Shuttle vehicle and control method, device and scheduling method, device thereof
By using RFID reading and alignment positioning technology, the shuttle car slows down and aligns itself when it arrives near the target storage location, which solves the problem of the shuttle car being unable to stop at high speed, smoothly and accurately, and improves the operating efficiency of the warehousing system.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGDONG SC INTELLIGENT EQUIP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, shuttle vehicles struggle to move to the target storage location at high speed, smoothly, and accurately, leading to malfunctions in the warehousing system.
The target storage location is determined by RFID reading technology. When the shuttle arrives at the adjacent RFID tag, it begins to decelerate and aligns with the positioning auxiliary device of the target storage location to ensure accurate stopping.
This enables shuttle cars to travel at high speed on guide rails and accurately align with target storage locations, reducing debugging difficulty and improving the operational efficiency of the warehousing system.
Smart Images
Figure CN116620755B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent warehousing technology, and in particular to a shuttle vehicle and its control method, device, scheduling method, device, and a warehousing control system. Background Technology
[0002] In modern warehousing and logistics warehouses, shuttles and elevators are used for inbound and outbound operations. The shuttles provide real-time feedback of their position information to the warehouse control system. The shuttle typically uses laser ranging for position detection. However, the laser emission angle of the laser rangefinder is easily affected by the flatness of the guide rails. Ensuring accurate positioning requires guaranteeing the guide rails' levelness, making the shuttles highly sensitive to environmental conditions and requiring repeated adjustments during setup. This cumbersome and complex process results in low precision, making it difficult for the shuttles to move quickly, smoothly, and accurately to their target storage locations, thus affecting the normal operation of the warehousing system. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The purpose of this application is to at least solve one of the aforementioned technical defects, particularly the technical defect in the prior art that the shuttle car is unable to move to the target storage location at high speed, smoothly and accurately.
[0004] Firstly, this application provides a method for controlling a shuttle vehicle, including:
[0005] Based on the assigned transportation task, the target storage location is determined, and the RFID corresponding to the target storage location is identified as the first target tag, and the RFID adjacent to the first target tag is identified as the second target tag.
[0006] During the transportation mission, RFID information is read;
[0007] If the RFID information read matches the information of the second target tag, the shuttle car is controlled to decelerate until the RFID information read matches the information of the first target tag. The alignment is then performed by aligning the positioning device with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location.
[0008] After alignment is complete, control the shuttle to stop running.
[0009] In one embodiment, the process of reading RFID information further includes:
[0010] Based on the read results, determine whether any read loss occurred;
[0011] If so, control the shuttle to continue running in the current direction until the reading is successful;
[0012] If the RFID information corresponding to the successful RFID reading has already exceeded the position of the first target tag in the current direction, the shuttle will be controlled to decelerate to a stop, and after stopping, the running direction will be switched to the opposite direction to continue running.
[0013] In one embodiment, limiting structures are provided at both ends of the guide rail on which the shuttle runs, and the shuttle is equipped with an obstacle avoidance device. The obstacle avoidance device is used to detect the distance between the shuttle and obstacles in the running direction. The control method of the shuttle further includes:
[0014] If the distance reported by the obstacle avoidance device is less than the distance threshold, the shuttle will be controlled to decelerate to a stop.
[0015] In one embodiment, determining whether a read loss has occurred based on the read result includes:
[0016] If no new RFID information is read within a time threshold after the last successful RFID read, it is determined that a read has been lost.
[0017] In one embodiment, controlling the shuttle to decelerate includes:
[0018] Control the shuttle to decelerate uniformly from its current speed.
[0019] In one embodiment, the shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensing device for collecting pressure information from the shuttle's load-bearing rollers. During the transportation task, the device also includes:
[0020] Based on changes in pressure information, determine whether cargo has shifted.
[0021] If so, the direction of cargo offset is determined based on the changes in pressure information;
[0022] Based on the direction of cargo offset, the load rollers are controlled to rotate so that the cargo moves in the opposite direction of cargo offset.
[0023] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a shuttle scheduling method, including:
[0024] Upon receiving a transportation task, determine the target storage location;
[0025] For any shuttle in the shuttle list, if the shuttle is idle, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the shuttle's current position and the target warehouse location; if the shuttle is busy, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for completing the assigned tasks, the warehouse location of the last assigned task, and the target warehouse location; the shuttle is controlled by the shuttle control method in any of the above embodiments.
[0026] Select the shuttle with the shortest expected execution time as the target shuttle and assign the transportation task to the target shuttle.
[0027] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a shuttle vehicle, including one or more processors and a memory, the memory storing computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of the shuttle vehicle control method in any of the above embodiments.
[0028] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a control device for a shuttle vehicle, comprising:
[0029] The first target determination module is used to determine the target storage location based on the assigned transportation task, and to determine the RFID corresponding to the target storage location as the first target tag, and the RFID adjacent to the first target tag as the second target tag.
[0030] The information reading module is used to read RFID information during the transportation process;
[0031] The first deceleration module is used to control the shuttle to decelerate when the read RFID information matches the information of the second target tag, until the read RFID information matches the information of the first target tag, and then aligns the positioning device with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location.
[0032] The second deceleration module is used to stop the shuttle after alignment is completed.
[0033] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a warehouse control system, including one or more processors and a memory, the memory storing computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of the shuttle scheduling method in any of the above embodiments.
[0034] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a shuttle dispatching device, comprising:
[0035] The second target determination module determines the target storage location upon receiving a transportation task;
[0036] The prediction module, for any shuttle in the shuttle list, determines the estimated execution time of the shuttle if it is idle, based on the distance between the shuttle's current position and the target storage location; if the shuttle is busy, it determines the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on the estimated completion time of the assigned tasks and the distance between the storage location of the last assigned task and the target storage location. The shuttle is controlled by the shuttle control method in any of the above embodiments.
[0037] The task assignment module is used to select the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time as the target shuttle and assign the transportation task to the target shuttle.
[0038] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the embodiments of this application have the following advantages:
[0039] Based on any of the above embodiments, the shuttle's movement along the guide rail involves real-time reading of RFID chips. The shuttle can determine its own position based on the read RFID information. When the shuttle detects a second target tag, it indicates it has reached the vicinity of the target storage location and begins the first stage of deceleration. During deceleration, when the shuttle detects the first target tag, it begins alignment at low speed with the positioning auxiliary device of the target storage location using an alignment and positioning device. After alignment is complete, the shuttle can immediately stop and begin operation. This method uses RFID reading to locate the shuttle, avoiding the laser interference problem between upper and lower layers in traditional shuttle laser positioning and reducing debugging difficulty. It also ensures that the shuttle travels at high speed along the guide rail, and triggers two stages of deceleration based on the shuttle's position, ensuring accurate alignment of the shuttle with the target storage location and greatly improving the operational efficiency of the warehousing system. Attached Figure Description
[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0041] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating a shuttle control method provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a process for handling shuttle read loss exceptions according to one embodiment of this application;
[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a process for handling shuttle cargo deviation according to one embodiment of this application;
[0044] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a shuttle scheduling method provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0045] Figure 5 This is a modular structure diagram of a control device for a shuttle provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0046] Figure 6 This is a modular structure diagram of a shuttle dispatching device provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0047] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0048] This application is applied to intelligent warehousing scenarios, where the intelligent warehouse includes a warehouse control system, guide rails, racks, shuttles, and elevators. In an vertical warehousing system, the racks are multi-layered, with racks and guide rails between each layer for placing goods. Storage locations are arranged along the length of the guide rails on both sides, allowing shuttles to travel along the rails and retrieve or place goods from the storage locations according to instructions from the warehouse control system. Elevators are located at both ends of the racks and can move shuttles and goods between layers according to instructions from the warehouse control system. The warehouse control system, as the core of the intelligent warehousing system, can schedule logistics within the warehouse at various levels.
[0049] Please see Figure 1 This application provides a control method for a shuttle, including steps S102 to S108.
[0050] S102, based on the assigned transportation task, determine the target storage location, and identify the RFID corresponding to the target storage location as the first target tag, and identify the RFID adjacent to the first target tag as the second target tag.
[0051] It's understandable that each storage location is equipped with a corresponding RFID chip. Each RFID chip contains RFID information reflecting its location. The shuttle is equipped with an RFID reader / writer, which utilizes the spatial coupling transmission characteristics of radio frequency signals to enable energy transfer and data exchange between the RFID and the RFID reader / writer's coupling elements within the radio frequency coupling channel. This allows for the reading of RFID information to determine the shuttle's location in real time. The RFID information may include the current storage location number, layer number, column number, etc.
[0052] The warehouse control system issues transportation tasks to the target shuttle, which include information about the target storage location. Specifically, since the shuttle's destination is the target storage location, and this application uses RFID reading for positioning, the information in the transportation task includes at least the RFID tag corresponding to the target storage location, i.e., the RFID information of the first target tag. To ensure the shuttle can stop smoothly and accurately at the target storage location, it needs to decelerate in advance. In this embodiment, the indicator for early deceleration is that the shuttle begins to decelerate when it reaches the RFID chip adjacent to the RFID chip corresponding to the target storage location, i.e., when the shuttle reads the RFID information of the second target tag. Therefore, the information in the transportation task also includes the RFID information of the second target tag.
[0053] S104 reads RFID information during the transportation task.
[0054] After receiving a transport task, the shuttle confirms its own location based on the latest RFID information and then confirms the location of the target storage location based on the RFID information of the first target tag. This allows it to calculate and select the optimal movement path and method. Following the calculated path and method, the shuttle uses its own drive and guiding devices, or with the assistance of a hoist, to perform corresponding motion control, such as changing floors, changing tracks, traveling, and turning. Finally, upon reaching the target storage location, the shuttle uses its handling device to perform the storage and retrieval operations for the goods. Therefore, during the shuttle's movement, it continuously reads the RFID chip to determine whether it has reached the target storage location.
[0055] Because shuttles travel at high speeds, high-frequency RFID readers can be used to ensure a high success rate for RFID readings. Furthermore, to facilitate tracking the location of shuttles within the warehouse, each time a shuttle reads an RFID tag, it reports it to the warehouse control system. This allows the control system to determine the location of each shuttle based on the reported information, facilitating scheduling.
[0056] S106, if the RFID information read matches the information of the second target tag, control the shuttle to decelerate until the RFID information read matches the information of the first target tag, and align the positioning device with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location.
[0057] It is understood that in this embodiment, to ensure the shuttle stops precisely aligned with the target storage location, the shuttle will maintain high speed during the task execution until it reaches the vicinity of the target storage location, at which point it will begin two phases of deceleration. The first phase of deceleration is triggered when the shuttle reaches the vicinity of the target storage location, specifically when it reaches the location of the second target tag. The shuttle can determine whether it has reached the location of the second target tag by checking whether the RFID information it reads matches the RFID information of the second target tag. In some embodiments, to improve the shuttle's motion stability, the first phase of deceleration is specifically uniform deceleration, meaning the shuttle decelerates from its initial speed with a fixed acceleration, resulting in a linear deceleration curve.
[0058] The second stage of deceleration is triggered when the shuttle reaches the target storage location and completes alignment with it at low speed. Specifically, when the shuttle reaches the location of the first target tag, it aligns with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location using an alignment and positioning device. After alignment is complete, the shuttle immediately decelerates and comes to a stop. The shuttle can determine whether it has reached the location of the first target tag by checking whether the RFID information it reads matches the RFID information of the first target tag.
[0059] Regarding the alignment of the shuttle with the target storage location, each shelf on the rack is equipped with a corresponding positioning auxiliary device. The rack is located to the side of the shuttle, and an alignment positioning device is also positioned to the side of the shuttle. These devices work together, with the positioning signal changing according to the relative position of the shuttle and the target storage location. When the positioning signal meets the alignment condition, it indicates that the shuttle is aligned with the target storage location. Specifically, the alignment positioning device may include a laser emitter and a photoelectric sensor, while the positioning auxiliary device includes a reflective sticker. The laser emitter emits a laser beam in the direction of the rack, and the reflected light detected by the photoelectric sensor serves as the positioning signal. The positions of the alignment positioning device and the auxiliary positioning device are calibrated. For example, when the shuttle is aligned with the storage location, the light emitted by the laser emitter illuminates the reflective sticker perpendicularly. Therefore, when the intensity of the positioning signal is greater than the judgment threshold, it means that the laser has illuminated the reflective sticker, indicating that the shuttle is aligned with the target storage location. Alternatively, the positions of the laser emitter and the reflective sticker can be reversed, with the reflective sticker placed on the shuttle and the laser emitter placed on the rack.
[0060] S108, after alignment is completed, controls the shuttle to stop running.
[0061] It is understandable that the shuttle car has already decelerated to a certain extent when it reaches the vicinity of the target storage location. The entire alignment process is carried out at low speed. As long as the shuttle car confirms that the alignment is completed through the alignment positioning device, the shuttle car can be controlled to stop immediately, and the shuttle car can then perform the picking up or putting down of goods.
[0062] Based on the shuttle control method in this embodiment, the shuttle moves along the guide rail and reads RFID chips in real time. The shuttle can determine its own position based on the read RFID information. When the shuttle detects a second target tag, it determines it has reached the vicinity of the target storage location and begins the first stage of deceleration. During deceleration, when the shuttle detects the first target tag, it begins alignment at low speed with the positioning auxiliary device of the target storage location using an alignment and positioning device. After alignment is completed, the shuttle can immediately stop and begin operation. This method uses RFID reading to locate the shuttle, avoiding the laser interference problem between upper and lower layers in traditional shuttle laser positioning and reducing debugging difficulty. It also ensures that the shuttle travels at high speed along the guide rail, and triggers two stages of deceleration based on the shuttle's position, ensuring accurate alignment of the shuttle with the target storage location and greatly improving the operational efficiency of the warehousing system.
[0063] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 The process of reading RFID information also includes steps S202 to S206.
[0064] S202, Based on the read results, determine whether read loss has occurred.
[0065] It is understandable that because the shuttle travels at a high speed on the guide rail, the time spent passing each RFID chip is very short, which can sometimes cause the reader to fail to read the RFID chip, resulting in a read loss. Specifically, since the interval between RFID chips is fixed and the shuttle's travel speed remains stable, the shuttle should read RFID information at relatively fixed intervals while traveling on the guide rail. Therefore, the specific implementation of this step can be as follows: when the shuttle is traveling on the guide rail, if no new RFID information is read within a time threshold after the last successful RFID read, a read loss is determined. The time threshold can be determined based on a preset interval and the shuttle's maximum travel speed.
[0066] S204, if yes, then control the shuttle to continue running in the current direction until the reading is successful.
[0067] It is understandable that when the shuttle loses its card reader, it will continue to run in its original direction of travel. During its operation, it will pass by other RFID chips. When the shuttle successfully reads the card again, it can determine its own position based on the RFID information it has read.
[0068] S206, if the RFID corresponding to the RFID information when the reading is successful has exceeded the position of the first target tag in the current direction, then control the shuttle to decelerate to a stop, and after stopping, switch the running direction to the opposite direction of the current direction to continue running.
[0069] Understandably, by comparing the RFID information from the successful re-read with the RFID information of the first target tag, the shuttle can determine the relative position of the first target tag and the shuttle's current position. This allows it to confirm whether the shuttle has exceeded the target storage location during the period of tag loss. If so, the shuttle should decelerate to a stop, then reverse and restart, that is, reverse its current direction of travel, continue reading RFID information, and move towards the target storage location again.
[0070] In one embodiment, limiting structures are installed at both ends of the guide rail on which the shuttle runs. The shuttle is equipped with an obstacle avoidance device, which detects the distance between the shuttle and obstacles in the running direction. When the shuttle loses its card reader, it cannot determine its own position. In this embodiment, the shuttle is controlled to keep moving forward, and there is a possibility that it may run off the guide rail when it reaches the beginning or end. Therefore, limiting structures are installed at both ends of the guide rail. The obstacle avoidance device can be a laser rangefinder, radar rangefinder, etc. To avoid the shuttle colliding with the limiting structures, the shuttle confirms whether there are obstacles in its running direction based on the detection results of the obstacle avoidance device, thereby slowing down and stopping in advance. Specifically, the control method of the shuttle also includes: if the distance fed back by the obstacle avoidance device is less than a distance threshold, the shuttle is controlled to slow down and stop.
[0071] In one embodiment, the shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensor to collect pressure information from the shuttle's load-bearing rollers. The load-bearing rollers carry goods, and the pressure sensor can detect pressure information in different areas of the rollers. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 During the execution of transportation tasks, please refer to Figure 3 The control method for the shuttle also includes steps S302 to S306.
[0072] S302, based on changes in pressure information, determine whether cargo deviation has occurred.
[0073] It is understandable that during the shuttle's movement, especially during start-up and stopping, goods may shift on the load rollers due to inertia, posing a risk of slipping off the shuttle. In this embodiment, a pressure sensing device is installed under the load rollers. When the goods shift, the pressure information will change. Therefore, the change in pressure information can be used as a basis for determining if the goods have shifted. Specifically, the load rollers are divided into multiple continuous regions along the straight line of the shuttle's movement direction. The pressure information can include the pressure values of different regions, and it is determined whether there are regions where the pressure increases and decreases simultaneously. If so, it is determined that goods have shifted.
[0074] S304, if so, then determine the cargo offset direction based on the changes in pressure information.
[0075] Specifically, the area with increased pressure is designated as the first region, and the area with decreased pressure is designated as the second region. The direction of cargo displacement is from the second region to the first region.
[0076] S306, according to the direction of cargo offset, control the rotation of the load roller to make the cargo move in the opposite direction of cargo offset.
[0077] It is understood that the load-bearing roller in this embodiment is equipped with a corresponding motor, which can drive the load-bearing roller to rotate, driving the goods to move in the opposite direction of the goods' offset direction, so that the goods return to the middle area of the load-bearing roller and prevent the goods from falling.
[0078] Please see Figure 4 This application provides a shuttle scheduling method, which is applied to a warehouse control system. The scheduling method includes steps S402 to S406.
[0079] S402, upon receiving a transportation task, determines the target storage location.
[0080] It is understandable that the warehouse control system is the central hub for overall scheduling in the warehouse system. The transportation tasks to be assigned will include the location information of the target storage location. The warehouse control system will also receive the location information reported in real time by each shuttle, so it can select the most suitable shuttle for transportation task allocation.
[0081] S404. For any shuttle in the shuttle list, if the shuttle is idle, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the current position of the shuttle and the target warehouse location. If the shuttle is busy, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for completing the assigned tasks, the warehouse location of the last task in the assigned tasks, and the target warehouse location.
[0082] It is understood that the shuttle list includes all shuttles currently in operation in this warehouse, and all shuttles are controlled by the control method described in any of the above embodiments. The warehouse control system records the real-time status of each shuttle. If a shuttle is not performing a transportation task, its status is "idle." If a shuttle is performing a transportation task, its status is "busy." The scheduling principle in this embodiment is to minimize the time required for each task. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the time it takes for each shuttle to complete its assigned transportation task. For an idle shuttle, there is no task currently being performed, and the transportation task is executed immediately upon assignment. Its estimated completion time includes only the time required to perform the assigned task, which can be composed of the shuttle's track-changing time, layer-changing time, travel time, pickup time, and drop-off time. Among these, the pickup time and drop-off time are basically fixed and can be selected based on experience using fixed preset values. The number of track-changing times, layer changes, and travel distance of the shuttle can be determined based on the shuttle's current position and the target storage location. The time for each track change is generally fixed, and a unit track change time can be preset. The actual track change time can be determined based on the unit track change time and the number of track changes. The time required for the hoist to raise or lower the shuttle car by one floor is also generally fixed, and a unit floor change time can be preset. The actual floor change time can be determined based on the unit floor change time and the number of floors. Travel time can be determined based on the travel distance and the average travel speed of the shuttle car.
[0083] For busy shuttles, they must complete all assigned tasks before starting a new transport task. Therefore, their estimated completion time includes both the estimated completion time of assigned tasks and the estimated completion time of unassigned transport tasks. The estimated completion time of currently executing assigned tasks can be calculated by referring to the estimated completion time of idle shuttles. If there are other assigned tasks, the estimated completion time of each assigned task is determined based on the target location of the previous assigned task and the target location of the current assigned task. The estimated completion time of unassigned transport tasks is similar, specifically composed of the shuttle's track-changing time, layer-changing time, travel time, pickup time, and delivery time. Among these, pickup time and delivery time are basically fixed and can be selected based on experience using fixed preset values. Based on the two locations of the shuttle, the number of track-changing times, layer-changing changes, and travel distance of the shuttle can be determined. For specific explanations of track-changing time, layer-changing time, and travel time, please refer to the above.
[0084] S406: Select the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time as the target shuttle and assign the transportation task to the target shuttle.
[0085] After determining the estimated execution time for each shuttle, the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time is the optimal shuttle in the shuttle list, which is then designated as the target shuttle, and the transportation tasks to be assigned are assigned to the target shuttle.
[0086] This application provides a shuttle vehicle, including one or more processors and a memory. The memory stores computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by one or more processors, they perform the following: Based on an assigned transportation task, determine a target storage location and identify the RFID tag corresponding to the target storage location as a first target tag, and identify the RFID tag adjacent to the first target tag as a second target tag; during the execution of the transportation task, read RFID information; if the read RFID information matches the information of the second target tag, control the shuttle vehicle to decelerate until the read RFID information matches the information of the first target tag, and align it with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location using an alignment positioning device; after alignment is completed, control the shuttle vehicle to stop.
[0087] In one embodiment, when the computer-readable instructions stored in the shuttle's memory are executed by one or more processors, the following steps are performed: based on the reading result, it is determined whether a reading loss has occurred; if so, the shuttle is controlled to continue running in the current direction until the reading is successful; if the position of the RFID corresponding to the RFID information at the time of successful reading has exceeded the first target tag in the current direction, the shuttle is controlled to decelerate to a stop, and after stopping, the running direction is switched to the opposite direction to continue running.
[0088] In one embodiment, limiting structures are provided at both ends of the guide rail on which the shuttle runs. The shuttle is equipped with an obstacle avoidance device, which is used to detect the distance between the shuttle and obstacles in the running direction. When the computer-readable instructions stored in the memory of the shuttle are executed by one or more processors, the following is executed: if the distance fed back by the obstacle avoidance device is less than the distance threshold, the shuttle is controlled to decelerate to a stop.
[0089] In one embodiment, when the computer-readable instructions stored in the shuttle's memory are executed by one or more processors, the following is performed: if no new RFID information is read within a time threshold starting from the last successful RFID reading, a read loss is determined.
[0090] In one embodiment, when computer-readable instructions stored in the shuttle's memory are executed by one or more processors, the following is performed: control the shuttle to begin uniformly decelerating motion from its current speed.
[0091] In one embodiment, the shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensing device for collecting pressure information from the load rollers of the shuttle. When computer-readable instructions stored in the shuttle's memory are executed by one or more processors, the following actions are performed: determining whether cargo deviation has occurred based on changes in pressure information; if so, determining the direction of cargo deviation based on changes in pressure information; and controlling the load rollers to rotate based on the direction of cargo deviation so that the cargo moves in the opposite direction of the cargo deviation.
[0092] This application provides a control device for a shuttle vehicle; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 It includes a first target determination module 510, an information reading module 520, a first deceleration module 530, and a second deceleration module 540.
[0093] The first target determination module 510 is used to determine the target storage location based on the assigned transportation task, and identify the RFID tag corresponding to the target storage location as the first target tag, and the RFID tags adjacent to the first target tag as the second target tags. The information reading module 520 is used to read RFID information during the execution of the transportation task. The first deceleration module 530 is used to control the shuttle to decelerate when the read RFID information matches the information of the second target tag, until the read RFID information matches the information of the first target tag, and then aligns it with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location using an alignment positioning device. The second deceleration module 540 is used to control the shuttle to stop after alignment is completed.
[0094] In one embodiment, the shuttle's control device further includes a card loss detection module and a card loss processing module. The card loss detection module is used to determine whether a read failure has occurred based on the read result. The card loss processing module is used to control the shuttle to continue running in the current direction until a read is successful when a read failure occurs; if the position of the RFID corresponding to the RFID information at the time of successful read has exceeded the first target tag in the current direction, the shuttle is controlled to decelerate to a stop, and after stopping, the running direction is switched to the opposite direction to continue running.
[0095] In one embodiment, limiting structures are provided at both ends of the guide rail on which the shuttle runs, and the shuttle is equipped with an obstacle avoidance device used to detect the distance between the shuttle and obstacles in the running direction. The card loss processing module is also used to control the shuttle to decelerate to a stop if the distance fed back by the obstacle avoidance device is less than a distance threshold.
[0096] In one embodiment, the lost card determination module is also used to determine that a reading loss has occurred if no new RFID information is read within a time threshold starting from the last successful reading of RFID information.
[0097] In one embodiment, the first deceleration module is also used to control the shuttle to decelerate uniformly from its current speed.
[0098] In one embodiment, the shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensor to collect pressure information from the shuttle's load-bearing rollers. The shuttle's control unit also includes a deviation detection module, a direction determination module, and a cargo adjustment module. The deviation detection module determines whether cargo deviation has occurred based on changes in the pressure information. The direction determination module determines the direction of cargo deviation based on changes in the pressure information if deviation occurs. The cargo adjustment module controls the load-bearing rollers to rotate according to the direction of cargo deviation, causing the cargo to move in the opposite direction of the deviation.
[0099] This application provides a warehouse control system, including one or more processors and a memory. The memory stores computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by one or more processors, they perform the following: Upon receiving a transportation task, determine the target storage location; for any shuttle in the shuttle list, if the shuttle is idle, determine the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on the shuttle's current location and the target storage location; if the shuttle is busy, determine the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for completing the assigned tasks and the storage location of the last assigned task and the target storage location; control the shuttle using the shuttle control method described in any of the above embodiments; select the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time as the target shuttle, and issue the transportation task to the target shuttle.
[0100] This application provides a shuttle dispatching device; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 6 It includes a second target determination module 610, a prediction module 620, and a task distribution module 630.
[0101] The second target determination module 610 is used to determine the target warehouse location upon receiving a transportation task. The prediction module 620, for any shuttle in the shuttle list, determines the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on its current location and the target warehouse location if the shuttle is idle; if the shuttle is busy, it determines the estimated execution time based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for its assigned tasks, the warehouse location of the last assigned task, and the target warehouse location. The shuttle is controlled by the shuttle control method described in any of the above embodiments. The task assignment module 630 selects the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time as the target shuttle and assigns the transportation task to the target shuttle.
[0102] Finally, it should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
[0103] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The various embodiments can be combined as needed, and the same or similar parts can be referred to each other.
[0104] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A control method for a shuttle vehicle, characterized in that, include: Based on the assigned transportation task, the target storage location is determined, and the RFID corresponding to the target storage location is identified as the first target tag, and the RFID adjacent to the first target tag is identified as the second target tag. During the execution of the transportation task, RFID information is read; If the RFID information read matches the information of the second target tag, the shuttle car is controlled to decelerate until the RFID information read matches the information of the first target tag. Then, the shuttle car is aligned with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location through an alignment and positioning device set on the side of the shuttle car. The alignment and positioning device includes a laser emitter and a photoelectric sensor. The positioning auxiliary device includes a reflective sticker. After alignment is complete, control the shuttle to stop running; The shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensing device to collect pressure information from the load-bearing rollers of the shuttle. This pressure information includes pressure values from multiple consecutive areas of the load-bearing rollers along the straight line of the shuttle's direction of movement. During the execution of the transportation task, the following further applies: Based on the changes in pressure values in the multiple areas, determine whether cargo displacement has occurred; If so, the direction of cargo offset is determined based on the changes in the pressure information. Based on the cargo offset direction, the load roller is controlled to rotate so that the cargo moves in the opposite direction of the cargo offset direction.
2. The control method for the shuttle car according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of reading RFID information also includes: Based on the read results, determine whether any read loss occurred; If so, the shuttle will continue to run in the current direction until the reading is successful; If the position of the RFID corresponding to the RFID information when the reading is successful has exceeded the first target tag in the current direction, then the shuttle is controlled to decelerate to a stop, and after stopping, the running direction is switched to the opposite direction to the current direction to continue running.
3. The control method for the shuttle car according to claim 2, characterized in that, The shuttle's guide rails are equipped with limiting structures at both ends. The shuttle is equipped with an obstacle avoidance device, which is used to detect the distance between the shuttle and obstacles in the direction of travel. The control method for the shuttle further includes: If the distance reported by the obstacle avoidance device is less than a distance threshold, the shuttle is controlled to decelerate to a stop.
4. The control method for the shuttle car according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining whether read loss has occurred based on the read results includes: If no new RFID information is read within a time threshold after the last successful reading of the RFID information, it is determined that a read loss has occurred.
5. A method for scheduling shuttle vehicles, characterized in that, include: Upon receiving a transportation task, determine the target storage location; For any shuttle in the shuttle list, if the shuttle is idle, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the current position of the shuttle and the target storage location; if the shuttle is busy, the estimated execution time of the shuttle is determined based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for completing the assigned tasks, the storage location of the last assigned task, and the target storage location; the shuttle is controlled by the shuttle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The shuttle with the shortest expected execution time is selected as the target shuttle, and the transportation task is assigned to the target shuttle.
6. A shuttle vehicle, characterized in that, It includes one or more processors and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the shuttle control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.
7. A control device for a shuttle vehicle, characterized in that, include: The first target determination module is used to determine the target storage location according to the assigned transportation task, and to determine the RFID corresponding to the target storage location as the first target tag, and to determine the RFID adjacent to the first target tag as the second target tag; The information reading module is used to read RFID information during the execution of the transportation task; The first deceleration module is used to control the shuttle to decelerate when the read RFID information matches the information of the second target tag, until the read RFID information matches the information of the first target tag, and then align the shuttle with the positioning auxiliary device corresponding to the target storage location through an alignment and positioning device set on the side of the shuttle; the alignment and positioning device includes a laser emitter and a photoelectric sensor; the positioning auxiliary device includes a reflective sticker; The second deceleration module is used to control the shuttle to stop after alignment is completed. The shuttle is equipped with a pressure sensing device to collect pressure information from the load-bearing rollers. This pressure information includes pressure values of the load-bearing rollers in multiple consecutive areas along the straight line of the shuttle's movement direction. During the execution of the transportation task, the module further includes: determining whether cargo deviation has occurred based on changes in the pressure values of the multiple areas; if so, determining the direction of cargo deviation based on the changes in the pressure information; and controlling the load-bearing rollers to rotate according to the direction of cargo deviation, so that the cargo moves in the opposite direction of the cargo deviation.
8. A warehouse control system, characterized in that, It includes one or more processors and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps of the shuttle scheduling method as described in claim 5.
9. A shuttle dispatching device, characterized in that, include: The second target determination module determines the target storage location upon receiving a transportation task; The prediction module, for any shuttle in the shuttle list, determines the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on its current position and the target storage location if the shuttle is idle; and determines the estimated execution time of the shuttle based on the estimated completion time of the shuttle for completing its assigned tasks, the storage location of the last assigned task, and the target storage location if the shuttle is busy. The shuttle is controlled by the shuttle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The task assignment module is used to select the shuttle with the shortest estimated execution time as the target shuttle and assign the transportation task to the target shuttle.