Robot control methods, related devices and production systems

Abstract

This application provides a robot control method, related apparatus, and production system, relating to robot control technology. The method controls at least two robots sharing a common track, with overlapping ranges of motion on the track. The robots move along the track to any one of multiple workstations to perform a task. The method includes: for any target robot among the at least two robots, determining the workstation the target robot is to proceed to based on the multiple workstations it is responsible for, its current position, and the status information of other robots; controlling the target robot to move along a corresponding target route, wherein the target route is used to reach the desired workstation. This method helps ensure production safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to robot control technology, and more particularly to a robot control method, related apparatus and production system. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the improvement of factory automation, a large number of robots are being used in production, transportation and other fields. In order to increase the flexibility of robots and improve their efficiency, robots are usually equipped with matching ground tracks to increase the robot's movement dimensions.

[0003] Specifically, when using the aforementioned robot and its associated track, the track is positioned between the material feeding port of the previous stage and the material receiving port of the next stage. The processing station is located on both sides of the track's length. After the robot moves along the track to pick up material from the material feeding port of the previous stage, it places the product to be processed into the processing station. After the product to be processed is completed, it is taken out from the processing station and moves along the track to the material receiving port of the next stage, thus completing the product's processing in the current stage.

[0004] In practical applications, in order to meet the overall production line cycle time and achieve high-efficiency production, some production processes will have multiple processing stations. This results in robots having to grasp more stations and travel longer distances, making it impossible for them to reach the corresponding stations in time to complete the corresponding tasks. Consequently, they may not be able to meet the overall production line cycle time in time, leading to production safety issues. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a robot control method, related devices, and production system to enable the robot to promptly go to the corresponding workstation to complete the corresponding task, thereby meeting the production cycle requirements in multi-workstation scenarios and ensuring production safety.

[0006] On one hand, this application provides a robot control method for controlling at least two robots sharing a common ground track, wherein the movement ranges of the at least two robots on the ground track overlap; the robots are used to move along the ground track to any one of multiple workstations to perform a task, and the method includes:

[0007] For any one of the at least two target robots, the target robot is to go to a specific workstation based on the multiple workstations it is responsible for, its current position, and the status information of other robots.

[0008] The target robot is controlled to move along a corresponding target route, wherein the target route is used to go to the workstation to be visited.

[0009] In one possible implementation, determining the workstation the target robot is to go to, based on the multiple workstations managed by the target robot, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of other robots, includes:

[0010] Determine the processing priority of each workstation under the responsibility of the target robot;

[0011] The analysis operations are performed on each workstation in descending order of processing priority until the workstation to be proceeded to is determined; wherein, the analysis operations for each workstation include:

[0012] Based on the location of the workstation, the current location of the target robot, and the status information of the other robots, determine whether to designate the workstation as the workstation to be visited.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the status information of the other robots includes their current positions; correspondingly, determining whether to designate the workstation as the target workstation based on the location of the workstation, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of the other robots includes:

[0014] If the current position of the other robot is not between the current position of the target robot and the position of the workstation, then the workstation is designated as the workstation to be moved to.

[0015] In one possible implementation, determining the processing priority of each workstation handled by the target robot includes:

[0016] Obtain a first duration and a second duration for each workstation; the first duration is the time to wait for the workstation to become available again, and the second duration is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the workstation.

[0017] Based on the first duration and the second duration, the processing priority of each workstation is determined; wherein, the processing priority is negatively correlated with both the first duration and the second duration.

[0018] In one possible implementation, determining the processing priority of each workstation based on the first duration and the second duration includes:

[0019] If the first duration of the workstation is greater than the second duration, the processing priority is determined to be negative, and the longer the first duration, the lower the processing priority of the workstation.

[0020] If the first duration of the workstation is not greater than the second duration, then the processing priority is determined to be a positive value, and the shorter the second duration, the higher the processing priority of the workstation.

[0021] In one possible implementation, controlling the target robot to move along a corresponding target route includes:

[0022] If the first target route of the target robot conflicts with the second target route of the other robots, then the movement of the target robot and the other robots is controlled according to the movement priority of the target robot and the other robots, as well as the first target route and the second target route;

[0023] The existence of conflict is used to indicate that when the target robot and the other robots move according to their respective target routes, there is a first target moment when the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and the other robots is less than or equal to the first target distance.

[0024] In one possible implementation, controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes:

[0025] If the target robot has a higher motion priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at the corresponding predetermined speed, and the other robots are controlled to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the target robot at the first target time.

[0026] If the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to start moving at the same speed as the other robots along the first target route at the first target time, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at their corresponding original speeds.

[0027] In one possible implementation, controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes:

[0028] At the first target moment, if the target robot and the other robots have different target movement directions and are moving towards each other, then when the target robot and the other robots do not hinder each other from going to their corresponding workstations, the target robot and the other robots are controlled to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes; "does not hinder" means that when the target robot and the other robots are moving along their respective target routes, there is no second target moment when the predicted real-time distance is less than or equal to the second target distance, and the second target distance is less than the first target distance;

[0029] When the target robot and the other robots obstruct each other from reaching their respective workstations, if the target robot has a higher movement priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at its original speed, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at the first target time or after remaining at the target speed for the corresponding target duration; the target speed and the target duration are determined based on the first target distance.

[0030] If the target robot has a higher motion priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to start moving at the target speed or stay for the target duration at the first target time and follow the first target route, while the other robots move at their corresponding original speeds and follow the second target route.

[0031] In one possible implementation, controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes:

[0032] At the first target moment, if the target robot and the other robots have the same target movement direction, then when the target robot has a higher movement priority than the other robots, the target robot is controlled to move at the corresponding original speed along the first target route, and the other robots are controlled to start moving at the same speed as the target robot along the second target route at the first target moment.

[0033] When the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of the other robots, the target robot is controlled to start moving along the first target route at the same speed as the other robots at the first target time, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at their corresponding original speeds.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the workstation is a processing workstation, and material picking workstations and material unloading workstations are also provided on both sides of the ground rail. The target robot is used to pick up material from the material picking workstation and unload it to the processing workstation, and the other robots are used to pick up material from the processing workstation and unload it to the material unloading workstation.

[0035] If the ratio of the first time interval to the first time is greater than the ratio of the second time interval to the second time, then the motion priority of the target robot is higher than the motion priority of the other robots.

[0036] Wherein, the first time interval is the time interval for the target robot to pick up material from the picking station, and the first time is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the corresponding station to be moved to for material placement; the second time interval is the time interval for other robots to place material at the material placement station, and the second time is the time for other robots to move from their current position to the corresponding station to be moved to for material placement.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0038] The real-time position of each robot is obtained, and when the real-time distance indicated by the real-time positions of any two robots is less than the second target distance, the robot is controlled to stop moving, and / or an early warning is issued; the second target distance is the minimum safe distance between the two robots.

[0039] Secondly, this application provides a robot control device for controlling at least two robots sharing a common ground track, wherein the movement ranges of the at least two robots on the ground track overlap; the robots are used to move along the ground track to any one of multiple workstations to perform a task; the device includes:

[0040] The determination module is used to determine, for any one of the at least two robots, the workstation to which the target robot should go, based on the multiple workstations managed by the target robot, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of other robots.

[0041] The control module is used to control the target robot to move along a corresponding target route, wherein the target route of the target robot is used to go to the workstation to be visited.

[0042] Thirdly, this application provides a control device, including a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor;

[0043] The memory stores computer-executed instructions;

[0044] The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0045] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0046] Fifthly, this application provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0047] Sixthly, this application provides a production system comprising two robots, control equipment, and a track shared by the two robots; wherein,

[0048] The ground rail is positioned between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, and the length directions of both the first and second conveyor belts are perpendicular to the length direction of the ground rail; multiple workstations are provided on both sides of the length direction of the ground rail.

[0049] The target robot of the two robots is used to take out the product to be processed from the first conveyor belt and place the product to be processed into at least one processing station for processing; the other robot of the two robots, excluding the target robot, is used to take out the product that has completed the processing operation from the processing station and place the product into the second conveyor belt.

[0050] The control device is used to perform the robot control method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0051] This application provides a robot control method, related apparatus, and production system. The robot control method controls at least two robots sharing a common track, with overlapping movement ranges on the track. The robots move along the track to any workstation to perform a task. Specifically, for each target robot, the control device first determines its corresponding workstation to be visited based on its assigned workstations, its current position, and the status information of other robots. Then, the target robot moves along a target route to that workstation. This control method enables processing stages with multiple workstations to complete tasks using at least two robots on the same track, reducing the movement distance of each robot. Furthermore, it determines the workstation a robot should visit based on multiple workstations and the current positions of each robot, reducing the risk of collisions during robot movement and preventing robots from failing to complete tasks at their assigned workstations in a timely manner. This, in turn, helps reduce material accumulation at the discharge port of the previous stage and the feed port of the next stage, ensuring production safety. Attached Figure Description

[0052] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0053] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 1B This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a dual-robot system on the same ground track.

[0055] Figure 1C This application provides a schematic diagram illustrating the connection between a control device and a robot.

[0056] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment is shown below;

[0057] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 ;

[0058] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 3 ;

[0059] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot control device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0062] The accompanying drawings illustrate specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to particular embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0063] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0064] With the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, and the improvement of factory automation, a large number of robots are being used in production, transportation and other processes. In order to increase the flexibility of robots and improve their efficiency, most robots are now used in conjunction with ground rails when applied to automated production in factories. The addition of ground rails increases the robot's movement dimensions.

[0065] The floor track primarily drives the robot to move along a designated route, thereby expanding the robot's operating radius and applicable range. Specifically, when applying floor tracks and robots in automated production, the floor track is typically positioned between the material feeding port of the previous stage and the material receiving port of the next stage. The processing stations are also located between these two points, on either side of the floor track's length. After the robot moves along the floor track to retrieve material from the previous stage's feeding port, it places the product to be processed into the corresponding processing station, allowing it to be processed by the equipment at that station. Once the product is processed, the robot removes the finished product from the processing station and moves along the floor track to the next stage's receiving port to place it, completing the product's processing at that stage.

[0066] Understandably, in practical applications, in order to meet the overall production line pace and achieve efficient production, some production processes will have multiple processing stations. At this time, the number of stations that the robot needs to grasp will also increase, and the running distance will also increase. If the robot cannot go to the corresponding station in time to complete the corresponding task, it will sometimes be unable to keep up with the overall production line pace and pick up the products to be processed from the previous stage's feed port in time, which is not conducive to ensuring production safety.

[0067] This application provides a robot control method, related apparatus, and production system to solve the aforementioned problems. The robot control method of this application, executed by any control device, controls at least two robots sharing a common track, with overlapping ranges of motion on the track. The robot moves along the track to any of multiple workstations to perform a task. Specifically, for any target robot, the control device, combining its assigned workstation, its current position, and the status information of other robots, first determines the corresponding workstation to be visited, and then controls the target robot to move to the desired workstation along a target route.

[0068] The method described in this application enables at least two robots to be used in the production process, thereby reducing the number of times each robot needs to go to each workstation to perform tasks, effectively shortening the robot's travel distance, and reducing production safety issues caused by robots' inability to meet the overall production line's takt time. Furthermore, when determining the workstation to which the robot needs to go, this application comprehensively considers the current position of each workstation, the robot's current position, and the status information of other robots, which can effectively reduce the risk of robot conflicts and failure to complete tasks at the corresponding workstation in a timely manner, thus also contributing to ensuring production safety.

[0069] It is understood that the method of this application is applicable to any production system employing at least two robots on the same ground track, wherein the at least two robots are used to handle processing tasks corresponding to multi-station processing steps within the production system. For example, Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a robot control method provided in an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1A As shown, the method of this application can be applied to the battery negative pressure stage in a battery processing system employing at least two robots on the same ground track. Specifically, Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of a dual-robot system operating on the same ground track, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 1B In the diagram, 101 represents the first robot, 102 represents the second robot, and 103 represents the ground track.

[0070] like Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, the battery processing system specifically includes a control device, a ground rail installed at the battery negative pressure stage, and a first robot and a second robot running on the ground rail. The control device communicates with the first and second robots via wired or wireless means to control the first and second robots to perform corresponding tasks. For example, Figure 1C This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection between a control device and a robot, as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1C As shown, the control device can be connected to the first and second robots via a switch.

[0071] Figure 1A The battery processing system shown also includes stations for the battery negative pressure stage. These stations specifically include a nail-plugging machine station, a negative pressure station, and a nail-removing machine station, located on both sides of the floor rail along its length. The nail-plugging machine station is adjacent to the first conveyor belt, and the nail-removing machine station is adjacent to the second conveyor belt. The first conveyor belt transports batteries awaiting negative pressure, and the second conveyor belt transports batteries that have completed the negative pressure process. The floor rail is located between the first and second conveyor belts, and its length is perpendicular to the lengths of both conveyor belts.

[0072] During the production process, the control equipment sends control commands to the first robot and the second robot. The first robot picks up the material from the first conveyor belt and places it into the nail-removing machine station, waiting for the nail-removing machine at the station to perform the nail-removing operation. The battery to be negatively pressured after the nail removal is completed is placed into the negative pressure chamber at the negative pressure station to perform the negative pressure operation. After the negative pressure operation is completed, the second robot is controlled to take out the battery from the negative pressure station and place it into the nail-inserting machine station. After the nail-inserting is completed, the battery is sent into the second conveyor belt.

[0073] Using the method of this application, for the negative pressure stage of the battery processing system described above, the control equipment can control the first and second robots to cooperate in completing the negative pressure processing of the battery. For each robot, the corresponding workstation to be moved to is determined based on information such as the workstation itself and the current position of each robot. Therefore, on the one hand, by increasing the number of workstations and having two robots complete the negative pressure process, the negative pressure efficiency of the current stage can be effectively improved, which is beneficial to meeting the overall production line cycle time. On the other hand, by reducing the safety risks caused by not being able to keep up with the overall line cycle time, and effectively reducing the risk of robot conflicts and failure to complete tasks at corresponding workstations in a timely manner, production safety is effectively guaranteed.

[0074] Understandably, in practical applications, the negative pressure station, nail insertion machine station, and nail removal machine station set up in the battery processing system during the battery negative pressure stage are not limited to... Figure 1A The quantities shown can be set according to specific needs. Optional, such as... Figure 1A As shown, the battery processing system can also set up a waste discharge station in the battery negative pressure stage, and configure a second robot to discharge materials at the waste discharge station.

[0075] Optionally, in practical applications, the first and second robots can also be used to pick up and put down materials from the processing station; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0076] It is worth emphasizing that the robot control method of this application is used to control at least two robots sharing a common ground track, and the movement ranges of the at least two robots on the ground track overlap; the robots are used to move along the ground track to any one of multiple workstations to perform tasks. Furthermore, the execution entity of the method provided in this embodiment can be a control device, which can be integrated into any robot or set up separately. Some embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Where the embodiments do not conflict, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0077] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the method in this embodiment includes:

[0078] S201, for any target robot among at least two robots, determine the workstation to which the target robot should go based on the multiple workstations it is responsible for, its current position, and the status information of other robots.

[0079] In this embodiment, for each target robot, the control device first obtains the current position of the target robot and the status information of other robots. Then, based on the current position of the target robot and the status information of other robots, it determines the corresponding workstation to be moved to from among the multiple workstations under the responsibility of the target robot.

[0080] Specifically, in one possible design, the control device first considers the current position of the target robot and the state information of other robots, determines the available workstations from the workstations the target robot is responsible for, and then determines the workstation to be moved to from the available workstations. Optionally, a workstation where the target robot will not collide with other robots when moving from its current position to the corresponding workstation can be selected as an available workstation. Alternatively, a workstation where the real-time distance between the target robot and other robots will not be less than a preset safety distance when moving from its current position to the corresponding workstation can also be selected as an available workstation; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0081] It is understood that the target robot can be used to perform tasks at any of multiple workstations, and the workstations and corresponding tasks handled by the target robot can be set by the user. For example, in the battery negative pressure stage of the aforementioned battery processing system, the user sets a first robot to be responsible for the workstation where the first conveyor belt is located, the nail removal machine workstation, and various processing workstations. For the workstation where the first conveyor belt is located, the task to be performed by the first robot is set to pick up materials; for the nail removal machine workstation, the task to be performed by the first robot is set to pick up and release materials; and for each processing workstation, the task to be performed by the first robot is set to release materials. Depending on actual needs, the workstations handled by each robot can be exactly the same, completely different, or partially the same.

[0082] It is understandable that the control device communicates with the target robot and other robots. Therefore, the target robot's current position can be reported to the control device by the target robot; the status information of other robots can be reported to the control device by the other robots. Specifically, the status information of other robots can include their current position and / or current state. The current state indicates whether the other robot is in motion or stationary. Information such as its current speed and movement path when in motion is also reported to the control device as status information.

[0083] It is understandable that the robot's state information can also be obtained by the control device based on the previous control command for the robot, which was used to control the robot to move along the corresponding path.

[0084] It is understood that the control device can acquire the state information of the target robot and other robots through at least one sensing device installed in the current production process, for example, through a camera installed in the current production process. Specifically, the current position, current state, and current speed of the target robot when in motion are determined through the images uploaded by the camera. Furthermore, each robot is equipped with a display to show its movement path, thereby enabling the control device to acquire the robot's movement path through the images uploaded by the camera. In practical applications, the robot's state information can also be determined through a combination of displacement sensors, speed sensors, etc. This embodiment does not limit the method of acquiring robot state information.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the control device determines the workstation to be visited from the optional workstations, it may consider at least one of the following: the waiting time for each optional workstation to become available, the time for the target robot to travel to the corresponding workstation, etc. For example, if three optional workstations are determined, the workstation with the shortest travel time from the target robot to the corresponding workstation can be determined as the workstation to be visited.

[0086] Due to limitations in processing equipment performance and workstation space, each optional workstation has a limited capacity to process materials. When a workstation can no longer process more materials, the waiting time before it becomes available is related to the remaining processing time of the materials currently being processed. If an optional workstation still has the capacity to process more materials, then its waiting time before becoming available is zero. It can be understood that the materials are the products to be processed.

[0087] It is understood that the waiting time for each selectable workstation to enter an available state can be reported by the processing equipment at the corresponding workstation, or it can be obtained through sensors installed in the corresponding process; this embodiment does not limit this. Similarly, the time for the target robot to reach the corresponding workstation can be calculated by the control equipment based on the target robot's current position, the position information of the corresponding workstation, and the set speed, or it can be calculated and reported by the target robot itself. The position information of the corresponding workstation can be reported by the corresponding processing equipment, or it can be obtained through sensors installed in the corresponding process; this embodiment does not limit this either.

[0088] It is understandable that when the control device determines the workstation to proceed from the selectable workstations, it may also do so based on the set priority of each workstation, which can be set by the user according to their needs. The workstation to proceed to can also be determined randomly, but this embodiment does not limit this.

[0089] In another possible design, the control device can first determine the processing priority of the workstations handled by the target robot, and then determine the workstation to be moved to according to the processing priority from high to low, based on the location of the workstation, the current location of the target robot, and the status information of other robots. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0090] The processing priority of each workstation under the responsibility of the target robot can be determined by referring to at least one of the aforementioned factors, such as the waiting time for each workstation to enter the available state and the time for the target robot to reach the corresponding workstation. Alternatively, it can be determined based on a set priority, without specific limitations here.

[0091] S202, control the target robot to move according to the corresponding target route.

[0092] The target route for the target robot is used to get to the workstation it needs to go to.

[0093] In this embodiment, after the control device determines the workstation to be visited, it determines the target route of the target robot based on the current position of the target robot and the workstation to be visited, and controls the target robot to move along the target route.

[0094] It is understood that the target route can include the route of the target robot from its current position to the workstation to be visited, and it can also include the route of the target robot from its current position to the workstation to be visited and the route from the workstation to be visited back to the initial position. In this embodiment, this is not limited. The initial position can be the position of the target robot before this movement, or it can be the origin of the area where the workstation to be visited is located. Specifically, when the workstations on both sides of the length direction of the ground track are symmetrically arranged along the axis of the ground track, the ground track is divided into several areas according to the distribution of the workstations, so that each area contains at least one workstation and at most two workstations. The center of each area is taken as the origin of the corresponding area, and when two robots are located in adjacent areas, if the robots are located at the origin of the corresponding areas, the two robots will not collide when performing tasks.

[0095] In this embodiment, when controlling the target robot to move along the target route, the control device can acquire the status information of other robots in real time to determine whether there is a risk of collision between the target robot and other robots, thereby determining the method of controlling the target robot to move along the target route. For example, if the status information of other robots indicates that their real-time distance from the target robot at a future moment is less than a preset safe distance, the control device can control the target robot to stay still for a certain period of time, or to slow down, before moving along the target route to avoid collision with other robots.

[0096] In the method provided in this embodiment, the control device controls at least two robots to move on the same ground track to complete the tasks that need to be performed at the workstations responsible for the corresponding robots. This helps to reduce the number of workstations that each robot needs to handle, thereby reducing the robot's running distance. This helps to ensure the processing efficiency of the current stage, thereby reducing the risk of material accumulation due to the inability to pick up materials from the previous stage and feed them to the next stage in a timely manner, and effectively ensuring production safety.

[0097] Furthermore, through the method of this embodiment, for each target robot, the control device comprehensively considers the various workstations it is responsible for, its own status information, and the status information of other robots to determine the workstation to be moved to. This helps the robot to reach the corresponding workstation in a timely manner and reduces the risk of collision with other robots during movement, thereby further improving production safety.

[0098] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 2 This embodiment further explains the robot control method based on the foregoing embodiments. Specifically, this embodiment focuses on describing in detail the method for determining the workstation to which the target robot should go.

[0099] S301, obtain the first duration and second duration of each workstation.

[0100] The first duration is the time spent waiting for the workstation to become available again, and the second duration is the time spent for the target robot to move to the workstation.

[0101] In this embodiment, the processing equipment at each workstation is connected to the control device and reports the first duration to the control device in real time; the control device obtains the current position and running speed of the first robot, and calculates the second duration based on the current position, running speed and the current position of each workstation stored.

[0102] S302, if the first duration of a workstation is greater than the second duration, the processing priority is determined to be negative, and the longer the first duration, the lower the processing priority of the workstation.

[0103] S303 If the first duration of the workstation is not greater than the second duration, the processing priority is determined to be a positive value, and the shorter the second duration, the higher the processing priority of the workstation.

[0104] In this embodiment, the control device determines the processing priority of each workstation based on a first duration and a second duration. Specifically, both the first and second durations are negatively correlated with the processing priority; that is, the longer the first or second duration, the lower the corresponding processing priority. Determining the processing priority of workstations based on the robot's time to reach the workstation and the time for the workstation to become available again is beneficial for improving production efficiency.

[0105] Specifically, it can be understood that if the first duration is larger than the second duration, it indicates that the corresponding workstation is also unavailable after the target robot arrives. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the first duration is greater than the second duration, the processing priority is determined to be negative and negatively correlated with the first duration. The larger the first duration, the lower the processing priority, thereby reducing the probability that the target robot will go to the corresponding workstation to perform the task. For the battery negative pressure link of the aforementioned battery processing system, this can effectively reduce the possibility that the target robot will send the product to be processed to a workstation that is unavailable.

[0106] When the first duration is no greater than the second duration, the processing priority of the corresponding workstation is determined to be a positive value, which is negatively correlated with the second duration. The smaller the second duration, the higher the processing priority. This enables the control equipment to prioritize the workstation that will be available after the target robot arrives and has the shortest time to reach the corresponding workstation when determining the workstation to which the target robot should go. This is beneficial to improving the overall processing efficiency of the process in which the target robot is located.

[0107] S304 analyzes and processes each workstation in descending order of processing priority until the workstation to be moved to is determined.

[0108] The analysis operations for the workstation include: determining whether to designate the workstation as the target workstation based on the workstation's location, the target robot's current location, and the status information of other robots.

[0109] Specifically, in this embodiment, the control device prioritizes whether to select a workstation with higher processing priority as the workstation to be dispatched, which is beneficial for meeting production requirements in a timely manner.

[0110] In this embodiment, the status information of other robots includes their current positions. When analyzing each workstation in descending order of processing priority, the workstation is only designated as the workstation to be visited if the current position of other robots is not between the current position of the target robot and the position of the workstation, in order to reduce the risk of collision between the target robot and other robots.

[0111] Optionally, when the status information of other robots includes their current position, real-time speed, and target route, the control device analyzes and operates on each workstation in descending order of processing priority. Specifically, it determines whether other robots will affect the target robot's journey to the corresponding workstation based on all the status information of other robots. If they do not affect the target robot's journey to the corresponding workstation, then the target robot is determined to be the workstation to be visited.

[0112] In the method provided in this embodiment, the control device determines the processing priority of each workstation under the responsibility of the target robot through a first duration and a second duration. Specifically, the workstation that is available when the target robot arrives has a higher processing priority, and the workstation with a shorter arrival time for the target robot has a higher processing priority. This can effectively reduce the probability that the target robot arrives at a certain workstation but that workstation is unavailable, and at the same time, it can ensure that the materials entering the current stage can be processed in a timely manner. Thus, the method of this embodiment can effectively improve production efficiency.

[0113] Furthermore, in one possible design, Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment. Figure 3 This embodiment, based on the foregoing embodiments, provides a detailed description of how to control the target robot to move along a target route. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the method in this embodiment includes:

[0114] S401, determine whether there is a conflict between the first target route of the target robot and the second target route of other robots; if so, execute S402, otherwise execute S411.

[0115] The existence of conflict is used to indicate that when the target robot and other robots move according to their respective target routes, there is a first target moment when the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and other robots is less than or equal to the first target distance.

[0116] As can be seen from the foregoing, for the target robot and other robots, the control device can first determine the workstation to be traveled from the workstation it is responsible for. Furthermore, based on the current position and the workstation to be traveled, the corresponding target route is determined. For details, please refer to the content of the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0117] In this embodiment, before controlling the target robot to move along the first target route, the system first determines whether there is a conflict when the target robot and other robots move along their respective target routes based on the state information of the target robot and other robots, in order to avoid collisions between the target robot and other robots when moving along the first target route. It is understood that the state information of the target robot and other robots refers to their states when moving along their respective target routes, including movement speed, real-time position, etc.

[0118] Specifically, in this embodiment, the control device determines the predicted real-time distance based on the real-time speed and real-time position of the target robot and other robots. If there is a first target moment where the predicted real-time distance is less than or equal to the first target distance, it is determined that a conflict exists between the target robot and other robots. If there is no first target moment, it is determined that no conflict exists between the target robot and other robots.

[0119] In this embodiment, the first target distance is a preset multiple of the preset safety distance, set by the user according to the actual situation, for example, it can be 1.2 times or 1.5 times. It is understood that when the real-time distance between the target robot and other robots shrinks to the first target distance, without intervention, the real-time distance between the target robot and other robots may continue to shrink until it reaches the preset safety distance, thus causing a collision. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control device first determines whether the target robot and other robots have the aforementioned conflict at a certain moment. If so, it needs to further determine whether intervention is required; if not, it determines that no intervention is needed, and determines to control the target robot and other robots to move at their respective predetermined speeds along their respective target routes.

[0120] S402, obtain the motion priority of the target robot and other robots, and the target motion direction.

[0121] Optionally, the target direction of motion is determined based on the robot's position at any given moment and its position at the next moment.

[0122] It is understood that, in the aforementioned battery negative pressure stage of the battery processing system, the target robot in this embodiment is the first robot of this stage, and the other robots are the second robots of this stage. Correspondingly, the workstations handled by the target robot include the processing workstations. In this stage, material picking and unloading workstations are also set up on both sides of the ground rail. The target robot is used to pick up materials from the material picking workstation and unload them to the processing workstation, while the other robots are used to pick up materials from the processing workstation and unload them to the unloading workstation.

[0123] Based on this, in this embodiment, when determining the movement priority of the target robot and other robots, the control device first determines a first ratio based on a first time interval and a first time; and determines a second ratio based on a second time interval and a second time. Secondly, if the first ratio is not greater than the second ratio, the movement priority of other robots is determined to be higher than the movement priority of the target robot; if the first ratio is greater than the second ratio, the movement priority of the target robot is determined to be higher than the movement priority of other robots.

[0124] The first time interval is the time interval for the target robot to pick up material from the picking station, and the first time is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the station it is to go to for material placement. The second time interval is the time interval for other robots to place material at the placement station, and the second time is the time for other robots to move from their current position to the station they are to go to.

[0125] Specifically, the time interval for the target robot to retrieve material from the picking station is the time interval between the target robot's current retrieval from the picking station and its previous retrieval from the picking station. The time interval for other robots to release material at the unloading station is the time interval between the other robot's current unloading at the unloading station and its previous unloading at the unloading station.

[0126] Understandably, when determining the movement priority of the target robot and other robots, the control equipment can prioritize robots with larger first and second time intervals, thereby effectively shortening the production cycle of the current stage and keeping pace with the overall production line.

[0127] In practical applications, the movement priority of the target robot and other robots can be set by the user in advance, or it can be determined based on whether other robots have started moving along the second target route. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0128] S403, determine whether the target robot and other robots have the same target movement direction when they first reach the first target; if yes, execute S404; otherwise, execute S406.

[0129] Understandably, the target robot and other robots' target motion directions are determined by their corresponding real-time state information and target routes. When the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and other robots first becomes less than or equal to the first target distance, the control device determines whether intervention is needed and how to intervene based on the target robot and other robots' target motion directions.

[0130] S404, when the target robot has a higher motion priority than other robots, control the target robot to move at the corresponding predetermined speed along the first target route, and control other robots to start moving at the same speed as the target robot along the second target route at the first target moment.

[0131] S405, when the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of other robots, control the target robot to start moving at the same speed as other robots along the first target route at the first target moment, and control the other robots to move at the corresponding original speed along the second target route.

[0132] In this embodiment, when the target robot and other robots move in the same direction, the target robot is controlled to follow the other robots at the same speed, or the other robots are controlled to follow the target robot at the same speed. This is to prevent the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and other robots from becoming increasingly smaller, thereby avoiding collisions. Furthermore, determining the following method based on the motion priorities of the two robots helps to meet the overall production line cycle time.

[0133] Specifically, when the target robot and other robots move in the same direction, the control device controls the other robots to follow the target robot at the same speed if the target robot has a higher motion priority than the other robots. If the target robot's motion priority is not higher than the other robots', the control device controls the target robot to follow the target robot at the same speed as the other robots.

[0134] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when controlling other robots to follow the target robot at the same speed, the control device specifically controls the other robots to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the target robot at a first target time. When controlling the target robot to follow the other robots at the same speed, the control device specifically controls the target robot to start moving along the first target route at the same speed as the other robots at a first target time.

[0135] S406, determine whether the target robot and other robots are moving in opposite directions; if yes, execute S407; otherwise, execute S411.

[0136] In this embodiment, when the control device determines that the target robot and other robots have inconsistent target movement directions, it further determines whether their target movement directions are facing each other. If they are facing each other, there may be a risk of collision if no intervention is taken. Therefore, in this embodiment, the intervention method is further determined based on the movement priority of both robots and the workstation they are to proceed to. If they are moving in opposite directions, there will be no risk of collision if no intervention is taken for a short period of time. Therefore, in this embodiment, no intervention is taken for the time being.

[0137] S407, when the target robot and other robots do not hinder each other from going to their respective workstations, control the target robot and other robots to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes.

[0138] Wherein, "does not hinder" is used to indicate that: when the target robot and other robots move according to their respective target routes, there is no second target moment when the predicted real-time distance is less than or equal to the second target distance, and the second target distance is less than the first target distance.

[0139] S408, when the target robot and other robots obstruct each other from reaching their respective workstations, determine whether the target robot has a higher motion priority than other robots; if so, execute S409; otherwise, execute S410.

[0140] S409, control the target robot to move along the first target route at the corresponding predetermined speed, and control other robots to start at the corresponding target speed at the first target time or stay for the corresponding target time and then move along the second target route.

[0141] Among them, the target speed and target duration are used to achieve non-interference.

[0142] S410: Control the target robot to start moving at the target speed or stay for the target duration at the first target time and follow the first target route, while other robots move at their corresponding original speeds and follow the second target route.

[0143] In this embodiment, the control device calculates the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and other robots based on their real-time status information and the corresponding workstations they are to reach, to determine whether the distance between them will be less than or equal to the second target distance at a certain second target moment. If so, it is determined that the two robots will hinder each other from reaching their respective workstations; otherwise, it is determined that the two robots will not hinder each other from reaching their respective workstations.

[0144] Furthermore, when neither device hinders the other from reaching its corresponding workstation, the control equipment controls both devices to move along their respective target routes at their original speeds. If either device hinders the other from reaching its corresponding workstation, the intervention method is determined based on the movement priority of both devices.

[0145] Specifically, when the target robot has a higher movement priority than other robots, the other robots can avoid the target robot. In this embodiment, the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at its predetermined speed, while the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at the corresponding target speed or after remaining at the target speed for the corresponding target duration at the first target time. It is understood that the target speed and target duration can be calculated based on their real-time state information and the distance to the second target.

[0146] When the target robot's movement priority is not higher than that of other robots, the target robot can avoid other robots. In this embodiment, the target robot is controlled to start moving at the target speed or stay for the target duration at the first target time and then move along the first target route, while other robots move along the second target route at their corresponding original speeds.

[0147] In this embodiment, if the target movement directions of the two robots are inconsistent and they are moving towards each other, the control device will not change the control mode of the two robots if they do not interfere with each other. If the two robots interfere with each other, the control mode of which robot is changed is determined according to its movement priority. This achieves precise control on the one hand, reduces unnecessary command changes on the other, and prioritizes the robot with higher movement priority, which helps balance the overall production line cycle time.

[0148] Optionally, in practical applications, if the target duration exceeds the preset duration, the control device can also redetermine the target robot or other robots to be moved to the workstation, so as to improve the robot's processing efficiency for the current stage. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0149] Optionally, in practical applications, when each robot in the control device moves according to its respective target route, the real-time position of each robot is acquired. If the real-time distance indicated by the real-time positions of any two robots is less than a second target distance, the control device stops the robot's movement and / or issues a warning; wherein, the second target distance is the minimum safe distance between the two robots. The control device uses this as a fallback rule to effectively prevent collisions between the target robot and other robots.

[0150] It is understood that when the control device executes S403, if it determines that the target robot and other robots have the same target movement direction, it can execute S404 and S405 simultaneously, or execute these two steps sequentially. This embodiment does not limit this. Similarly, when the control device executes S406, if it determines that the target robot and other robots have the same target movement direction, it can execute S407 and S408 simultaneously, or execute these two steps sequentially. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0151] S411 controls the target robot and other robots to move along their respective target routes at their original speeds.

[0152] In this embodiment, for cases where there is no conflict between the target robot and other robots, or where there is a conflict between the target robot and other robots but the corresponding target movement directions are inconsistent and opposite, no intervention is made on the target robot and other robots, and they are determined to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes.

[0153] In the method provided in this embodiment, when controlling the target robot and other robots, the control device fully considers their target movement direction, movement priority, and predicted real-time distance. This effectively reduces the risk of collision and facilitates precise control, reducing the number of command changes. Furthermore, when the control device determines that either robot needs to avoid another, it slows down only at the first target moment, enabling it to reach its designated workstation in a timely manner and improve the production efficiency of the current stage.

[0154] In one possible implementation method Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a robot control method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, for Figure 1A The battery processing system shown assumes that its battery negative pressure stage includes 8 workstations, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the ground rail. The area on the ground rail, excluding the initial positions of the first and second robots, is divided into 4 regions, and the correspondence between the workstations and the regions is as follows: Region 1 - Workstation A, Workstation B; Region 2 - Workstation C, Workstation D; Region 3 - Workstation E, Workstation F; Region 4 - Workstation G, Workstation H. This indicates that when the target robot or other robots are in a certain region, they can pick up or put down materials at the corresponding workstation.

[0155] Based on this, if the control equipment determines the processing priority order of each workstation according to the target robot's position information, the position information of each workstation, and the availability status of each workstation as follows: workstation G, workstation H, workstation E, workstation F, workstation C, workstation D, workstation A, workstation B, then... Figure 5 As shown, the logic for the control device to determine the workstation to which the first robot needs to go can be as follows:

[0156] First, obtain the position information of the second robot. Then, determine if the second robot's position information indicates that it is located in an area preventing the first robot from feeding materials to the two workstations in area 4. If not, determine that the workstation the first robot needs to go to is workstation G. Otherwise, continue to determine if the second robot's position information indicates that it is located in an area preventing the first robot from feeding materials to the two workstations in area 3. If not, determine that the first robot needs to go to workstation E. If yes, continue to determine if the second robot's position information indicates that it is located in an area preventing the first robot from feeding materials to the two workstations in area 2. If not, determine that the first robot needs to go to workstation D. If yes, continue to determine if the second robot's position information indicates that it is located in an area preventing the first robot from feeding materials to the two workstations in area 1. If not, determine that the first robot needs to go to workstation B. If yes, control the first robot to return to its initial position and wait.

[0157] Understandably, the workstation to which the second robot is to go is also determined through the above logic.

[0158] Furthermore, after determining that the workstation to be traveled by the first robot is workstation x, the control device first determines whether there is a conflict between the first robot's first target route and the second robot's second target route. If there is a conflict, the device acquires the motion priorities and target motion directions of the first and second robots, and determines whether to control the first robot to move along the first target route based on the motion priorities and target motion directions. If there is no conflict, the device controls the first robot to move along the first target route at its corresponding predetermined speed, and the second robot to move along the second target route at its corresponding predetermined speed.

[0159] When determining whether to control the first robot to move along the first target route based on the motion priority and target motion direction, specifically when the first robot first reaches the first target moment, if the target motion directions of the first robot and the second robot are the same, then if the first robot has a higher motion priority than the second robot, the first robot is controlled to move along the first target route at the corresponding predetermined speed, and the second robot is controlled to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the first robot at the first target moment; if the first robot does not have a higher motion priority than the second robot, the first robot is controlled to start moving along the first target route at the same speed as the second robot at the first target moment, and the second robot is controlled to move along the second target route at the corresponding predetermined speed.

[0160] If the target movement directions of the first robot and the second robot are inconsistent and opposite, then when the first robot and the second robot do not hinder each other from going to the corresponding workstation, the first robot and the second robot are controlled to move at their respective original speeds and along their respective target routes. If the first robot and the second robot hinder each other from going to the corresponding workstation, and the first robot has a higher movement priority than the second robot, then the first robot is controlled to move at its corresponding original speed along the first target route, and the second robot is controlled to start at its corresponding target speed at the first target time or stay for the corresponding target duration and then move along the second target route. Otherwise, the first robot is controlled to start at its target speed at the first target time or stay for the target duration and then move along the first target route, and the second robot is controlled to move at its corresponding original speed and then move along the second target route.

[0161] If the target movement directions of the first robot and the second robot are inconsistent and opposite, then control the first robot and the second robot to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes.

[0162] Optionally, after the first robot completes unloading at station x, the control device can change the request flag bit of station x to indicate the availability status of station x.

[0163] Optionally, in this embodiment, each area has an origin point. When the first robot is located at the origin point, it will not conflict with any workstation. When controlling the first robot, the control device first returns the first robot to the origin point of its current area.

[0164] In another possible design, when the target robot and other robots are moving along their respective target routes and there is a conflict, the control device can also directly control the target robot and other robots based on their movement priorities.

[0165] Specifically, when the target robot has a higher motion priority than other robots, the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at the corresponding predetermined speed, and the other robots are controlled to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the target robot at the first target moment.

[0166] When the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of other robots, control the target robot to start moving at the same speed as other robots along the first target path at the first target moment, and control the other robots to move at their corresponding original speeds along the second target path.

[0167] It is understandable that when there is no conflict between the target robot and other robots moving along their respective target routes, the control device controls the target robot and other robots to move along their respective target routes at their respective original speeds.

[0168] It is understandable that the movement priority of the target robot and other robots can be set manually or determined automatically by the control equipment based on the production cycle of the corresponding stage.

[0169] In this embodiment, when a conflict occurs between the target robot and other robots during their movements, the control device further determines the specific follow-up mode of the two robots directly based on their movement priorities, thereby reducing the computational complexity of the control device. This method not only prevents collisions but also ensures that the robot with the higher movement priority completes its task according to the original command, which is beneficial for balancing the overall production line rhythm.

[0170] For example, the battery processing system in the foregoing embodiments makes the same assumptions about its battery negative pressure stage as in the previous examples. Furthermore, it is assumed that the center of each region is the origin of that region, and that when two robots are located at the origins of two adjacent regions, they will not collide with each other or conflict with any workstation.

[0171] Based on this, if the processing priority order of each workstation is set as: workstation G, workstation H, workstation E, workstation F, workstation C, workstation D, workstation A, and workstation B, then the control device's control logic for the first robot may include the following steps. Here, the processing priority of each workstation is independent of the waiting time for each workstation to become available.

[0172] Step a: Determine if the first robot is at the origin. If it is, proceed to step b; otherwise, control the first robot to return to the origin of its current area.

[0173] Step b: Determine whether area 3 requests the material and whether the second robot is within the first robot's areas 1, 2, and 3. If area 3 requests the material and the second robot is not within areas 1, 2, and 3, or if the second robot is within areas 1, 2, and 3 but the first robot has a higher movement priority, then control the first robot to release the material into area 3. If the conditions are not met, proceed to the next step.

[0174] Understandably, since the processing priority at this time does not take into account the waiting time of the corresponding workstation, the control equipment needs to determine whether the workstation in area 3 has a request before determining whether the first robot can use the workstation in area 3 as the workstation to be moved to. Specifically, if the workstation in area 3 can still accept the products to be processed, it is considered that the workstation in area 3 has a request.

[0175] Furthermore, when there is a request in area 3, the control equipment determines whether the second robot is in areas 1, 2, or 3, in order to determine whether the first robot can go to area 3 to release materials.

[0176] Step c: Determine whether area 2 requests the material and whether the second robot is within the first robot's areas 1 and 2. If area 2 requests the material and the second robot is not within areas 1 and 2, or if the second robot is within areas 1 and 2 but the first robot has a higher movement priority, then control the first robot to release the material into area 2. If the conditions are not met, proceed to the next step.

[0177] Step d: Determine whether area 1 requests the material and whether the second robot is within area 1 of the first robot. If area 1 requests the material and the second robot is not within area 1, or if the second robot is within area 1 but the first robot has a higher movement priority, then the first robot will go to area 1 to place the material. If the conditions are not met, then the robot will remain stationary.

[0178] Optionally, after controlling the first robot to unload material at station x, the control device changes the flag corresponding to station x from available to unavailable so as to determine whether station x has a request.

[0179] It is understood that, in addition to the battery negative pressure stage of the battery production system described in the foregoing embodiments, the method of this application can also be applied to any production stage or production system with multiple workstations and at least two robots using the same ground track to realize material handling, and this application does not limit it.

[0180] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps may be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0181] It should be further noted that although the steps in the flowchart are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some steps in the flowchart may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these sub-steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least some of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0182] The above embodiments introduce a robot control method from the perspective of process flow. The following embodiments introduce a robot control device from the perspective of virtual module or virtual unit. For details, please refer to the following embodiments.

[0183] This application provides a robot control device for controlling at least two robots that share a common ground track, wherein the movement range of the at least two robots on the ground track overlaps; the robots are used to move along the ground track to any of the multiple workstations to perform tasks. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot control device provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the device includes:

[0184] The determination module 61 is used to determine the workstation to which the target robot should go for any target robot among at least two robots, based on the multiple workstations that the target robot is responsible for, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of other robots.

[0185] The control module 62 is used to control the target robot to move along the corresponding target route, wherein the target route of the target robot is used to go to the workstation to be visited.

[0186] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the determining module 61 is specifically used for:

[0187] Determine the processing priority of each workstation responsible for the target robot;

[0188] The analysis and operations are performed on each workstation in descending order of processing priority until the workstation to be moved to is determined; the analysis and operations for each workstation include:

[0189] Based on the location of the workstation, the current location of the target robot, and the status information of other robots, determine whether to designate the workstation as the destination.

[0190] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the determining module 61 is specifically used for:

[0191] If the status information of other robots includes their current positions, and the current position of other robots is not between the current position of the target robot and the position of the workstation, then the workstation will be the workstation to be moved to.

[0192] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the determining module 61 is specifically used for:

[0193] Obtain the first duration and the second duration for each workstation; the first duration is the time to wait for the workstation to become available again, and the second duration is the time it takes for the target robot to move from its current position to the workstation.

[0194] The processing priority of each workstation is determined based on the first and second time durations; the processing priority is negatively correlated with both the first and second time durations.

[0195] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the determining module 61 is specifically used for:

[0196] If the first processing time of a workstation is longer than the second processing time, the processing priority is determined to be negative, and the longer the first processing time, the lower the processing priority of the workstation.

[0197] If the first processing time of a workstation is no greater than the second processing time, then the processing priority is determined to be a positive value, and the shorter the second processing time, the higher the processing priority of the workstation.

[0198] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the control module 62 is specifically used for:

[0199] If there is a conflict between the first target route of the target robot and the second target route of other robots, then the movement of the target robot and other robots is controlled according to the movement priority of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target route and the second target route. The existence of a conflict is used to indicate that when the target robot and other robots move according to their respective corresponding target routes, there is a first target moment when the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and other robots is less than or equal to the first target distance.

[0200] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the control module 62 is specifically used for:

[0201] If the target robot has a higher motion priority than other robots, then control the target robot to move at the corresponding predetermined speed along the first target route, and control the other robots to start moving at the same speed as the target robot along the second target route at the first target time.

[0202] If the target robot does not have a higher motion priority than other robots, then control the target robot to start moving at the same speed as other robots along the first target route at the first target moment, and control the other robots to move at their corresponding original speeds along the second target route.

[0203] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the control module 62 is specifically used for:

[0204] At the first target moment, if the target robot and other robots move in opposite directions, then when the target robot and other robots do not hinder each other from going to their respective workstations, the target robot and other robots are controlled to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes. "Does not hinder" means that when the target robot and other robots move along their respective target routes, there is no second target moment when the predicted real-time distance is less than or equal to the second target distance, and the second target distance is less than the first target distance.

[0205] When the target robot and other robots obstruct each other from reaching their respective workstations, if the target robot has a higher movement priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at its original speed, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at the first target time or after staying for the corresponding target duration; the target speed and target duration are determined based on the first target distance.

[0206] If the target robot has a higher motion priority than other robots, then the target robot is controlled to start moving at the target speed or stay for the target duration at the first target time and follow the first target route, while the other robots move at their corresponding original speeds and follow the second target route.

[0207] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the control module 62 is specifically used for:

[0208] At the first target moment, if the target robot and other robots move in the same direction, then when the target robot has a higher movement priority than other robots, the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at the corresponding original speed, and the other robots are controlled to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the target robot at the first target moment.

[0209] When the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of other robots, control the target robot to start moving at the same speed as other robots along the first target path at the first target moment, and control the other robots to move at their corresponding original speeds along the second target path.

[0210] In one possible implementation of this application, the workstation is a processing workstation, and a material picking workstation and a material unloading workstation are also provided on both sides of the ground rail. The target robot is used to pick up materials from the material picking workstation and unload them to the processing workstation, while other robots are used to pick up materials from the processing workstation and unload them to the material unloading workstation.

[0211] If the ratio of the first time interval to the first time is greater than the ratio of the second time interval to the second time, then the target robot's motion priority is higher than the motion priority of other robots.

[0212] The first time interval is the time interval for the target robot to pick up materials from the picking station, and the first time is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the corresponding workstation to place materials. The second time interval is the time interval for other robots to place materials at the material placement station, and the second time is the time for other robots to move from their current position to the corresponding workstation to place materials.

[0213] In one possible implementation of this application embodiment, the control module 62 is further configured to:

[0214] The system acquires the real-time position of each robot. When the real-time distance indicated by the real-time positions of any two robots is less than the second target distance, the system controls the robots to stop moving and / or issues an early warning. The second target distance is the minimum safe distance between the two robots.

[0215] It should be understood that the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and the device of this application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the division of units / modules in the above embodiments is only a logical functional division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units, modules, or components may be combined, or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0216] This application provides a control device. Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 The control device shown includes a processor 71 and a memory 72. The processor 71 and the memory 72 are connected, for example, via a bus 73. Optionally, the control device may also include a transceiver 74. It should be noted that in practical applications, the transceiver 74 is not limited to one type, and the structure of this control device does not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of this application.

[0217] Processor 71 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. Processor 71 may also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0218] Bus 73 may include a pathway for transmitting information between the aforementioned components. Bus 73 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 73 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 7 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0219] The memory 72 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto.

[0220] The memory 72 is used to store application code that executes the solution of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 71. The processor 71 is used to execute the application code stored in the memory 72 to implement the content shown in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0221] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may include various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. Specifically, the computer-readable storage medium stores program instructions, which are used to implement the service message processing methods in the above embodiments.

[0222] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the technical solution of the above method embodiments. Its implementation principle and technical effects are similar, and will not be repeated here.

[0223] This application also provides a production system, specifically, the production system includes two robots, control equipment, and a ground track shared by the two robots; wherein...

[0224] The ground rail is set between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, and the length directions of the first and second conveyor belts are both perpendicular to the length direction of the ground rail; multiple workstations are set on both sides of the length direction of the ground rail.

[0225] The target robot is used to remove the product to be processed from the first conveyor belt and place the product to be processed into at least one processing station for processing; the other robot is used to remove the processed product from the processing station and place the product into the second conveyor belt.

[0226] The control device is used to execute the robot control method described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0227] This application also provides a dual-robot system with a ground track, applied to the aforementioned long-distance battery negative pressure stage, including a ground track and a first and second robot running on the same ground track, as well as control equipment. Compared with systems that do not use dual-robot systems with a ground track, the aforementioned production system using the dual-robot system with a ground track provided in this application can not only reduce costs, but also improve production efficiency while saving installation space and ensuring production safety.

[0228] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have their own emphasis. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as these combinations of technical features do not contradict each other, they should be considered within the scope of this specification.

[0229] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0230] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A robot control method, characterized in that, Used to control at least two robots sharing a ground track, wherein the range of motion of the at least two robots on the ground track overlaps; The robot is used to move along a ground track to any one of multiple workstations to perform a task; the method includes: For any one of the at least two target robots, the target robot is to go to a specific workstation based on the multiple workstations it is responsible for, its current position, and the status information of other robots. The target robot is controlled to move along a corresponding target route, wherein the target route is used to go to the workstation to be visited; The step of determining the workstation to which the target robot should go, based on the multiple workstations managed by the target robot, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of other robots, includes: Determine the processing priority of each workstation under the responsibility of the target robot; The analysis operations are performed on each workstation in descending order of processing priority until the workstation to be proceeded to is determined; wherein, the analysis operations for each workstation include: Based on the location of the workstation, the current location of the target robot, and the status information of the other robots, determine whether to designate the workstation as the workstation to be visited.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The status information of the other robots includes their current positions; correspondingly, determining whether to designate the workstation as the target workstation based on the workstation's location, the target robot's current position, and the other robots' status information includes: If the current position of the other robot is not between the current position of the target robot and the position of the workstation, then the workstation is designated as the workstation to be moved to.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Determining the processing priority of each workstation handled by the target robot includes: Obtain a first duration and a second duration for each workstation; the first duration is the time to wait for the workstation to become available again, and the second duration is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the workstation. Based on the first duration and the second duration, the processing priority of each workstation is determined; wherein, the processing priority is negatively correlated with both the first duration and the second duration.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining the processing priority of each workstation based on the first duration and the second duration includes: If the first duration of the workstation is greater than the second duration, the processing priority is determined to be negative, and the longer the first duration, the lower the processing priority of the workstation. If the first duration of the workstation is not greater than the second duration, then the processing priority is determined to be a positive value, and the shorter the second duration, the higher the processing priority of the workstation.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Controlling the target robot to move along the corresponding target route includes: If the first target route of the target robot conflicts with the second target route of the other robots, then the movement of the target robot and the other robots is controlled according to the movement priority of the target robot and the other robots, as well as the first target route and the second target route; The existence of conflict is used to indicate that when the target robot and the other robots move according to their respective target routes, there is a first target moment when the predicted real-time distance between the target robot and the other robots is less than or equal to the first target distance.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes: If the target robot has a higher motion priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at the corresponding predetermined speed, and the other robots are controlled to start moving along the second target route at the same speed as the target robot at the first target time. If the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to start moving at the same speed as the other robots along the first target route at the first target time, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at their corresponding original speeds.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes: At the first target moment, if the target robot and the other robots have different target movement directions and are moving towards each other, then when the target robot and the other robots do not hinder each other from going to their corresponding workstations, the target robot and the other robots are controlled to move at their respective original speeds along their respective target routes; "does not hinder" means that when the target robot and the other robots are moving along their respective target routes, there is no second target moment when the predicted real-time distance is less than or equal to the second target distance, and the second target distance is less than the first target distance; When the target robot and the other robots obstruct each other from reaching their respective workstations, if the target robot has a higher movement priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to move along the first target route at its original speed, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at the first target time or after remaining at the target speed for the corresponding target duration; the target speed and the target duration are determined based on the first target distance. If the target robot has a higher motion priority than the other robots, then the target robot is controlled to start moving at the target speed or stay for the target duration at the first target time and follow the first target route, while the other robots move at their corresponding original speeds and follow the second target route.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling the movement of the target robot and other robots based on the movement priorities of the target robot and other robots, as well as the first target path and the second target path, includes: At the first target moment, if the target robot and the other robots have the same target movement direction, then when the target robot has a higher movement priority than the other robots, the target robot is controlled to move at the corresponding original speed along the first target route, and the other robots are controlled to start moving at the same speed as the target robot along the second target route at the first target moment. When the target robot's motion priority is not higher than that of the other robots, the target robot is controlled to start moving along the first target route at the same speed as the other robots at the first target time, and the other robots are controlled to move along the second target route at their corresponding original speeds.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The workstation is a processing workstation. Material picking workstation and material unloading workstation are also provided on both sides of the ground rail. The target robot is used to pick up material from the material picking workstation and unload it to the processing workstation. The other robots are used to pick up material from the processing workstation and unload it to the material unloading workstation. If the ratio of the first time interval to the first time is greater than the ratio of the second time interval to the second time, then the motion priority of the target robot is higher than the motion priority of the other robots. Wherein, the first time interval is the time interval for the target robot to pick up material from the picking station, and the first time is the time for the target robot to move from its current position to the corresponding station to be moved to for material placement; the second time interval is the time interval for other robots to place material at the material placement station, and the second time is the time for other robots to move from their current position to the corresponding station to be moved to for material placement.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The real-time position of each robot is obtained, and when the real-time distance indicated by the real-time positions of any two robots is less than the second target distance, the robot is controlled to stop moving, and / or an early warning is issued; the second target distance is the minimum safe distance between the two robots.

11. A robot control device, characterized in that, Used to control at least two robots sharing a ground track, wherein the range of motion of the at least two robots on the ground track overlaps; The robot is used to move along a ground track to any one of multiple workstations to perform a task; the device includes: The determination module is used to determine, for any one of the at least two robots, the workstation to which the target robot should go, based on the multiple workstations managed by the target robot, the current position of the target robot, and the status information of other robots. The control module is used to control the target robot to move along a corresponding target route, wherein the target route of the target robot is used to go to the workstation to be visited; The determining module is specifically used for: Determine the processing priority of each workstation under the responsibility of the target robot; The analysis operations are performed on each workstation in descending order of processing priority until the workstation to be proceeded to is determined; wherein, the analysis operations for each workstation include: Based on the location of the workstation, the current location of the target robot, and the status information of the other robots, determine whether to designate the workstation as the workstation to be visited.

12. A control device, characterized in that, Includes a processor and a memory communicatively connected to the processor; The memory stores computer-executed instructions; The processor executes computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, are used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

15. A production system, characterized in that, The production system includes two robots, control equipment, and a ground track shared by the two robots; wherein... The ground rail is positioned between the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, and the length directions of both the first and second conveyor belts are perpendicular to the length direction of the ground rail; multiple workstations are provided on both sides of the length direction of the ground rail. The target robot of the two robots is used to take out the product to be processed from the first conveyor belt and place the product to be processed into at least one processing station for processing; the other robot of the two robots, excluding the target robot, is used to take out the product that has completed the processing operation from the processing station and place the product into the second conveyor belt. The control device is used to execute the robot control method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

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