A dispatching method and system of an elevator robot and a storage medium

Abstract

This application relates to the field of robot scheduling, providing a method, system, and storage medium for scheduling elevator robots. The method includes: upon determining that a cross-floor task has been acquired, the elevator robot requests the right to use a target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator; upon determining that the right to use the target elevator has been acquired, the priority of the elevator robot is adjusted; upon determining that the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, scheduling is completed according to the priority and information of each robot. By flexibly adjusting the priority of elevator robots based on their occupation of the target elevator, and completing the scheduling between robots according to priority and information of each robot, it is beneficial to reduce the occurrence of collisions and jamming among robots, and improve safety and efficiency in multi-robot scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of robot scheduling, and in particular relates to a scheduling method, system and storage medium for an elevator robot. Background Technology

[0002] In scenarios such as hotel delivery, robots need to use elevators for cross-floor deliveries. Currently, the scheduling aspect of the elevator-riding function is mitigated by shielding scheduling to reduce interference with the elevator ride process. When a robot gains access to an elevator, it issues instructions, such as requesting the elevator to go to the robot's floor or keeping the doors open until the robot enters. Direct scheduling during this process would disrupt the elevator's normal operation. Therefore, to eliminate potential scheduling disruptions, the scheduling function is shielded after the robot gains access to the elevator. However, when the robot's scheduling is shielded, if the elevator-riding robot's route conflicts with other robots, it can only rely on its obstacle avoidance module to handle its own route independently. Obstacle avoidance cannot predict the behavior of other robots, potentially leading to collisions due to delayed response or the elevator-riding robot getting stuck while performing its elevator ride task. Current technology results in poor elevator safety and low efficiency for elevator-riding robots. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a scheduling method, system, and storage medium for elevator robots. By flexibly adjusting the priority of elevator robots based on their right to use the target elevator, and scheduling between elevator robots and other robots based on priority, position, and avoidance points, this method helps reduce collisions and jamming among robots, and improves safety and elevator efficiency in multi-robot scenarios.

[0004] A first aspect of this application provides a method for scheduling an elevator robot, the method comprising:

[0005] Once a cross-floor task is determined, the elevator robot requests the right to use the target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator.

[0006] If it is determined that the right to use the target elevator has been obtained, the priority of the elevator robot is adjusted.

[0007] Once it is determined that the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, the scheduling is completed according to the priority and the information of each robot.

[0008] A second aspect of this application provides a scheduling system for an elevator robot, characterized in that it includes:

[0009] The task acquisition module is used to determine if a cross-floor task has been acquired. If so, the elevator robot requests the right to use the target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator.

[0010] The priority adjustment module is used to adjust the priority of the elevator robot if it determines that the right to use the target elevator has been obtained.

[0011] The scheduling module is used to determine whether the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, and then completes the scheduling according to the priority and information of each robot.

[0012] A third aspect of this application provides a terminal device, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the elevator robot scheduling method described in the first aspect above.

[0013] A fourth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the elevator robot scheduling method described in the first aspect.

[0014] A fifth aspect of this application provides a computer program product that, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to execute the elevator robot scheduling method described in the first aspect.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this application embodiment compared with the prior art are: this application embodiment provides a scheduling method, system and storage medium for elevator robots. By configuring the priority of robots at different stages, the scheduling between elevator robots and other robots is completed according to the priority and the information of each robot. This helps to reduce the occurrence of problems such as collisions and jamming between robots, and improves the safety and efficiency in multi-robot scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, 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.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a scheduling method for an elevator robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an elevator-riding robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a non-scheduling avoidance area provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the scheduling process of an elevator robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of elevator scheduling for multiple target elevators provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a general robot scheduling process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a scheduling system for an elevator robot provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0026] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.

[0027] It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application specification and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed items and all possible combinations, and includes such combinations.

[0028] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0029] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0030] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in this embodiment does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of this application embodiment.

[0031] With the development of technology and the improvement of living standards, more and more fields need to use robots to replace human labor. For example, in the service industry, robots are used to replace waiters to provide services to users. Therefore, it is unavoidable to reduce the use of elevators in real life. For example, in hotel delivery scenarios, robots need to take the elevator when delivering across floors. Currently, the scheduling part of the elevator function is reduced by shielding the scheduling to reduce interference with the elevator process. When the robot seizes the right to use the elevator, it will issue instructions to the elevator, such as requiring the elevator to go to the floor where the robot is located, or requiring the elevator to keep the door open until the robot enters. If the scheduling is directly carried out in this process, it will affect the normal use of the elevator. Therefore, in order to eliminate the possible impact of scheduling, the scheduling function will be shielded when the robot receives the task after seizing the right to use the elevator.

[0032] In existing technologies, when a robot activates its obstacle avoidance scheduling function, and its path conflicts with other robots, it can only rely on its obstacle avoidance module to handle its own path. The obstacle avoidance module is primarily responsible for detecting and responding to surrounding physical obstacles. However, it typically lacks the ability to predict or understand the planned actions or behavioral patterns of other robots. Therefore, when two or more robots are operating in the same area, especially in narrow spaces such as elevator entrances or corridors, there is a probability of delayed response leading to collisions. Mutual obstacle avoidance can cause several problems: First, it causes response delays: if one robot suddenly changes its path or speed, the other robot may not be able to adjust its actions in time to avoid a collision. Second, there is a potential for collisions: the obstacle avoidance module may not be able to effectively avoid collisions with dynamic obstacles such as other moving robots. Third, there is the possibility of mutually blocked paths: in the process of trying to avoid each other, two or more robots may get stuck in a stalemate, with each robot waiting for the other to move first, preventing them from moving forward or backward. Therefore, existing elevator robot scheduling schemes are unsafe and inefficient.

[0033] The core concept of this application, compared with existing solutions, lies in configuring the priority of robots when not riding the elevator and at different stages of riding the elevator in multi-robot application scenarios. Then, based on the priority and information of other robots, the scheduling between the elevator-riding robot and other robots is completed, which helps to reduce the occurrence of collisions and jamming among robots and improves the safety and efficiency in multi-robot scenarios.

[0034] To illustrate the technical solution of this application, specific embodiments are described below.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a scheduling method for an elevator robot according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the scheduling method for this elevator robot may include the following steps:

[0036] Step 100: Once a cross-floor task is confirmed, the elevator robot requests the right to use the target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator.

[0037] In the scheduling scheme of this application embodiment, the elevator-riding robot can be a robot that has obtained a specified cross-floor task, while a robot that has not obtained an elevator-riding task is a regular robot. It should be noted that in this application embodiment, there may be multiple elevators and multiple elevator-riding robots at the same time. For example, if multiple elevator-riding tasks are generated simultaneously in a hotel, each elevator-riding task is assigned to a corresponding regular robot. At this time, the regular robot becomes an "elevator-riding robot" upon receiving the elevator-riding task, and then each applies for the right to use the target elevator. Preferably, only one robot with the right to use an elevator can be assigned to one elevator at a time, so as to facilitate priority adjustment and efficient scheduling.

[0038] Step 200: If the right to use the target elevator is obtained, the priority of the elevator robot is adjusted.

[0039] In this step, robots in most scenarios are configured with different priorities at different stages. Specifically, when performing non-cross-floor tasks, or when performing cross-floor tasks but not yet having obtained access to the target elevator, the robot's priority is configured as "lower." That is, different priorities can be configured depending on the task type and stage. After obtaining access to the target elevator, the robot's priority can be set to a higher priority, such as the second highest. This way, the priority of robots performing non-elevator-riding tasks, or performing cross-floor tasks but not yet having obtained access to the target elevator, is lower than the priority of elevator-riding robots that have obtained elevator access.

[0040] Step 300: If the elevator robot is determined to trigger scheduling with other robots, the scheduling is completed according to the priority and information of each robot.

[0041] In this application, scheduling is not disabled when robots need to use the elevator; that is, scheduling can be triggered between robots, thereby reducing congestion, collisions, and jamming that may result from disabling the scheduling function. However, scheduling is not based on conventional rules. Instead, when a robot using the elevator obtains the right to use the elevator, its priority is increased. When scheduling is triggered between a robot using the elevator and a regular robot, the priority difference allows the task of the robot using the elevator to be executed first, thus improving the efficiency of robot scheduling and elevator use. For example, conventional rules could be that the robot closer to the avoidance point is scheduled, or the robot whose task start time is closer is scheduled, without considering whether the robot needs to use the elevator or what stage of elevator use it is in.

[0042] It should be noted that the scheduling in this application embodiment can be when multiple robots are running simultaneously in the same scene. When two robots may meet, the type of conflict with each other will be determined, and the conflict will be avoided by waiting in place, moving to the side, or going to the avoidance point. This application does not limit this.

[0043] Furthermore, it should be noted that the information of each robot in the embodiments of this application may include the robot's location information, etc. In optional embodiments, the information of each robot in this application may also include the robot's navigation path, the robot's optional avoidance points, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] In this step, we first determine whether scheduling is triggered. If it is, we perform scheduling operations based on the current priority (e.g., second highest) of the elevator robot currently performing the elevator task and the information of each robot.

[0045] The steps described above in this application will be explained in detail below.

[0046] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a ladder-riding robot is shown, such as... Figure 2 As shown, an elevator area in the robot map, or the environment map of the elevator robot, can include queuing points, waiting points, and points inside the elevator. Queuing points are the points where elevator robots go to queue for elevator use when they have not successfully obtained the right to use the elevator. Waiting points are the points where elevator robots that have obtained the right to use the elevator wait for the elevator. Points inside the elevator are the points where elevator robots stop inside the elevator.

[0047] For example, the elevator in-elevator point can be set at the center of the target elevator, the waiting point can be set outside the target elevator and in a straight line with the elevator in-elevator point, and the queuing point can be set at any location outside the non-dispatch avoidance area according to the actual situation of the environment, without specific restrictions as long as it does not prevent the elevator-riding robot from entering the elevator in-elevator point from the waiting point.

[0048] In the above specific embodiments, step 200 of this application, namely, determining that the right to use the target elevator has been obtained, and adjusting the priority of the elevator robot, includes:

[0049] S21: When the elevator robot goes to the waiting point, adjust the priority of the elevator robot to the second highest priority;

[0050] S23: When the elevator robot moves from the waiting point to the elevator entrance, adjust the priority of the elevator robot to the highest priority.

[0051] Specifically, through the above embodiments, the elevator-riding robot has the second highest priority before entering the elevator area, while the robot that has not obtained the right to use the elevator has a lower priority. At the same time, when the elevator-riding robot moves from the waiting point to the elevator entrance, its priority is raised to the highest priority. In this way, through differentiated priority configuration, avoidance can be performed based on the difference in priority and the specific location.

[0052] For example, regarding priority adjustment: When a robot acquires a cross-floor task, it applies for the right to use the target elevator as an elevator-riding robot. For instance, robot A is currently on the 1st floor and needs to go to the 3rd floor to perform a delivery task. It then obtains a list of elevators that can reach the 3rd floor from the 1st floor, including elevators E1 and E2. At this time, elevator E1 is available, but the right to use elevator E2 is already occupied by another elevator-riding robot. Therefore, E1 can be robot A's target elevator. Robot A applies for and obtains the right to use E1. The navigation then sets robot A's target point on this floor as the waiting point for elevator E1, and robot A's scheduling priority is adjusted to the second highest. If the right to use E1 is also occupied by another robot, robot A chooses one of E1 and E2 as its target elevator but cannot obtain the right to use it. In this case, the navigation goes to the corresponding elevator's queuing point to join the queue, and the priority is not adjusted. After robot A obtains the right to use E1, it goes to the waiting point to wait for elevator E1 to arrive. When elevator E1 arrives, robot A goes from the waiting point to the elevator's interior point. At this time, robot A's priority is adjusted from the second highest to the highest. When robot A is heading towards the elevator entrance, the robot waiting in the queue at E1 can navigate from the queue to the elevator entrance and adjust its priority to the second highest. This allows for convenient scheduling of robots according to their assigned priorities from high to low during their journey to the elevator entrance and then to the elevator entrance, ensuring that the elevator journey of high-priority robots is completed first.

[0053] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, before the robot runs, an environmental map of the robot can be obtained by means of laser mapping, tag mapping, VSLAM mapping, etc., and the queuing points and waiting points outside the target elevator and the elevator interior points inside the target elevator can be preset in the environmental map.

[0054] Furthermore, embodiments of this application can set up non-scheduling avoidance zones, which are areas where scheduled robots are prohibited from stopping or going during scheduling. These zones may include elevator areas. For example, a non-scheduling avoidance zone might be a rectangular area encompassing the entire interior of the target elevator, with the line connecting the elevator's interior point and waiting point serving as the center line. The distance from the rectangle's edge to the interior point or waiting point is at least the radius of one elevator-riding robot. This avoids congestion caused by robots stopping in the elevator area during scheduling, thus preventing robots from entering and exiting the elevator. Specifically, as shown... Figure 3 As shown, a schematic diagram of a non-scheduled avoidance area is illustrated. In this embodiment, the step of obtaining the non-scheduled avoidance area before determining the cross-floor task includes: obtaining an environmental map of the elevator robot, the environmental map including the non-scheduled avoidance area.

[0055] The advantages of setting waiting points and elevator interior points in this embodiment are that they allow the elevator-riding robots to smoothly enter the target elevator through straight-line movement, reducing collisions with other obstacles in the environment. Setting queuing points allows robots to queue by claiming a position at that point, facilitating subsequent elevator access and preventing congestion caused by multiple robots simultaneously claiming elevator access. Setting non-scheduling avoidance areas prevents robots from selecting the vicinity of the elevator for obstacle avoidance during scheduling, reducing collisions and congestion within and around the target elevator that could render it unusable. A rectangular area encompassing the entire interior of the target elevator is generated using the line connecting the elevator interior points and waiting points as the center line, facilitating automatic rectangular area generation. The distance from the edge of the rectangle to the elevator interior point or waiting point is at least the radius of one of the elevator-riding robots, ensuring that when a robot is scheduled, it maintains a certain distance from robots within the rectangular area, further reducing congestion and collisions.

[0056] In another possible implementation, after entering the elevator range, the elevator robot scans the elevator interior using its own sensors. If an obstacle, such as a fellow passenger, is detected, the robot adjusts its target elevator position to avoid the passenger's location and stops. After the target elevator reaches the target floor, if a passenger is detected in the area ahead, the robot triggers the obstacle avoidance system to avoid the pedestrian. If the obstacle avoidance module of the elevator robot cannot find a suitable obstacle avoidance path, the robot's voice system is triggered to send voice prompts to the passenger in front so that the elevator robot can smoothly reach the target floor and perform the exit operation.

[0057] For example, the scheduling scheme provided in this application can be completed through communication between robots and independently calculate whether to perform avoidance actions, rather than centralized scheduling by a server, thereby improving the reliability of scheduling. Specifically, the priority of the elevator-riding robots is flexibly adjusted according to the right of the elevator-riding robots to use the target elevator. The scheduling between the elevator-riding robots and other robots is completed according to the priority and information of each robot, which helps to reduce collisions and jamming among robots during the scheduling process and helps to ensure the normal use of the elevator.

[0058] Specifically, scheduling includes obstacle avoidance operations. Information about each robot includes its position. Determining the elevator-riding robot's interaction with other robots triggers scheduling. Step 300 includes:

[0059] S301: Determine whether the elevator-riding robot should trigger an avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot.

[0060] For example, if there is a path conflict between other robots and the elevator-riding robot, or if the positional distance between other robots and the elevator-riding robot is less than or equal to a set distance difference, then scheduling is triggered.

[0061] It should be noted that the scheduling between the elevator-riding robot and other robots in this application can occur in two ways: one is between the elevator-riding robot and a regular robot, where the elevator-riding robot has a higher priority than the regular robot; the other is between other elevator-riding robots, where the priority of the other robots may be lower, the same as, or higher than that of the current elevator-riding robot. That is, in this embodiment, when scheduling occurs, the robot to be scheduled is first determined based on priority and position—whether it is an elevator-riding robot or another robot. If it is an elevator-riding robot, then the elevator-riding robot triggers an avoidance operation. Thus, by considering priority, scheduling is completed by having one robot perform the avoidance operation as much as possible, improving scheduling efficiency.

[0062] S302: If triggered, scheduling is completed according to priority and information of each robot, including: the elevator robot performs avoidance operation according to priority and position of each robot.

[0063] For example, when an elevator robot is scheduled to perform an obstacle avoidance operation, it can determine whether to wait in place, move to a fixed obstacle avoidance point, or move to a temporary obstacle avoidance point based on priority and current location, thereby completing the scheduling and improving the flexibility and efficiency of scheduling.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, each robot is equipped with sensors, which can be lidar, infrared sensors, or vision sensors, etc., without specific limitations. When a robot is scheduled, when it needs to go to an obstacle avoidance point, the status of the fixed obstacle avoidance point can be determined based on the coordinate information of other robots and the detection data of the sensors, such as whether it is occupied or whether there is a path to it. Based on the status of the fixed obstacle avoidance point, the robot can choose to go to a fixed obstacle avoidance point or a temporary obstacle avoidance point to avoid obstacles. A temporary obstacle avoidance point can be a point outside the scheduled obstacle avoidance area that the robot temporarily selects as a temporary obstacle avoidance point when the fixed obstacle avoidance point is not suitable, thus completing the scheduling.

[0065] In an optional embodiment, step S301, which determines whether the elevator-riding robot should trigger an avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot, specifically includes:

[0066] S3011: If the priority of the elevator-riding robot is higher than that of other robots, and there is currently no way for other robots to reach the avoidance point, the elevator-riding robot will proceed to the avoidance point.

[0067] S3012: If the priority of the elevator robot is higher than that of other robots, and other robots currently have reachable avoidance points, avoidance operation will not be triggered.

[0068] In this application embodiment, if the priority of the elevator-riding robot is higher than that of other robots, there are two situations. One situation is that when the elevator-riding robot and the ordinary robot are scheduled, the ordinary robot takes the initiative to avoid the elevator-riding robot. That is, if there is an avoidance point that other robots can reach, then the other robots will avoid the elevator-riding robot so that the elevator-riding robot can reach the waiting point smoothly. In this case, the avoidance operation of the elevator-riding robot is not triggered.

[0069] However, in one possible implementation, when the ordinary robot cannot find a reachable avoidance point, it means that the ordinary robot's location cannot find a suitable avoidance point to make way for the elevator-riding robot. Since the second-highest priority elevator-riding robot can perform the avoidance task, for example, when the elevator-riding robot is heading to the waiting point, its priority is adjusted to the second-highest priority elevator-riding robot. At this time, the second-highest priority elevator-riding robot is scheduled to interact with the ordinary robot on its path to the waiting point. Since the ordinary robot cannot find a suitable avoidance point, and the elevator-riding robot is still in the waiting stage and has not yet entered the elevator, the second-highest priority elevator-riding robot can make way for the ordinary robot, thus effectively handling the conflict between the two and ensuring the safety of both parties.

[0070] When a robot using the elevator triggers scheduling with other robots, it can also trigger scheduling with a lower-priority robot that has not yet obtained elevator usage rights. In this case, the lower-priority robot is prioritized for scheduling to avoid the elevator. That is, robots that do not need to use the elevator or have not yet obtained elevator usage rights give way to robots that have obtained elevator usage rights, ensuring the completion of elevator usage tasks.

[0071] It should be noted that the avoidance point in this application is a point selected by the robot to avoid other robots. The avoidance point can be preset or determined by the robot temporarily. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0072] It is important to note that in the embodiments of this application, the highest-priority elevator-riding robot cannot be scheduled. This is because the highest-priority robot is the one that has already entered the elevator entry phase, and the entry task has the highest priority. Since the elevator has already arrived, the highest-priority robot cannot perform a yielding maneuver. This would cause the highest-priority robot to either remain in the elevator area causing congestion and missing the elevator, or go outside the elevator area and miss the elevator. Therefore, the highest-priority robot will not be scheduled to perform a yielding operation. That is, if the priority of the elevator-riding robot is not the highest, but higher than the priority of other robots, and other robots currently have no reachable yielding points, the elevator-riding robot will determine to go to the yielding point.

[0073] Reference Figure 4 The present application provides a schematic diagram of the scheduling process for an elevator robot according to an embodiment of the present application, such as... Figure 4 As shown, when a robot accepts a task, it determines whether its navigation target point is an elevator waiting point. If so, this elevator-riding robot is a second-highest priority robot. It then checks if there is a conflict with other robots. If no conflict occurs, the robot continues executing the elevator-riding task without scheduling. If a conflict occurs, it determines whether the other robots have a lower priority. If so and there is a yield point for scheduling, the elevator-riding robot waits for the other robots to reach the yield point. After the conflict is resolved, it continues executing the task. If other robots cannot reach the yield point for scheduling, the second-highest priority elevator-riding robot actively avoids other robots. If other robots acquire a yield point and can perform a yielding operation, they move to the yield point to make way for the elevator-riding robot, waiting for the conflict with the elevator-riding robot to be resolved before continuing the task.

[0074] In this embodiment of the application, the scheduling method further includes:

[0075] When the elevator robot occupies the target elevator, reaches the target floor, and leaves the target elevator, it releases the right to use the target elevator and adjusts the priority of the elevator robot to the lowest priority.

[0076] In this embodiment, after the elevator-riding robot occupies the target elevator and reaches the target floor, it can release its right to use the target elevator as it leaves the elevator door. At this point, because the robot no longer occupies the right to use the target elevator, its priority is adjusted from the highest to the lowest. Subsequently, when scheduling is triggered, the robot that has completed its elevator-riding task will be scheduled first because it has the lowest priority.

[0077] In this embodiment of the application, when robots of the same priority trigger scheduling, one of the robots can be selected to be scheduled according to conventional rules, such as the robot closest to the avoidance point being scheduled.

[0078] Scheduling includes avoidance operations, which include waiting in place. After adjusting the priority of the elevator robot to the lowest priority, S302 determines that the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots. Then, scheduling is completed according to the priority and information of each robot, including:

[0079] S3021: If the elevator robot detects a conflict with other robots and the elevator robot has a lower priority, determine the strategy for the elevator robot to avoid the conflict.

[0080] In this embodiment of the application, when a robot that has completed the elevator ride task detects a conflict with other robots and the elevator ride robot has a lower priority, the robot with the lower priority will be given priority to perform the avoidance.

[0081] In another possible implementation, when multiple elevator robots correspond to multiple target elevators, scheduling between the elevator robots will also occur, as described in the following example. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of elevator scheduling for multiple target elevators provided in this application embodiment is presented. Due to the uniqueness of elevator usage rights, multiple robots with the second-highest priority can only be on the same floor if multiple elevators exist. According to the priority allocation principle, both robot A and robot B are in the second-highest priority when heading to the waiting point. At this time, robot A can go directly to the waiting point, while robot B can go from the queuing point to the boarding point. Robot A and robot B have equal priority, so they can be handled according to the conventional rules for ordinary conflicts. Figure 5 As shown, if robot A has already arrived at elevator waiting point 2, while robot B has not yet arrived at elevator waiting point 1, and when elevator 2 arrives, robot B will conflict with robot A, who is about to enter the elevator from the waiting point. In this case, robot A, which is heading to the elevator, has the highest priority, and robot B has the second highest priority. The scheduler will then require robot B to perform an avoidance operation.

[0082] S3022: If the avoidance operation is to wait in place, then check whether the elevator robot is in the elevator area.

[0083] It's important to note that robot avoidance may occur in the following situations: When the highest-priority robot occupies the target elevator and reaches the target floor, it releases its right to use the elevator upon leaving the elevator door. Since this robot no longer occupies the target elevator, its priority drops from highest to lowest. In this case, the robot that just released its elevator right may be located within the elevator area, as its priority has been adjusted to lowest. This is because the robot released its right to use the target elevator immediately upon exiting the door, not outside the designated avoidance zone. Another example is when a robot is performing a non-cross-floor delivery task or heading to a queue point. While its priority is lowest, the delivery process may pass through the elevator area on the same floor. In this case, it may meet the scheduling conditions with nearby robots, triggering scheduling. In these situations, the scheduled robots have lower priority, do not currently need to use the elevator, and should not remain within the elevator area.

[0084] For example, the elevator area, i.e. the area near the elevator, is determined to improve the efficiency of robot scheduling and elevator use, and may include the non-scheduling avoidance area mentioned in the foregoing embodiments.

[0085] When scheduling is triggered between robots, the scheduling robot's avoidance strategy can be either to wait in place or to move to an avoidance point. When the avoidance strategy is to wait in place, the scheduling robot may be located within the elevator area, which could affect other robots entering and exiting the elevator. By adding a feature that checks whether the robot is within the elevator area when the avoidance strategy is to wait in place, the robot's stopping time in the elevator area is reduced, ensuring smooth entry and exit for other robots.

[0086] S3023: If it is in the elevator area, the elevator robot will move to the avoidance point outside the elevator area; if it is not in the elevator area, the elevator robot will wait in place.

[0087] If the scheduled robot detects that it is in the elevator area, it needs to move to the avoidance point outside the elevator area to avoid affecting other robots entering and exiting the elevator. If the scheduled elevator robot is not in the elevator area, it will normally execute the on-the-spot waiting strategy, that is, wait for other robots to move outside the non-scheduled avoidance area, and move after the conflict is resolved.

[0088] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a typical robot scheduling process provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 6 As shown, when a regular robot is scheduled, it first determines whether the avoidance strategy is to wait in place. If so, it checks whether its current location is within the elevator area. If not, it can wait in place. If it is, it chooses to adopt other avoidance strategies, moves to an avoidance point outside the elevator area to avoid the conflict, and can continue to execute the task only after the conflict is resolved.

[0089] It should be noted that in this application, multiple robots may ride one elevator at different times or multiple robots may ride multiple elevators at the same time. In either case, the setting of non-avoidance zones effectively reduces congestion of robots near elevators and effectively reduces the possibility of collisions when multiple robots ride elevators.

[0090] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the scheduling system for an elevator robot provided in an embodiment of this application. For ease of explanation, only the parts related to the embodiment of this application are shown.

[0091] The elevator robot scheduling system 400 may specifically include the following modules:

[0092] The task acquisition module 410 is used to determine if a cross-floor task has been acquired. If so, the elevator robot applies for the right to use the target elevator and goes to the target elevator.

[0093] The priority adjustment module 420 is used to determine the priority of the elevator robot if the right to use the target elevator is obtained.

[0094] The scheduling module 430 is used to determine whether the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, and then completes the scheduling according to the priority and information of each robot.

[0095] The elevator robot scheduling system 400 may further include: a module for acquiring non-scheduled avoidance areas, used to acquire an environmental map of the elevator robot. The environmental map includes non-scheduled avoidance areas. The non-scheduled avoidance areas include a rectangular area that includes the entire interior of the target elevator, generated by using the line connecting the points inside the elevator and the waiting points as the center line. The distance between the edge of the rectangle and the points inside the elevator or the waiting points is at least the radius of one elevator robot.

[0096] The priority adjustment module 420 is specifically used for:

[0097] When the elevator robot goes to the waiting point, adjust the priority of the elevator robot to the second highest priority;

[0098] When the elevator robot moves from the waiting point to the elevator entrance, adjust the elevator robot's priority to the highest priority.

[0099] The scheduling module 430 also includes an avoidance submodule 431, which is mainly used to determine whether the elevator robot should trigger an avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot.

[0100] If triggered, scheduling is completed based on priority and information of each robot, including: the elevator robot performs avoidance operations based on priority and the position of each robot.

[0101] Specifically, the avoidance operation includes moving to the avoidance point, and the avoidance submodule 431 includes the following units:

[0102] The elevator robot avoidance unit is used to determine when the elevator robot will go to the avoidance point if the priority of the elevator robot is higher than that of other robots and there is currently no avoidance point that other robots can reach.

[0103] The other robot avoidance unit is used to prevent avoidance operations if the priority of the elevator-riding robot is higher than that of other robots, and there is currently a reachable avoidance point for the other robots.

[0104] The elevator robot scheduling system 400 also includes:

[0105] The module for releasing the right to use the target elevator is used to release the right to use the target elevator after the elevator robot occupies the target elevator, reaches the target floor, and leaves the target elevator. At the same time, the priority of the elevator robot is adjusted to the lowest priority.

[0106] The avoidance submodule 431 also includes a stationary waiting unit, which is used to determine whether the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots after adjusting the priority of the elevator robot to the lowest priority, and then complete the scheduling according to the priority and the information of each robot.

[0107] The in-place waiting unit is specifically used for:

[0108] If the elevator robot detects a conflict with other robots and the elevator robot has a lower priority, determine the strategy for the elevator robot to avoid the conflict.

[0109] If the avoidance operation is to wait in place, then check whether the elevator robot is in the elevator area;

[0110] If the elevator is in the designated area, the elevator robot will move to a avoidance point outside the elevator area; if it is not in the designated area, the elevator robot will wait in place.

[0111] The elevator robot scheduling system provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the foregoing method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0112] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal device provided in the embodiments of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the terminal device 700 of this embodiment includes: at least one processor 710 ( Figure 8 Only one is shown in the diagram), memory 720, and computer program 721 stored in the memory 720 and executable on the at least one processor 710, wherein the processor 710 executes the computer program 721 to implement the steps in the above-described embodiment of the elevator robot scheduling method.

[0113] The terminal device 700 can be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, cloud server, or other computing device. This terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 710 and a memory 720. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 8 This is merely an example of terminal device 700 and does not constitute a limitation on terminal device 700. It may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or different components, such as input / output devices, network access devices, etc.

[0114] The processor 710 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0115] In some embodiments, the memory 720 may be an internal storage unit of the terminal device 700, such as a hard disk or memory of the terminal device 700. In other embodiments, the memory 720 may be an external storage device of the terminal device 700, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal device 700. Furthermore, the memory 720 may include both internal and external storage units of the terminal device 700. The memory 720 is used to store the operating system, applications, boot loader, data, and other programs, such as the program code of the computer program. The memory 720 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0116] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0117] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0119] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / terminal equipment and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / terminal equipment embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0120] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0121] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0122] If the integrated module / unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can also be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, optical disks, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media, etc. It should be noted that the content included in the computer-readable medium can be appropriately added or removed according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in the jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media do not include electrical carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0123] The implementation of all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can also be accomplished by a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a terminal device, the terminal device can implement the steps in the various method embodiments described above.

[0124] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A dispatching method of an elevator robot, characterized by, include: Once a cross-floor task is determined, the elevator robot requests the right to use the target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator. If it is determined that the right to use the target elevator has been obtained, the priority of the elevator robot is adjusted. If the elevator robot is determined to trigger scheduling with other robots, the scheduling is completed according to the priority and the information of each robot. Specifically, if the right to use the target elevator is obtained, the priority of the elevator-riding robot is adjusted, including: when the elevator-riding robot goes to the waiting point, the priority of the elevator-riding robot is adjusted to the second highest priority; when the elevator-riding robot goes from the waiting point to the elevator entrance, the priority of the elevator-riding robot is adjusted to the highest priority. The scheduling includes an avoidance operation, and the information of each robot includes the position of each robot; determining whether the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots includes: confirming whether the elevator robot triggers an avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot; if triggered, completing the scheduling based on the priority and the information of each robot includes: the elevator robot performing the avoidance operation based on the priority and the position of each robot; The avoidance operation includes heading to an avoidance point; the step of determining whether the elevator-riding robot triggers the avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot includes: if the priority of the elevator-riding robot is higher than the priority of other robots, and other robots currently have no reachable avoidance points, the elevator-riding robot determines to head to the avoidance point; if the priority of the elevator-riding robot is higher than the priority of other robots, and other robots currently have reachable avoidance points, the avoidance operation is not triggered.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before determining that a cross-floor task has been obtained, the method further includes: Obtain an environmental map of the elevator robot. The environmental map includes a non-scheduled avoidance area. The non-scheduled avoidance area includes a rectangular area that includes the entire interior of the target elevator, with the line connecting the inside point and the waiting point as the center line. The distance from the edge of the rectangle to the inside point or the waiting point is at least one radius of the elevator robot.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scheduling method further includes: When the elevator robot occupies the target elevator, reaches the target floor, and leaves the target elevator, it releases the right to use the target elevator and adjusts the priority of the elevator robot to the lowest priority.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The scheduling includes avoidance operations, which include waiting in place. After adjusting the priority of the elevator robot to the lowest priority, and determining that the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, the scheduling is completed according to the priority and the information of each robot, including: If the elevator robot detects a conflict with other robots and the elevator robot has a lower priority, a strategy for the elevator robot to avoid the conflict is determined. If the avoidance operation is to wait in place, then it is detected whether the elevator robot is in the elevator area; If the elevator is in the designated area, the elevator robot will proceed to a relocation point outside the elevator area; otherwise, the elevator robot will wait in place.

5. A scheduling system for an elevator robot, characterized in that, include: The task acquisition module is used to determine if a cross-floor task has been acquired. If so, the elevator robot requests the right to use the target elevator and proceeds to the target elevator. The priority adjustment module is used to determine the priority of the elevator robot if the right to use the target elevator is obtained. The scheduling module determines that the elevator robot triggers scheduling with other robots, and then completes the scheduling according to the priority and the information of each robot. The priority adjustment module is specifically used to: adjust the priority of the elevator robot to the second highest priority when the elevator robot goes to the waiting point; and adjust the priority of the elevator robot to the highest priority when the elevator robot goes from the waiting point to the elevator entrance. The scheduling includes an avoidance operation, and the scheduling module includes: The avoidance submodule is used to determine whether the elevator robot triggers an avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot; if triggered, the scheduling based on the priority and information of each robot includes: the elevator robot performing the avoidance operation based on the priority and position of each robot; The avoidance operation includes proceeding to an avoidance point; the avoidance submodule includes: An elevator robot avoidance unit is used to determine that the elevator robot will go to the avoidance point if the priority of the elevator robot is higher than that of other robots and there is currently no avoidance point that other robots can reach. The other robot avoidance unit is configured to not trigger the avoidance operation if the priority of the elevator robot is higher than that of other robots and there is currently a reachable avoidance point for the other robots.

6. A terminal device, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

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