a computer system for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components and steps set forth in the embodiments, numerical expressions, and numerical values are not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0031] It should be understood, however, that the sizes of the components illustrated in the drawings are by no means limiting, and thus should not be interpreted as a limitation of the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0033] Techniques, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art can not be discussed in detail herein. However, where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices can be viewed as part of the specification and may

[0034] In all of the examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as a limitation on the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments can have different values.

[0035] It should be noted that like numbers and letters refer to like items throughout the drawings, and thus once an item is defined in one drawing, it is not necessary that it be further discussed in the subsequent drawings.

[0036] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a robot according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1 , the robot 10 includes a liftable fork 11 and at least one backpack 12. The fork 11 is used to take and place goods, and each backpack 12 is used to temporarily store goods. For example, the fork 11 is used to take goods on a location where goods are placed such as a shelf and load the goods into the backpack 12, or take goods in the backpack 12 and place the goods on a location where goods are placed such as a shelf. The robot 10 further includes a movable mechanism 13 and a stand 14. The robot 10 can move through the movable mechanism 13. The fork 11 can be lifted along the stand 14. For example, the form or structure of the backpack 12 can be Figure 1 the shelf form shown, or other forms such as a box. In some embodiments, the goods can be a tote.

[0038] For example, the process of the robot 10 taking and placing goods can include the fork 11 lifting a tote on an external shelf, placing the tote into the backpack 12 after the taking of goods is completed, the robot 10 reaching a destination for the tote, taking the tote out of the backpack 12 and placing the tote on a conveying line. In the operation process, the steps of the sub-operation include: shelf taking, taking completed to the fork, fork placing the backpack, placing completed to the backpack, backpack taking, taking completed to the fork, fork placing externally, and placing completed to the shelf.

[0039] The robot control method in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with the robot including a liftable fork and at least one backpack as an example.

[0040] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a robot control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2 , the robot control method includes: step S210, controlling the robot to move to a first taking stop position, the first taking stop position being a stop position for the robot to take at least one first target goods; step S220, controlling the robot to take at least one first target goods at the first taking stop position by using the fork, wherein taking at least one first target goods by using the fork includes: taking and loading one of the at least one first target goods by using the fork to the fork; and step S230, in the case where taking at least one first target goods at the first taking stop position is completed, controlling the robot to move to a target position, wherein in the process of the robot moving to the target position, the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target goods. The robot control method of the present disclosure can be applied to a goods warehousing scenario or a goods delivery scenario.

[0042] In some embodiments, in the case where there are multiple first target goods, other first target goods in the multiple first target goods except the first target good loaded on the fork are loaded in the backpack of the robot. In some embodiments, the robot control method is executed by a robot control device. For example, the robot control device is deployed in a robot control console or a robot control system. In other embodiments, the robot control method can also be executed by the robot. For example, the robot control device is deployed in the robot.

[0043] In the above embodiments, in the process of controlling the robot to carry goods, the fork of the robot can be controlled to load one good for movement, so that the robot can not only load goods using the backpack, but also load goods using the fork, and the carrying capacity can be improved by using the backpack plus fork mode. In addition, due to the increase of the carrying capacity of the fork based on the backpack, the number of goods carried by the robot at a time is increased, thereby improving the carrying efficiency of the robot. For example, in the case where the robot includes 8 backpacks and 1 fork, the goods loaded in the backpack plus fork mode can also be referred to as "8+1" loading. Tests have found that the robot control method of the present disclosure increases the number of goods carried by a single robot at a time by 12.5%.

[0044] In step S210, the robot is controlled to move to a first goods picking stop position, which is a stop position for the robot to pick at least one first target good. For example, the goods picking stop position is a picking point.

[0045] In step S220, the robot is controlled to pick at least one first target good at the first goods picking stop position using the fork, wherein picking at least one first target good using the fork includes picking and loading one of the at least one first target good on the fork using the fork. In some embodiments, in the case where there are multiple first target goods, other first target goods in the multiple first target goods except the first target good loaded on the fork are loaded in the backpack of the robot. For example, the goods can be a box, and the fork loading the goods can be the fork holding the box.

[0046] In some embodiments, in the process of picking at least one first target good using the fork, the fork picks one first target good at a time. For example, the fork picks the first target good from a goods position (such as a storage position) at the first goods picking stop position. The warehouse includes multiple racks, and the lanes between two adjacent racks are used for the robot to move and stop at different goods picking stop positions. The racks have multiple layers, and each layer has multiple storage positions, each of which holds one first target good.

[0047] In some embodiments, there can be multiple scenarios for taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the forks.

[0048] Taking the scenario of picking up multiple first target goods as an example, after taking out and loading all the first target goods except the last one in the picking-up order from the storage locations of the shelves to the backpacks using the forks, the last first target good is taken out and loaded to the forks using the forks, i.e., the forks carry the last first target good in the multiple first target goods in the picking-up order.

[0049] Still taking the scenario of picking up multiple first target goods as an example, the multiple first target goods can also be taken out and loaded to the backpacks in the picking-up order using the forks, and the goods at the specified position in the picking-up order are taken out from the backpacks using the forks and loaded to the forks, i.e., the forks carry one of the multiple first target goods in the picking-up order except the last first target good in the picking-up order. The picking-up order here can also be referred to as the taking-out order of the goods.

[0050] In the above embodiments, in the picking-up scenario, the first target goods loaded by the forks can be taken out from the storage locations of the shelves or taken out from the backpacks. The warehousing scenario is similar to the foregoing picking-up scenario, which will not be described here.

[0051] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises: in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a first time, sending the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time; receiving task information of a carrying task corresponding to the first time. The task information corresponding to the first time is determined according to the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time, and the task information corresponding to the first time includes the position information of the first picking-up stop position and the goods information of the at least one first target good, and the position information of the target position.

[0052] In some embodiments, the task information corresponding to the first time further includes the position information of the put-in stop position corresponding to the at least one first target good. The put-in stop position is the stop position of the robot for placing the at least one first target good, for example, the box dropping point, i.e., the position point of dropping the material box. The position information of the first picking-up stop position is used to control the robot to move to the first picking-up stop position. The goods information of the at least one first target good includes the quantity and the goods position information (such as the storage location where the goods are located) of the at least one first target good (to-be-picked goods), etc. The loading condition information of the backpack includes, for example, the number and the identification of the idle backpack.

[0053] In some embodiments, the task information can be generated by the task processing device according to the dynamic change of the carrying task in the task pool in the task processing device, for example, the task processing device is deployed with a task issuing system to issue the carrying task of the robot to the robot control device or the robot.

[0054] In some embodiments, the robot control device can obtain the loading condition information of the robot by acquiring and storing the snapshot information of the robot.

[0055] In some embodiments, in the case where the first pickup stop position includes multiple first pickup stop positions, the task information corresponding to the first time further includes a movement route of the robot composed of the multiple first pickup stop positions and / or a pickup sequence (or a taking sequence) of the first target goods at each first pickup stop position. The movement route of the robot composed of the multiple first pickup stop positions is determined according to, for example, the position of the robot at the first time, the relevant cost of the movement route, the lane heat, and other information.

[0056] In some embodiments, taking out the at least one first target good by the forks further includes taking out and loading the other first target goods in the at least one first target good except for the first target good loaded on the forks into the idle baskets of the robot.

[0057] In step S230, after completing the taking out of the at least one first target good from the first pickup stop position, the robot is controlled to move to a target position, wherein the forks are loaded with one of the at least one first target good during the movement of the robot to the target position.

[0058] In some embodiments, the target position can include a drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target good. The drop-off stop position corresponds to a goods location where the goods are placed. For example, in the case of an outbound scenario, the at least one first target good corresponds to the same goods location, for example, the same conveying line, in one carrying process. For example, in the case of an inbound scenario, the at least one first target good can correspond to different goods locations, for example, different shelves or different storage locations of the same shelf, in one carrying process.

[0059] In some embodiments, the robot is controlled to move to the drop-off stop position when the full load rate of the baskets of the robot is greater than or equal to a full load rate threshold or the number of idle baskets is less than or equal to a number threshold. By judging the full load rate or the number of idle baskets, the robot can be fully loaded as much as possible in one carrying process, thereby further improving the carrying efficiency of the robot in carrying goods.

[0060] In some embodiments, the taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods into the forks by using the forks comprises: in a case where the goods docking type at the goods depositing stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods belongs to a specified docking type, taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods into the forks by using the forks. The goods docking type refers to the docking type of the goods placed, which can be understood as the type of the goods position, for example, including a conveying line type or a shelf type. By judging the goods docking type at the goods depositing stop position, it is ensured that the goods can be loaded into the forks only in the specified docking type, so as to realize different manner carrying control in different scenarios and have higher flexibility. In some embodiments, the specified docking type is a docking type in which the goods can be taken out and placed by using the forks. For example, the specified docking type is a conveying line type, a shelf type, etc. The conveying line type is usually the specified docking type in the outbound scenario, indicating that the goods position at the goods depositing stop position is a conveying line. The shelf type is usually the specified docking type in the inbound scenario, indicating that the goods position at the goods depositing stop position is a storage position on a shelf.

[0061] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information comprising a correspondence between the goods depositing stop position and whether to simultaneously use the backpack and the forks for goods loading. In this case, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods depositing stop position belongs to the specified docking type and the configuration information indicates that the goods depositing stop position simultaneously uses the backpack and the forks for goods loading, one of the at least one first target goods is taken out and loaded into the forks by using the forks. Taking the "8+1" loading as an example, the configuration information comprises a correspondence between the goods depositing stop position and an identifier of whether to perform "8+1" loading. The user can initialize and maintain the configuration information.

[0062] In the above embodiments, the goods docking type at the goods depositing stop position is usually pre-configured by the workstation corresponding to the goods depositing stop position. By adding the configuration information stored locally, it can be flexibly configured that some goods docking types belong to the specified docking type at the goods depositing stop position, and the goods are carried by using the backpack and the forks or not. Thus, the flexibility of the robot carrying goods is provided.

[0063] In some embodiments, taking the target position as an example, the target position includes a delivery stop position corresponding to at least one first target goods, and in a case where the robot moves to the delivery stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods, the fork is controlled to place the first target goods loaded on the fork to a goods position corresponding to the delivery stop position. The goods position is a position for placing goods, i.e., a position where the goods are located. After the first target goods loaded on the fork are placed to the goods position corresponding to the delivery stop position, in a case where the robot has goods loaded in the backpack, the fork is controlled to take out the first target goods loaded in the backpack from the backpack and place the taken-out first target goods to the goods position corresponding to the delivery stop position. For example, when the robot takes out and loads the goods at the pickup stop position by using the fork, the robot reports the position information of the pickup stop position, the position change information of the goods, etc., so that the robot control device or the robot can determine whether the fork is loaded with goods, and can also determine whether the backpack is loaded with goods. In some embodiments, the robot also reports its position information to the robot control device in real time, so that the robot control device determines the position of the robot in real time and controls the movement of the robot, etc.

[0064] In the above embodiments, in the process of transporting the goods by the robot to the delivery stop position, the goods on the fork can be directly placed to the goods position at the delivery stop position, and the goods on the backpack need to be first controlled to be taken out from the backpack by the fork, and then placed to the goods position at the delivery stop position. In a case where the number of goods is the same, this way can reduce the process of taking the goods from the backpack by the fork once, and can also reduce the process of placing the taken-out goods to the backpack by the fork once, so that the goods can be taken out and placed to the goods position at the delivery stop position more quickly, thereby further improving the transporting efficiency of the robot in transporting the goods.

[0065] In some embodiments, in a case where there is an idle backpack of the robot and the robot does not move to the delivery stop position, the target position includes a second pickup stop position, the second pickup stop position is a stop position for taking out at least one second target goods, and the second pickup stop position is reached after the first pickup stop position. The robot control method further includes: controlling the fork to load the first target goods loaded on the fork into the idle backpack; in a case where the robot moves to the second pickup stop position, controlling the robot to take out, at the second pickup stop position, the at least one second target goods by using the fork, wherein taking out the at least one second target goods by using the fork includes taking out and loading one of the at least one second target goods to the fork by using the fork.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the robot can start to be controlled to carry the goods to the first goods pickup stop position, and then, since there is still space in the backpack of the robot, to make the robot as full as possible, the robot is controlled to continue to pick up goods at the second goods pickup stop position before the robot moves to the goods drop-off stop position, so that the carrying efficiency of the robot in carrying goods can be further improved.

[0067] In some embodiments, after completing the taking out of the at least one second target goods at the second goods pickup stop position by the forks, the robot is controlled to move to another target position other than the above-mentioned target position. The other target position may, for example, be a third goods pickup stop position reached after the second goods pickup stop position or a goods drop-off stop position of the at least one first target goods and the at least one second target goods.

[0068] In some embodiments, the taking out of the at least one second target goods by the forks further comprises taking out and loading other second target goods in addition to the second target goods loaded on the forks in the at least one second target goods into the empty backpack.

[0069] In some embodiments, the task information corresponding to the first time includes, for example, the position information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time, and the robot control method further comprises, in the case that the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the second time belongs to a specified docking type, in response to receiving a request to obtain the loading status of the robot at a second time later than the first time, sending the loading status information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time. The loading status information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time is used to determine the task information of the carrying task corresponding to the second time, and the task information corresponding to the second time includes the position information of the second goods pickup stop position and the goods information of the at least one second target goods, and the position information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the second time. In some embodiments, the goods at the goods drop-off stop position under the specified docking type need to be placed by the forks. For example, the specified docking type is a conveyor line docking type or a shelf docking type.

[0070] In the above embodiment, at the first time, since the robot cannot determine whether the forks can be used to load goods, only the loading status information of the backpack is sent at the first time to determine the carrying task, and after receiving the carrying task at the first time, it can be determined whether the backpack and the forks can be used to load goods according to the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time, so that the loading status information of the forks and the backpack is sent at the second time to determine the additional carrying task, which can more accurately allocate the carrying task to the robot and improve the rationality of the carrying task allocation.

[0071] In some embodiments, the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot is periodic. In this case, real-time monitoring of the loading condition of the robot can be achieved, and additional carrying tasks can be added to the robot in time to make the robot as full as possible, thereby further improving the carrying efficiency of the robot in carrying goods. For example, the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot is about 200 milliseconds. In this case, the task processing device also periodically monitors the carrying tasks in the task pool to add additional carrying tasks to the robot based on the loading condition of the robot.

[0072] In some embodiments, the robot control method further comprises obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information comprising a correspondence between a drop-off stop position and whether to simultaneously use the backpack and the forks to load goods. In this case, in the case where the goods docking type at the drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to the designated docking type and the configuration information indicates that the drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time simultaneously uses the backpack and the forks to load goods, in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time is sent.

[0073] In the above embodiments, the goods docking type at the drop-off stop position is usually pre-configured by the workstation corresponding to the drop-off stop position. By adding configuration information stored locally, the way of using the backpack and the forks to load goods in the drop-off stop position where the goods docking type belongs to the designated docking type can be flexibly configured, thereby providing flexibility in carrying goods by the robot.

[0074] In some embodiments, the above taking out at least one second target goods by using the forks comprises: in the case where there is one second take-off stop position and only one second target goods at the second take-off stop position, taking out and loading the second target goods to the forks by using the forks.

[0075] In some embodiments, taking out at least one second target goods by using the forks can further comprise the following steps.

[0076] First, in the case where there are multiple second take-off stop positions and the number of idle backpacks is greater than or equal to the number of multiple second take-off stop positions, the robot is controlled to take out and load the second target goods into the idle backpacks by using the forks at the second take-off stop positions except the last second take-off stop position.

[0077] Then, in a case where there is only one second target cargo at the last second cargo pickup location, the robot is controlled to, at the last second cargo pickup location, take out and load the second target cargo to the forks with the forks. In a case where there are multiple second target cargos at the last second cargo pickup location, the robot is controlled to, at the last second cargo pickup location, take out and load other second target cargos except the last second target cargo of the multiple second target cargos to the idle backpacks, and then take out and load the last second target cargo of the multiple second target cargos to the forks with the forks.

[0078] In some embodiments, the second target cargo loaded to the forks can also be a second target cargo at an order other than the last order of taking out among the multiple second target cargos with the order of taking out. In this case, the multiple second target cargos can be taken out and loaded to the backpacks in the order of taking out with the forks first, and then the second target cargo that needs to be loaded with the forks is taken out and loaded to the forks from the backpacks.

[0079] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a robot control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0080] As shown in Figure 3 , the robot control device 31 includes a first control module 311, a second control module 312, and a third control module 313.

[0081] The first control module 311 is configured to control the robot to move to a first cargo pickup location, the first cargo pickup location being a pickup location for the robot to take out at least one first target cargo, for example, to perform step S210 as shown in Figure 2 . The robot includes liftable forks and at least one backpack, the forks being used at least for taking and placing cargos, and each backpack being used for temporarily storing cargos.

[0082] The second control module 312 is configured to control the robot to, at the first cargo pickup location, take out at least one first target cargo with the forks, wherein taking out at least one first target cargo with the forks includes taking out and loading one of the at least one first target cargo to the forks with the forks, for example, to perform step S220 as shown in Figure 2 .

[0083] In some embodiments, the second control module 312 is further configured to take out and load other second target cargos except the second target cargo loaded to the forks among the at least one second target cargo to the idle backpacks with the forks.

[0084] In some embodiments, the second control module 312 is further configured to utilize the forks to pick up and load one of the at least one first target goods other than the one loaded on the forks into an idle basket of the robot.

[0085] The third control module 313 is configured to, in a case where the picking up of the at least one first target goods from the first picking location is completed, control the robot to move to a target location, wherein during the movement of the robot to the target location, the forks are loaded with one of the at least one first target goods, for example, to perform the steps as shown in Figure 2

[0086] In some embodiments, taking an example in which the target location comprises a drop-off location corresponding to the at least one first target goods, the robot control device 31 further comprises a fourth control module. The fourth control module is configured to, in a case where the robot moves to the drop-off location, control the forks to place the first target goods loaded on the forks onto a goods location corresponding to the drop-off location; and after the first target goods loaded on the forks are placed onto the goods location corresponding to the drop-off location, in a case where the baskets of the robot are loaded with goods, control the forks to pick up the first target goods loaded in the baskets from the baskets and place the picked-up first target goods onto the goods location corresponding to the drop-off location.

[0087] In some embodiments, in a case where there is an empty basket in the robot, the target location comprises a second picking location, which is a location for picking up at least one second target goods. In this case, the robot control device 31 further comprises a fifth control module. The fifth control module is configured to control the forks to load the first target goods loaded on the forks into the empty basket; and in a case where the robot moves to the second picking location, control the robot to utilize the forks to pick up the at least one second target goods at the second picking location, wherein utilizing the forks to pick up the at least one second target goods comprises utilizing the forks to pick up and load one of the at least one second target goods onto the forks.

[0088] In some embodiments, the robot control device 31 further comprises a sending module and a receiving module.

[0089] The sending module is configured to, in response to receiving a request to obtain the loading status of the robot at a first time, send loading status information of the baskets of the robot at the first time.

[0090] ​The receiving module is configured to receive task information of the carrying task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time, and the task information corresponding to the first time including position information of the first goods pickup stop position, goods information of at least one first target goods, position information of the target position, and position information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time.

[0091] The sending module is further configured to, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to the specified docking type, in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, send the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time, the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time being used to determine task information of the carrying task corresponding to the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time including position information of a second goods pickup stop position, goods information of at least one second target goods, and position information of the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the second time.

[0092] In some embodiments, the robot control device 31 further includes an obtaining module. The obtaining module is configured to obtain configuration information stored locally, the configuration information including a correspondence between a goods drop-off stop position and whether to simultaneously use the backpack and the forks for goods loading. The sending module is further configured to, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to the specified docking type and the configuration information indicates that the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time simultaneously uses the backpack and the forks for goods loading, in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, send the loading condition information of the backpack and the forks of the robot at the second time.

[0093] In some embodiments, the second control module 312 is further configured to, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods belongs to the specified docking type, take out and load one of the at least one first target goods to the forks using the forks.

[0094] In some embodiments, the second control module 312 is further configured to, in a case where the goods docking type at the goods drop-off stop position belongs to the specified docking type and the configuration information indicates that the goods drop-off stop position simultaneously uses the backpack and the forks for goods loading, take out and load one of the at least one first target goods to the forks using the forks.

[0095] The division of different modules in the above embodiments is only one of the division ways, and does not represent the only division way. The robot control device can be deployed in a robot control console or a robot control system, or can be deployed in a robot.

[0096] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a robot control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0097] As shown in Figure 4 , the robot control device 41 comprises a memory 411; and a processor 412 coupled to the memory 411. The memory 411 is configured to store instructions of performing an embodiment of the robot control method. The processor 412 is configured to perform the robot control method in any of some embodiments of the present disclosure based on the instructions stored in the memory 411.

[0098] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a goods handling system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0099] As shown in Figure 5 , the goods handling system 5 comprises a robot control device 51. The robot control device 51 is configured to perform the robot control method in any of some embodiments of the present disclosure, such as the robot control device 31 or the robot control device 41.

[0100] In some embodiments, the goods handling system 5 further comprises a task processing device 52. The task processing device 52 is configured to send a request for obtaining the loading status of the robot to the robot control device at a first time.

[0101] The robot control device 51 is configured to send the loading status information of the backpack of the robot at the first time to the task processing device in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading status of the robot at the first time.

[0102] The task processing device 52 is further configured to determine the task information of the handling task corresponding to the first time according to the loading status information of the backpack of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time comprising the location information of each first pick-up stop position and the goods information of at least one first target goods, the location information of the target position.

[0103] In some embodiments, the task information corresponding to the first time further comprises the location information of the drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target goods, the target position comprising a second pick-up stop position, the second pick-up stop position being a stop position for picking up at least one second target goods. In this case, the task processing device 52 is further configured to send a request for obtaining the loading status of the robot to the robot control device at a second time later than the first time.

[0104] The robot control device 51 is also configured to, in response to receiving a request to obtain the robot's loading status at a second time, send information on the loading status of the robot's basket and forks to the task processing device when the cargo docking type at at least one of the first target cargo's corresponding loading docking positions is a specified docking type.

[0105] The task processing device 52 is also configured to determine the task information of the handling task corresponding to the second time based on the loading information of the robot's basket and forks at the second time. The task information corresponding to the second time includes the location information of the second picking docking position and the cargo information of at least one second target cargo, and the location information of the placement docking position corresponding to at least one second target cargo (i.e., the placement docking position of the handling task corresponding to the second time).

[0106] In some embodiments, the cargo handling system further includes the robot as described in the foregoing embodiments, where the robot control unit is not deployed in the robot. Separating the robot control unit from the robot can reduce robot costs and alleviate the burden on the robot's control system.

[0107] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating a computer system for implementing some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0108] like Figure 6 As shown, the computer system 60 can be represented in the form of a general computing device. The computer system 60 includes a memory 610, a processor 620, and a bus 600 connecting different system components.

[0109] The memory 610 may include, for example, system memory, non-volatile storage media, etc. The system memory may store, for example, an operating system, application programs, a boot loader, and other programs. The system memory may include volatile storage media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The non-volatile storage media may store, for example, instructions for executing at least one embodiment of the robot control method. Non-volatile storage media include, but are not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, flash memory, etc.

[0110] The processor 620 can be implemented using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete hardware components such as discrete gates or transistors. Accordingly, each module, such as the decision module and the determination module, can be implemented by executing instructions in the central processing unit (CPU) memory to perform the corresponding steps, or by implementing dedicated circuitry to perform the corresponding steps.

[0111] The bus 600 can use any of a variety of bus structures, including, but not limited to, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0112] The computer system 60 can also include an input / output interface 630, a network interface 640, a storage interface 660, etc. These interfaces 630, 640, 660, and the memory 610 and the processor 620 can be connected through the bus 600. The input / output interface 630 can provide a connection interface for display, mouse, keyboard, etc. input / output devices. The network interface 640 provides a connection interface for various networking devices. The storage interface 660 provides a connection interface for external storage devices such as floppy disks, U disks, SD cards, etc.

[0113] Here, various aspects of the disclosure are described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatuses and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

[0114] These computer readable program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor generate an apparatus that implements the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0115] These computer readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium, which causes the computer to work in a specific way, so as to generate a product, including instructions that implement the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0116] The present disclosure can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0117] Through the above-mentioned embodiments of the robot control method and device for natural language processing, the goods carrying system and the computer readable storage medium, the goods carrying capacity and efficiency of the robot can be improved.

[0118] So far, the robot control method and device, the goods carrying system and the computer readable storage medium according to the present disclosure have been described in detail. In order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art are not described. Those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein according to the above description.

Claims

1. A robot control method, wherein, The robot comprises a liftable movable fork for picking and placing goods and at least one basket for temporarily storing goods, and the robot control method comprises: controlling the robot to move to a first picking stop position, the first picking stop position being a stop position for the robot to pick at least one first target goods; controlling the robot to pick the at least one first target goods at the first picking stop position by using the fork, wherein picking the at least one first target goods by using the fork comprises picking and loading one of the at least one first target goods onto the fork by using the fork; in the case where picking the at least one first target goods at the first picking stop position is completed, controlling the robot to move to a target position, wherein the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target goods during the movement of the robot to the target position, and wherein the target position comprises a second picking stop position which is a stop position for picking at least one second target goods in the case where there is a free basket in the robot; the robot control method further comprises: controlling the fork to load the first target goods loaded on the fork into the free basket; and in the case where the robot moves to the second picking stop position, controlling the robot to pick the at least one second target goods at the second picking stop position by using the fork, wherein picking the at least one second target goods by using the fork comprises picking and loading one of the at least one second target goods onto the fork by using the fork; the robot control method further comprises: in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a first time, sending loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time; receiving task information of a carrying task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time, and the task information corresponding to the first time comprising position information of the first picking stop position and goods information of the at least one first target goods, position information of a goods placing stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time; in the case where the goods interfacing type at the goods placing stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the first time belongs to a specified interfacing type, in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, sending loading condition information of the baskets and the fork of the robot at the second time, the loading condition information of the baskets and the fork of the robot at the second time being used to determine task information of a carrying task corresponding to the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time comprising position information of the second picking stop position and goods information of the at least one second target goods, and position information of a goods placing stop position corresponding to the carrying task at the second time.

2. The robot control method of claim 1, wherein, The target position includes a drop-off parking position corresponding to the at least one first target goods, and the drop-off parking position is a parking position where the robot places the at least one first target goods. The robot control method further includes: In the case where the robot moves to the drop-off parking position, the fork is controlled to place the first target goods loaded on the fork to a goods position corresponding to the drop-off parking position; After the first target goods loaded on the fork are placed to the goods position corresponding to the drop-off parking position, in the case where the backpack of the robot is loaded with goods, the fork is controlled to take out the first target goods loaded in the backpack from the backpack and place the taken-out first target goods to the goods position corresponding to the drop-off parking position.

3. The robot control method of claim 1, wherein, Taking out the at least one second target goods by the fork further includes: Taking out and loading other second target goods except the second target goods loaded on the fork among the at least one second target goods to the idle backpack by the fork.

4. The robot control method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information including a correspondence between a drop-off parking position and whether to simultaneously load goods by the backpack and the fork; wherein in the case where the goods interface type at the drop-off parking position corresponding to the handling task at the first time belongs to the specified interface type and the configuration information indicates that the drop-off parking position corresponding to the handling task at the first time simultaneously loads goods by the backpack and the fork, in response to receiving a request to obtain the loading condition of the robot at a second time later than the first time, sending the loading condition information of the backpack and the fork of the robot at the second time.

5. The robot control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the fork by the fork includes: In the case where the goods interface type at the drop-off parking position corresponding to the at least one first target goods belongs to the specified interface type, taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the fork by the fork.

6. The robot control method of claim 5, further comprising: obtaining configuration information stored locally, the configuration information including a correspondence between a drop-off parking position and whether to simultaneously load goods by the backpack and the fork; wherein in the case where the goods interface type at the drop-off parking position belongs to the specified interface type and the configuration information indicates that the drop-off parking position simultaneously loads goods by the backpack and the fork, taking out and loading one of the at least one first target goods to the fork by the fork.

7. The robot control method of claim 1 or 2, taking out the at least one first target goods by the fork further includes: taking out and loading other first target goods among the at least one first target goods except the first target goods loaded on the fork to the idle backpack of the robot by the fork.

8. The robot control method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: sending the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the first time; receiving task information of a carrying task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time including position information of the first goods pickup location and goods information of the at least one first target goods, and position information of the target location.

9. A robot control device, comprising: a first control module configured to control the robot to move to a first goods pickup location, the first goods pickup location being a pickup location for the robot to pick up at least one first target goods, the robot comprising a liftable movable fork for picking up and placing goods and at least one basket for temporarily storing goods; a second control module configured to control the robot to pick up the at least one first target goods at the first goods pickup location using the fork, wherein picking up the at least one first target goods using the fork comprises picking up and loading one of the at least one first target goods onto the fork using the fork; a third control module configured to control the robot to move to a target location upon completion of picking up the at least one first target goods at the first goods pickup location, wherein the fork is loaded with one of the at least one first target goods during movement of the robot to the target location, wherein the target location comprises a second goods pickup location that is a pickup location for picking up at least one second target goods in the case that there is a free basket in the robot; a fifth control module configured to control the fork to load the first target goods loaded on the fork into the free basket, and control the robot to pick up the at least one second target goods at the second goods pickup location using the fork in the case that the robot moves to the second goods pickup location, wherein picking up the at least one second target goods using the fork comprises picking up and loading one of the at least one second target goods onto the fork using the fork; a sending module configured to send the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time in response to receiving a request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the first time; a receiving module configured to receive task information of a carrying task corresponding to the first time, the task information being determined according to the loading condition information of the baskets of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time including position information of the first goods pickup location and goods information of the at least one first target goods, and position information of a goods drop-off location corresponding to the carrying task of the first time. The sending module is further configured to: in a case where a cargo docking type at a drop-off stop position corresponding to a carrying task corresponding to a second time is of a specified docking type, in response to receiving a request for obtaining a loading condition of the robot at the second time later than the first time, send loading condition information of a backpack and a fork of the robot at the second time, the loading condition information of the backpack and the fork of the robot at the second time being used to determine task information of the carrying task corresponding to the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time including position information of the second drop-off stop position and cargo information of the at least one second target cargo, position information of a drop-off stop position corresponding to the carrying task of the second time.

10. A robot control device comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to perform the robot control method of any one of claims 1 to 8 based on instructions stored in the memory.

11. A cargo carrying system comprising: a robot control device configured to perform the robot control method of any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. The cargo carrying system of claim 11, further comprising: a task processing device configured to send a request for obtaining a loading condition of a robot to the robot control device at a first time; the robot control device being configured to send loading condition information of a backpack of the robot at the first time to the task processing device in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the first time; the task processing device being further configured to determine task information of a carrying task corresponding to the first time from the loading condition information of the backpack of the robot at the first time, the task information corresponding to the first time including position information of a first drop-off stop position and cargo information of at least one first target cargo, position information of a target position.

13. The goods handling system of claim 12, wherein, the task information corresponding to the first time further including position information of a drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one first target cargo, the target position including a second drop-off stop position, the second drop-off stop position being a stop position for taking out at least one second target cargo; the task processing device being further configured to send a request for obtaining a loading condition of a robot to the robot control device at a second time later than the first time; the robot control device being further configured to, in a case where a cargo docking type at a drop-off stop position corresponding to a carrying task corresponding to the second time is of a specified docking type, send loading condition information of a backpack and a fork of the robot at the second time to the task processing device in response to receiving the request for obtaining the loading condition of the robot at the second time. The task processing device is further configured to determine, according to the loading condition information of the basket and the forks of the robot at a second time, task information of a carrying task corresponding to the second time, the task information corresponding to the second time including position information of a second goods pickup stop position and goods information of at least one second target goods, and position information of a goods drop-off stop position corresponding to the at least one second target goods. 14.A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the robot control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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