Inventory method, device and unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

This application proposes a method, apparatus, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for inventorying materials. In the method, after the current inventory cycle begins, the UAV flies to a predetermined location at the site to be inventoried, scans the spatial structure to generate a first spatial structure map, and then inventories the materials based on the first spatial structure map. After confirming the inventory is complete, the UAV flies back to the predetermined location at the site to be inventoried, scans the spatial structure again to generate a second spatial structure map of the site. If the second spatial structure map matches the first spatial structure map, the inventory results for the materials at the site are obtained, and the second spatial structure map is saved. This allows for the use of an UAV to inventory materials at the site, shortening the inventory cycle, increasing the update frequency of material data, reducing the time required for each inventory, and improving inventory efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicles, and particularly relate to a method and device for inventorying goods and an unmanned aerial vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A flat warehouse (flat warehouse for short) refers to a common warehouse with a flat layout, natural stacking, and no high-level shelves, including a flat warehouse, a building warehouse, and an open-air yard, etc., and is a relatively traditional warehouse.

[0003] During normal operation, a large number of tool materials (for example, forklifts and / or sorting equipment, etc.) and commodity materials (stored goods) are used in the flat warehouse. Due to the characteristics of a large number of categories, a large quantity, and / or a large total amount of the materials, the state of the materials needs to be grasped in time from the management aspect. How to effectively inventory the materials is a problem faced by each warehouse.

[0004] In the related art, all materials to be managed in the flat warehouse are pasted with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags (the RFID tag is generally an ultra high frequency (UHF) passive electronic tag with an identification distance of 0.1-10 m adjustable) with unique codes, and the correspondence between the materials and the codes of the RFID tags is marked in the system. When inventorying is needed, a person manually holds an RFID reader, scans the code of the RFID tag according to a pre-planned inventorying route, and uploads the code to the background system to generate an inventorying result for the management personnel.

[0005] However, the above inventorying scheme has the following disadvantages:

[0006] 1. Long inventorying period: since the time consumed for one inventorying is long, the warehouse materials need to be inventoried according to a certain period, and the update speed of the warehouse material data is slow;

[0007] 2. Long single inventorying time: the materials in the flat warehouse are generally arranged in vertical / horizontal rows, the personnel walking route is long, and the inventorying time is long;

[0008] 3. Over-reliance on manual work and large subjective influence factors: since the warehouse materials need to be inventoried by manually operating the inventorying equipment, the inventorying result will be different due to the difference in operating the inventorying equipment by different personnel, and cross-inventorying is often needed for data verification;

[0009] 4. Difficulty in inventorying during operation: during warehouse operation, the materials are continuously transferred between regions, and there are scenarios such as material out / in of the warehouse, and it is difficult to effectively inventory;

[0010] 5. The material placement needs to reserve the channel for the inventory personnel, which reduces the effective use area of the warehouse. SUMMARY

[0011] The embodiments of the present application provide a material inventory method, device and unmanned aerial vehicle, so as to realize inventory of materials in a place to be inventoried by using the unmanned aerial vehicle, shorten the inventory period, improve the update frequency of material data, and reduce the time required for each inventory and improve the inventory efficiency.

[0012] In the first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a material inventory method applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, which comprises: after arriving at a time of the present inventory period, flying to a predetermined position of a place to be inventoried; scanning a space structure of the place to be inventoried to generate a first space structure map of the place to be inventoried; inventorying materials in the place to be inventoried according to the first space structure map; and obtaining an inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried after determining that the materials in the place to be inventoried are inventoried.

[0013] In the above-mentioned material inventory method, after arriving at a time of the present inventory period, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to a predetermined position of a place to be inventoried, scans a space structure of the place to be inventoried to generate a first space structure map of the place to be inventoried, then inventorying materials in the place to be inventoried according to the first space structure map, and obtaining an inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried after determining that the materials in the place to be inventoried are inventoried, so as to realize inventory of materials in the place to be inventoried by using the unmanned aerial vehicle, shorten the inventory period, improve the update frequency of material data, and reduce the time required for each inventory and improve the inventory efficiency.

[0014] In one possible implementation, after determining that the materials in the place to be inventoried are inventoried, obtaining the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried comprises: after determining that the materials in the place to be inventoried are inventoried, flying to the predetermined position of the place to be inventoried again, scanning the space structure of the place to be inventoried to generate a second space structure map of the place to be inventoried; if the second space structure map is consistent with the first space structure map, obtaining the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried; and after generating the second space structure map of the place to be inventoried, further comprising: saving the second space structure map.

[0015] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried, further comprising: uploading the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried to a server.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the inventory checking of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site according to the first spatial structure diagram comprises: dividing the to-be-inventoried site into at least one inventory checking area according to the first spatial structure diagram; obtaining a target inventory checking area with a height different from a predetermined value in the at least one inventory checking area; planning an inventory checking route according to the target inventory checking area; and checking the materials in the target inventory checking area according to the inventory checking route.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the inventory checking of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site according to the first spatial structure diagram comprises: dividing the to-be-inventoried site into at least one inventory checking area according to the first spatial structure diagram; obtaining a target inventory checking area with a height different from a predetermined value in the at least one inventory checking area; planning an inventory checking route according to the target inventory checking area; and checking the materials in the target inventory checking area according to the inventory checking route.

[0018] In one possible implementation, after the hovering in the target inventory checking area according to the inventory checking route, the method further comprises: taking a photo of the current hovering target inventory checking area and saving the photo.

[0019] In one possible implementation, after the obtaining of the target inventory checking area with the height different from the predetermined value in the at least one inventory checking area, the method further comprises: comparing the first spatial structure diagram with a spatial structure diagram of the to-be-inventoried site saved after the end of a last inventory checking period, to obtain a first inventory checking area in the target inventory checking area that is the same as an inventory checking spatial structure in the last inventory checking period; after the taking of the photo of the first inventory checking area, comparing the photo of the first inventory checking area taken in the current inventory checking period with a photo of the first inventory checking area saved after the end of the last inventory checking period; and if it is determined that the photo of the first inventory checking area taken in the current inventory checking period is consistent with the photo of the first inventory checking area saved after the end of the last inventory checking period, ignoring the first inventory checking area and continuing the hovering in the target inventory checking area according to the inventory checking route and the subsequent steps.

[0020] In one possible implementation, after the generating of the second spatial structure diagram of the to-be-inventoried site, the method further comprises: if the second spatial structure diagram is inconsistent with the first spatial structure diagram, and the second spatial structure diagram shows that a second inventory checking area with a height changed to a predetermined value exists in the to-be-inventoried site, marking in an inventory checking result of the to-be-inventoried site that materials in the second inventory checking area have been removed, and saving the second spatial structure diagram.

[0021] In one possible implementation, after the second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried site is generated, the method further includes: if the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that a third inventory area with a changed height but not a predetermined value exists in the to-be-inventoried site, re-inventorizing the third inventory area; updating an inventory result of the third inventory area in an inventory result of the to-be-inventoried site to an inventory result obtained by re-inventorizing, and saving the second spatial structure map.

[0022] In one possible implementation, before flying to the predetermined position of the to-be-inventoried site, the method further includes: obtaining the to-be-inventoried site and a predetermined inventory period.

[0023] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an inventory device for materials, which is arranged in an unmanned aerial vehicle, and includes: a flight module, configured to make the unmanned aerial vehicle fly to a predetermined position of a to-be-inventoried site after an inventory period of the present time; a scanning module, configured to scan a spatial structure of the to-be-inventoried site, and generate a first spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried site; an inventory module, configured to inventory materials in the to-be-inventoried site according to the first spatial structure map; and an obtaining module, configured to obtain an inventory result of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site after the inventory module determines that the materials in the to-be-inventoried site are inventoried.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a saving module, and the flight module is further configured to make the unmanned aerial vehicle fly to the predetermined position of the to-be-inventoried site again after the inventory module determines that the materials in the to-be-inventoried site are inventoried; the scanning module is further configured to scan the spatial structure of the to-be-inventoried site, and generate a second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried site; and the obtaining module is specifically configured to obtain the inventory result of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site when the second spatial structure map is consistent with the first spatial structure map; and the saving module is configured to save the second spatial structure map after the scanning module generates the second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried site.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the device further includes an uploading module, configured to upload the inventory result of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site to a server after the obtaining module obtains the inventory result of the materials in the to-be-inventoried site.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the inventory module comprises: a division sub-module configured to divide the to-be-inventoried site into at least one inventory area according to the first spatial structure diagram; an area acquisition sub-module configured to acquire a target inventory area with a height different from a predetermined value in the at least one inventory area; a planning sub-module configured to plan an inventory route according to the target inventory area; and a material inventory sub-module configured to inventory materials in the target inventory area according to the inventory route.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the material inventory sub-module is specifically configured to, according to the inventory route, hover after flying to the target inventory area, and identify the code of an RFID tag on the materials in the current hovering target inventory area through video recognition and RFID reading functions, to obtain the code of the RFID tag.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the inventory module further comprises a photographing sub-module configured to photograph and save a photo of the current hovering target inventory area after the material inventory sub-module hovers after flying to the target inventory area according to the inventory route.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the inventory module further comprises a comparison sub-module configured to, after the area acquisition sub-module acquires the target inventory area with the height different from the predetermined value, compare the first spatial structure diagram with a spatial structure diagram of the to-be-inventoried site saved after the last inventory period, to acquire a first inventory area in the target inventory area that has the same spatial structure as the last inventory; and after the photographing sub-module photographs the photo of the first inventory area, compare the photo of the first inventory area photographed in the current inventory period with the photo of the first inventory area saved after the last inventory period; and the material inventory sub-module is further configured to, when it is determined that the photo of the first inventory area photographed in the current inventory period is consistent with the photo of the first inventory area saved after the last inventory period, ignore the first inventory area.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further comprises a marking module configured to, after the scanning module generates the second spatial structure diagram of the to-be-inventoried site, if the second spatial structure diagram is inconsistent with the first spatial structure diagram and the second spatial structure diagram shows that a second inventory area with a height changed to a predetermined value exists in the to-be-inventoried site, mark in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried site that materials in the second inventory area have been removed.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the inventory checking module is further configured to, after the scanning module generates the second spatial structure diagram of the inventory checking site, if the second spatial structure diagram is inconsistent with the first spatial structure diagram, and the second spatial structure diagram shows that a third inventory checking area with a changed height but not a predetermined value exists in the inventory checking site, recheck the third inventory checking area; and update the checking result of the third inventory checking area in the checking result of the inventory checking site to the checking result obtained by rechecking.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the obtaining module is further configured to, before the flying module flies the unmanned aerial vehicle to the predetermined position of the inventory checking site, obtain the inventory checking site and a predetermined checking period.

[0033] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an unmanned aerial vehicle, including: at least one processor; and at least one memory in communication connection with the processor, wherein: the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor invoking the program instructions can execute the method provided in the first aspect.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions make the computer execute the method provided in the first aspect.

[0035] It should be understood that the second to fourth aspects of the embodiments of the present application are consistent with the technical solution of the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, and the beneficial effects obtained by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, which will not be described again.

DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiments will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1(a) is a flowchart of the inventory checking method of the materials provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG. 1(b) is a flowchart of the inventory checking method of the materials provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 FIG. 1(b) is a flowchart of the inventory checking method of the materials provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3A flow chart of the inventory checking method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 A flow chart of the inventory checking method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 A flow chart of the inventory checking method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 A structural schematic diagram of the inventory checking device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 A structural schematic diagram of the inventory checking device provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 8 A structural schematic diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle provided by an embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to better understand the technical solutions of the present application, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0047] It should be clear that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0048] The terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present application. The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the embodiments of the present application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0049] In view of the problems of long inventory checking period, long single inventory checking time, excessive dependence on manual work, difficult inventory checking during operation and / or the need to reserve a channel for inventory checking personnel when placing materials in the related art, the present application provides an inventory checking method, which increases various hardware devices on an unmanned aerial vehicle to automatically check the materials in a warehouse, and reduces repetitive inventory checking and improves the inventory checking efficiency of the materials in the warehouse according to space structure data and / or video data.

[0050] FIG. 1(a) is a flow chart of an inventory checking method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The inventory checking method can be applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the method can include:

[0051] Step 101, after the time of the current inventory cycle arrives, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the predetermined position of the inventory site.

[0052] In this embodiment, the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to bind the identification of the unmanned aerial vehicle with the inventory site for the first time, and save the above binding relationship.

[0053] Further, before step 101, the unmanned aerial vehicle can also obtain the inventory site and the predetermined inventory cycle. In actual implementation, the inventory cycle can be set according to actual needs, and the length of the inventory cycle is not limited in this embodiment.

[0054] In this way, after the time of the current inventory cycle arrives, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to the predetermined position of the inventory site.

[0055] The above inventory site can be a flat warehouse or other storage site, and the type of the inventory site is not limited in this embodiment; the above predetermined position can be set in actual implementation, and the predetermined position is not limited in this embodiment, as long as it is a position in the inventory site, for example, the predetermined position can be the center position of the inventory site.

[0056] Step 102, the space structure of the above inventory site is scanned to generate the first space structure diagram of the above inventory site.

[0057] Specifically, after the time of the current inventory cycle arrives, the unmanned aerial vehicle starts to take off, and at the predetermined position of the inventory site, the space structure of the entire inventory site is scanned by the laser radar on the unmanned aerial vehicle to generate the first space structure diagram of the inventory site.

[0058] Step 103, the inventory of the goods in the inventory site is counted according to the first space structure diagram.

[0059] Step 104, after determining that the inventory of the goods in the inventory site is completed, the inventory result of the goods in the inventory site is obtained.

[0060] That is, after the unmanned aerial vehicle counts the goods in the inventory site according to the first space structure diagram, if it is determined that the inventory of the goods in the inventory site is completed, the unmanned aerial vehicle can obtain the inventory result of the goods in the inventory site.

[0061] Further, after step 104, the unmanned aerial vehicle can upload the inventory result of the goods in the inventory site to the server.

[0062] The inventory checking method of the above material can be summarized as follows: after the time of the current inventory checking period arrives, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to a predetermined position of the inventory checking site, scans the spatial structure of the inventory checking site, generates a first spatial structure diagram of the inventory checking site, then checks the material in the inventory checking site according to the first spatial structure diagram, and after determining that the material in the inventory checking site has been checked, the unmanned aerial vehicle obtains the checking result of the material in the inventory checking site, so that the material in the inventory checking site can be checked by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the inventory checking period is shortened, the updating frequency of the material data is improved, the time required for each inventory checking can be reduced, and the inventory checking efficiency is improved.

[0063] FIG. 1(b) is a flowchart of a material inventory checking method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1(b), in the embodiment of FIG. 1(a), step 104 can include:

[0064] Step 1041, after determining that the material in the inventory checking site has been checked, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to a predetermined position of the inventory checking site again, scans the spatial structure of the inventory checking site, and generates a second spatial structure diagram of the inventory checking site.

[0065] Specifically, after the material in the inventory checking site has been checked according to the first spatial structure diagram, the unmanned aerial vehicle flies to a predetermined position of the inventory checking site again, scans the spatial structure of the entire inventory checking site again through the laser radar on the unmanned aerial vehicle, and generates a second spatial structure diagram of the inventory checking site.

[0066] Further, after the second spatial structure diagram of the inventory checking site is generated, the second spatial structure diagram can also be saved.

[0067] Step 1042, if the second spatial structure diagram is consistent with the first spatial structure diagram, the checking result of the material in the inventory checking site is obtained.

[0068] Figure 2 FIG. 1(b) is a flowchart of a material inventory checking method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1(b), in the embodiment of FIG. 1(a), step 104 can include: Figure 2

[0069] Step 201, according to the first spatial structure diagram, the inventory checking site is divided into at least one checking area.

[0070] Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle can divide the inventory checking site into at least one checking area according to the area information in the first spatial structure diagram.

[0071] Step 202, a target checking area with a height not equal to a predetermined value is obtained from the at least one checking area.​

[0072] The predetermined value can be set according to business requirements and / or system performance, etc. in specific implementation, and the embodiment does not limit the size of the predetermined value. For example, the predetermined value can be 0.

[0073] Specifically, if the height in the first space structure diagram is a predetermined value, it means that the area has no materials and does not need to be inventoried, so the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to obtain at least one inventory area with a height that is not a predetermined value as a target inventory area.

[0074] Step 203: planning an inventory route according to the target inventory area.

[0075] Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle can plan an optimal inventory route according to the obtained target inventory area; the optimal inventory route can be a shortest-path inventory route, and the optimal inventory route is not limited to the shortest-path inventory route, and the embodiment does not limit the optimal inventory route.

[0076] Step 204: inventorying the materials in the target inventory area according to the inventory route.

[0077] Specifically, inventorying the materials in the target inventory area according to the inventory route can be: flying to the target inventory area according to the inventory route, hovering, and then using the RFID reader in the unmanned aerial vehicle to identify the code of the RFID tag on the materials in the current hovering target inventory area to obtain the code of the RFID tag.

[0078] In the process of identifying the code of the RFID tag on the materials, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly at a uniform speed through the materials according to the inventory route to identify the code of the RFID tag on the materials. In the inventory process, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly above the materials according to the obstacle avoidance distance set by the obstacle avoidance module, and after inventorying the materials in a target inventory area, the unmanned aerial vehicle can use the camera to take a picture, and save the material code, the target inventory area, and the picture.

[0079] Further, after flying to the target inventory area according to the inventory route and hovering, the unmanned aerial vehicle can also take and save a photo of the current hovering target inventory area, that is, before identifying the code of the RFID tag on the materials after flying to the target inventory area and hovering, the unmanned aerial vehicle can first take and save a photo of the current hovering target inventory area.

[0080] Figure 3A flowchart of the inventory checking method provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 10. The method comprises the following steps: Figure 3 As shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, after step 202, the method can further comprise the following steps: Figure 2 As shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, after step 202, the method can further comprise the following steps:

[0081] Step 301: Comparing the first space structure map with the space structure map of the place to be checked saved after the end of the last checking period, to obtain a first checking area in the target checking area which has the same space structure as the last checking area.

[0082] Step 302: After taking the photo of the first checking area, comparing the photo of the first checking area taken in the current checking period with the photo of the first checking area saved after the end of the last checking period.

[0083] Specifically, as described above, before the unmanned aerial vehicle identifies the code of the RFID tag on the inventory after hovering in the first checking area, the unmanned aerial vehicle can first take and save the photo of the first checking area where it is hovering.

[0084] After taking the photo of the first checking area, the unmanned aerial vehicle compares the photo of the first checking area taken in the current checking period with the photo of the first checking area saved after the end of the last checking period. Specifically, the unmanned aerial vehicle can compare the characteristic values of the photos, such as the color and / or size of the inventory, etc.

[0085] Step 303: If it is determined that the photo of the first checking area taken in the current checking period is consistent with the photo of the first checking area saved after the end of the last checking period, the first checking area is ignored, and the step of hovering in the target checking area according to the checking route in step 204 and the subsequent steps are continued.

[0086] That is, if the unmanned aerial vehicle determines that the photo of the first checking area taken in the current checking period is not changed from the photo of the first checking area saved after the end of the last checking period, the unmanned aerial vehicle can not need to check the area, thereby saving the power of the unmanned aerial vehicle and reducing unnecessary checking.

[0087] Of course, the unmanned aerial vehicle can also add a step of randomly checking the RFID tag of the inventory in the first checking area to further confirm whether the inventory in the first checking area has changed.

[0088] Figure 4 A flowchart of the inventory checking method provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 10. The method comprises the following steps: Figure 4 As shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, after step 202, the method can further comprise the following steps: Figure 2 As shown in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, after step 202, the method can further comprise the following steps:

[0089] Step 401, if the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a second inventory area with a height changed to a predetermined value in the to-be-inventoried place, then mark in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried place that the materials in the second inventory area have been moved away, and save the second spatial structure map.

[0090] In the above, the predetermined value can be set by itself in the implementation, and the embodiment does not limit the size of the predetermined value. For example, the predetermined value can be 0.

[0091] That is, if the second spatial structure map shows that there is a second inventory area with a height changed to 0 in the to-be-inventoried place, it means that the materials in the second inventory area have been moved away, and the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried place obtained in step 103 can be marked that the materials in the second inventory area have been moved away, and the second spatial structure map is saved.

[0092] Figure 5 The flowchart of the inventory method of the materials provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown in Figure 5 The embodiment shown in Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in the embodiment shown in

[0093] Step 501, if the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a third inventory area with a height changed but not the predetermined value in the to-be-inventoried place, then re-inventory the third inventory area.

[0094] Step 502, update the inventory result of the third inventory area in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried place to the inventory result obtained by re-inventory, and save the second spatial structure map.

[0095] That is, if the unmanned aerial vehicle finds that the height of the third inventory area in the second spatial structure map is changed compared with the first spatial structure map, but is not 0, it can be determined that the materials in the third inventory area are changed, and the third inventory area needs to be re-inventoried, then update the inventory result of the third inventory area in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried place obtained in step 103 to the inventory result obtained by re-inventory, and save the second spatial structure map.

[0096] The material inventory method provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize automatic inventory of materials in a place to be inventoried by adding various hardware devices (such as an RFID reader, a camera, and / or a laser radar, etc.) on an unmanned aerial vehicle, can shorten the inventory period, and improve the update frequency of material data. Meanwhile, the method is based on a space structure diagram and video data, reduces repetitive inventory, is not limited by goods on the ground of a warehouse, can perform inventory according to an optimal path, shortens the time required for each inventory, and improves the inventory efficiency of materials.

[0097] The above describes specific embodiments of the present application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims can be performed in an order other than that described in the embodiments and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown or sequential order to achieve desirable results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous or possible.

[0098] Figure 6 The structure diagram of the material inventory device provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. The material inventory device is arranged in an unmanned aerial vehicle. As shown in the figure, the material inventory device can include a flight module 61, a scanning module 62, an inventory module 63, and an acquisition module 64. Figure 6

[0099] The flight module 61 is configured to make the unmanned aerial vehicle fly to a predetermined position of a place to be inventoried after the time of the current inventory period.

[0100] The scanning module 62 is configured to scan the space structure of the place to be inventoried, and generate a first space structure diagram of the place to be inventoried.

[0101] The inventory module 63 is configured to inventory materials in the place to be inventoried according to the first space structure diagram.

[0102] The acquisition module 64 is configured to acquire the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried after the inventory module 63 determines that the inventory of the materials in the place to be inventoried is completed.

[0103] Figure 6 The material inventory device provided by the embodiment shown in the figure can be used to implement the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 1(a) of the present application, and the implementation principle and technical effects can be further referred to the related description in the method embodiment.

[0104] Figure 7 The structure diagram of the material inventory device provided by another embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. Compared with the material inventory device shown in the figure, Figure 6 the acquisition module 64 is configured to acquire the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried after the inventory module 63 determines that the inventory of the materials in the place to be inventoried is completed.​Figure 7 The inventory checking device of the goods shown can further include a saving module 65;

[0105] The flight module 61 is further configured to make the unmanned aerial vehicle fly to the predetermined position of the place to be checked after the inventory checking module 63 determines that the inventory checking of the goods in the place to be checked is completed.

[0106] The scanning module 62 is further configured to scan the spatial structure of the place to be checked and generate a second spatial structure map of the place to be checked.

[0107] The obtaining module 64 is specifically configured to obtain the inventory checking result of the goods in the place to be checked when the second spatial structure map is consistent with the first spatial structure map.

[0108] The saving module 65 is configured to save the second spatial structure map after the scanning module 62 generates the second spatial structure map of the place to be checked.

[0109] Further, Figure 7 The inventory checking device of the goods shown can further include an uploading module 66.

[0110] The uploading module 66 is configured to upload the inventory checking result of the goods in the place to be checked to a server after the obtaining module 64 obtains the inventory checking result of the goods in the place to be checked.

[0111] In this embodiment, the inventory checking module 63 can include a division sub-module 631, a region obtaining sub-module 632, a planning sub-module 633, and a goods inventory checking sub-module 634.

[0112] The division sub-module 631 is configured to divide the place to be checked into at least one inventory checking region according to the first spatial structure map.

[0113] The region obtaining sub-module 632 is configured to obtain a target inventory checking region with a height that is not a predetermined value in the at least one inventory checking region.

[0114] The planning sub-module 633 is configured to plan an inventory checking route according to the target inventory checking region.

[0115] The goods inventory checking sub-module 634 is configured to check the goods in the target inventory checking region according to the inventory checking route.

[0116] The goods inventory checking sub-module 634 is specifically configured to fly to the target inventory checking region and hover according to the inventory checking route, identify the code of the RFID tag on the goods in the current hovering target inventory checking region through the RFID reading function, and obtain the code of the RFID tag.

[0117] Further, the inventory checking module 63 can further include a photographing sub-module 635.

[0118] The photographing submodule 635 is configured to, after the inventorying submodule 634 flies to the target inventorying area according to the inventorying route and hovers, photograph and save a photo of the target inventorying area at the current hovering position.

[0119] Further, the inventorying module 63 can further include a comparison submodule 636.

[0120] The comparison submodule 636 is configured to, after the area obtaining submodule 632 obtains the target inventorying area with a height different from the predetermined value, compare the first spatial structure map with a spatial structure map of the inventorying place saved after the last inventorying period, to obtain a first inventorying area in the target inventorying area with the same spatial structure as the last inventorying period; and after the photographing submodule 635 photographs the photo of the first inventorying area, compare the photo of the first inventorying area photographed in the current inventorying period with the photo of the first inventorying area saved after the last inventorying period.

[0121] The inventorying submodule 634 is further configured to, when it is determined that the photo of the first inventorying area photographed in the current inventorying period is consistent with the photo of the first inventorying area saved after the last inventorying period, ignore the first inventorying area.

[0122] Further, the inventorying device for goods can further include a marking module 67.

[0123] The marking module 67 is configured to, after the scanning module 62 generates the second spatial structure map of the inventorying place, if the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a second inventorying area with a height changed to the predetermined value in the inventorying place, mark in the inventorying result of the inventorying place that the goods in the second inventorying area have been removed.

[0124] Further, the inventorying module 63 is further configured to, after the scanning module 62 generates the second spatial structure map of the inventorying place, if the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a third inventorying area with a height changed but not the predetermined value in the inventorying place, re-inventory the third inventorying area; and update the inventorying result of the third inventorying area in the inventorying result of the inventorying place to the inventorying result obtained by re-inventorying.

[0125] Further, the obtaining module 64 is further configured to, before the flying module 61 makes the unmanned aerial vehicle fly to the predetermined position of the inventorying place, obtain the inventorying place and the predetermined inventorying period.

[0126] Figure 7 The inventorying device for goods provided by the illustrated embodiments can be used to perform the method for inventorying goods Figures 1(a) to 5The technical solutions, implementation principles and technical effects of the method embodiments can be further referred to the related descriptions in the method embodiments.

[0127] Figure 8 A structural schematic diagram of the unmanned aerial vehicle is provided for an embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 8 The unmanned aerial vehicle can include at least one processor and at least one memory in communication with the processor, where the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor calling the program instructions can execute the method embodiments of the present application shown in FIGS. 1-4. Figure 5 The inventory method of the material is provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0128] Figure 8 A block diagram of an exemplary unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 8 The displayed unmanned aerial vehicle is only an example and should not limit the functions and use range of the embodiments of the present application.

[0129] As shown in Figure 8 The unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can include a processor 110, a memory 120, a battery 130, an RFID reader and antenna 140, a camera 150, a laser radar 160 and a communication module 170;

[0130] The memory 120 stores program instructions executable by the processor 110, and the processor 110 calling the program instructions can execute the method embodiments of the present application shown in FIGS. 1-4. Figures 1(a) to 5 The inventory method of the material is provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0131] The battery 130 is used to power the processor 110, the memory 120, the RFID reader and antenna 140, the camera 150, the laser radar 160 and the communication module 170 in the unmanned aerial vehicle 100.

[0132] The RFID reader and antenna 140 are used to identify the code of the RFID tag on the material. In specific implementation, the number and performance of the antenna can be configured according to the identification needs of the RFID tag, and the antenna is turned on by default with maximum power.

[0133] The camera 150 is used to take and save a photo of the target inventory area where the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 currently hovers. After the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 finishes inventorying the material in a target inventory area, the target inventory area can be photographed and recorded, and the material code, the target inventory area and the picture are saved correspondingly. In specific implementation, the camera 150 can be a small-size high-definition camera.

[0134] The laser radar 160 is configured to scan the spatial structure of the place to be inventoried, and provide a planning basis for the flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an obstacle avoidance warning.

[0135] The communication module 170 is configured to interact with the server, for example, uploading the inventory result of the materials in the place to be inventoried to the server.

[0136] As can be seen from the above description, the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 is powered by the battery 130, has the ability of indoor autonomous navigation flight, supports hovering and / or obstacle avoidance, and supports automatic return charging. In a specific implementation, a landing apron for parking the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 and / or charging the unmanned aerial vehicle 100 can be arranged above the place to be inventoried. Specifically, the number of the landing apron can be determined according to the number of the unmanned aerial vehicle 100, the size of the place to be inventoried, and / or the asset scale, etc.

[0137] The embodiment of the present application provides a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions make the computer execute the inventory method of the materials provided in the embodiment of the present application shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 10. Figure 5 The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 provides the inventory method of the materials.

[0138] The non-transitory computer readable storage medium described above can adopt any combination of one or more computer readable media. The computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium may, for example, be, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) or a flash memory, a fiber optic device, a portable compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In this document, the computer readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, device or apparatus.

[0139] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including—but not limited to—electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0140] Program code contained on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including—but not limited to—wireless, wire, optical fiber, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0141] Computer program code for performing the operations of this application can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network—including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0142] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this application. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0143] In the description of the application, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the application. In the present application, the illustrative description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, different embodiments or examples described in the present application and the features of different embodiments or examples can be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

[0144] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0145] Any process or method descriptions in flow charts or described elsewhere herein can be understood as representing code modules, segments, or portions of code that include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logic functions (or steps) in the process, and the various preferred embodiments of the application include additional implementations in which the order of steps can differ from those shown or discussed, including a step can occur at other times, including as recited in the claims, the functions can be performed in an order different than that shown or discussed, including as recited in the claims, including in substantially simultaneous execution, or as recited in the claims, including in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, which should be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0146] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used herein can be interpreted to mean "when" or "while" or "in response to the determination" or "in response to the detection." Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if it is detected" can be interpreted to mean "upon the determination" or "in response to the determination" or "upon the detection" or "in response to the detection," depending on the context.

[0147] It should be noted that the terminal involved in the embodiments of the present application can include, but is not limited to, a personal computer (PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless handheld device, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, an MP3 player, an MP4 player, etc.

[0148] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other manners. For example, the division of the above-described device embodiment is only a logical function division, and there can be another division manner for actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between different units, or the among different units, can be indirect couplings or communication connections through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0149] In addition, each function unit in the various embodiments of the present application can be integrated into a processing unit, or each unit can exist alone physically, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of hardware plus software function units.

[0150] The integrated unit implemented in the form of software function units can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. The above-mentioned software function unit stored in a storage medium includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor to execute part of the steps of the method described in the various embodiments of the present application. The above-mentioned storage medium includes a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

[0151] The above only provides a preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of inventorying supplies for use in an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising: The method comprises: arriving at a predetermined position of the to-be-inventoried place after the time of the current inventory cycle; scanning the spatial structure of the to-be-inventoried place to generate a first spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried place; inventorizing the goods in the to-be-inventoried place according to the first spatial structure map; after determining that the goods in the to-be-inventoried place have been inventoried, obtaining the inventory result of the goods in the to-be-inventoried place; the inventory of the goods in the to-be-inventoried place according to the first spatial structure map comprises: dividing the to-be-inventoried place into at least one inventory area according to the first spatial structure map; obtaining a target inventory area with a height different from a predetermined value in the at least one inventory area; planning an inventory route according to the target inventory area; inventorizing the goods in the target inventory area according to the inventory route; the inventorizing of the goods in the target inventory area according to the inventory route comprises: flying to the target inventory area and hovering according to the inventory route; identifying the code of the RFID tag on the goods in the current hovering target inventory area through video recognition and RFID reading function to obtain the code of the RFID tag; after flying to the target inventory area and hovering according to the inventory route, it further comprises: taking and saving a photo of the current hovering target inventory area; after obtaining the target inventory area with a height different from a predetermined value in the at least one inventory area, it further comprises: comparing the first spatial structure map with the spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried place saved after the last inventory cycle to obtain a first inventory area in the target inventory area which is the same as the last inventory spatial structure; after taking a photo of the first inventory area, comparing the photo of the first inventory area taken in the current inventory cycle with the photo of the first inventory area saved after the last inventory cycle; if it is determined that the photo of the first inventory area taken in the current inventory cycle is consistent with the photo of the first inventory area saved after the last inventory cycle, the first inventory area is ignored, and the step of flying to the target inventory area and hovering according to the inventory route and the subsequent steps are continued.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, after determining that the goods in the to-be-inventoried place have been inventoried, obtaining the inventory result of the goods in the to-be-inventoried place comprises: after determining that the goods in the to-be-inventoried place have been inventoried, flying to the predetermined position of the to-be-inventoried place again, scanning the spatial structure of the to-be-inventoried place to generate a second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried place; if the second spatial structure map is consistent with the first spatial structure map, obtaining the inventory result of the goods in the to-be-inventoried place; after generating the second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried place, it further comprises: saving the second spatial structure map.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, after generating the second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried place, it further comprises: If the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a second inventory area in the to-be-inventoried site where the height changes to a predetermined value, it is marked in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried site that the materials in the second inventory area have been removed, and the second spatial structure map is saved.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the second spatial structure map of the to-be-inventoried site is generated, the method further includes: If the second spatial structure map is inconsistent with the first spatial structure map, and the second spatial structure map shows that there is a third inventory area in the to-be-inventoried site where the height changes but is not the predetermined value, the third inventory area is re-inventoried. The inventory result of the third inventory area in the inventory result of the to-be-inventoried site is updated to the inventory result obtained by re-inventory, and the second spatial structure map is saved.

5. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising: comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory connected to the processor in communication, wherein: the memory stores program instructions executable by the processor, and the processor invoking the program instructions can execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising: The non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions make the computer execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions make the computer execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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